skip to main content

Eastern Redbud wind damage?

15 years ago

I have a young eastern redbud that I planted last spring. It was doing great this year. It probably grew 18 inches or so from last year and has (had) beautiful gracefully arching branches. The tree appears very healthy. It is maybe 10 feet tall at this point.

We were gone on vacation for a week and returned to find one branch broken. It was a pretty big branch, so I was disappointed. Having not been here, I do not know if it was damaged by wind, of if some kid was trying to swing on it.

Today I came home from work and found two more branches in the same location broken. There was heavy rain last night, but no real wind. Perhaps the branches were already damaged from whatever wrecked the first one.

Are redbuds prone to wind damage? Or should I ask the neighborhood kid (I have one in mind, and she doesn't actually live here--- her parents are preparing a house for sale and she has been spending time here while they do that) if she's been messing around in our yard?

It just seems strange; we've had plenty of wind storms in the year and a bit that the trees been up and never had a problem before. The branches are still young and pliant, and the tree itself does not seem to be in any sort of decline that would account for the sudden breakage.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

Dibbit
15 years ago
I am more inclined to think of kids and their playing than wind damaging a young redbud. As you said above, they tend, in my experience, to be pretty flexible. If you can ask, and have some hope of getting a straight (and polite!) answer from your suspected culprit, I would ask. Maybe see if you can get some work out of her as compensation, if she's guilty, and her parents concur, and, just maybe, as a lesson on why NOT to play on other people's property?!?
soitgoes
Original Author
15 years ago
I'm absolutely sick over it, if I think about it too much. Our property is an absolute mess of Japanese knotweed, mugwort, and garlic mustard, all of which are extremely difficult to get under control.

This tree was looking gorgeous and was one of the few bright spots in what is otherwise a very labor-intensive yard, that otherwise won't show real progress for a few years til we can get the invasives under control. Now it has lost its shape and will take another couple years to go back to looking good, IF the damage is not too severe. We cannot really prune it for balance this year as it already lost three good-sized branches and is still a small tree.

Luckily, the child in question (who we have nick-named "Klepto girl" for obvious reasons) does not live here. Her family is from out of town and the house they are prepping for sale goes to closing this week.

I will watch the tree carefully in the next couple weeks for any more damage. I too doubt it's the wind, though, because I have seen the thing blowing around in a gale with no ill effects (we sit in a high location and get a lot of windy days). And in researching on line, young redbuds do not seem prone to storm damage; only older trees already in decline, at least in this climate.
Related Discussions
What's wrong with the Eastern Redbud
Q
Comments (8)
I saw this for a few years in a row on our Oklahoma Redbud, during warm wet weather of spring. When the weather dried a bit later, the new leaves did not have this. So since you have not had freezing weather, I would say it's more likely due to weather conditions favoring a pathogen. Not to worry at this point, The damage isn't bad enough to cause significant harm. Also the tree may well become more resistant over the next few years, once it is not diverting as much energy as possible into developing a proper root system etc. Just the same, at this point from your picture, no worries. Arktrees
...See More
Eastern Redbud Bark Damage
Q
Comments (1)
figure out how to cut it off.. w/o further damage.. and then ignore it... and wallow in your guilt ... no paint.. it will 'heal itself' .... a pic might change my mind ... ken
...See More
Set me straight: Eastern Redbud vs Forest Pansy Redbud
Q
Comments (25)
Well, I assume that they sell them because they are so close to 3 of the Great Lakes, so that they are within 20 miles or less of water on 3 sides and within 5 miles of Lake Erie. That makes a difference since the large areas of water will buffer temperatures considerably most winters. I grew up in Cleveland, and during the really cold winter a couple of years ago, it made it down to -11F while areas farther from the lakes throughout the midwest were getting to -20F to -40F. Officially the part of Cleveland (Lake Erie shore) where I grew up is zone 6, along with many other areas of the US north coast. Similarly, where I work now is within 10 miles of the Atlantic, and although only 40 miles away, it is a full zone warmer than I am. Which is a long way to say that probably a good percent of their customers are in the equivalent of USDA zone 6. I may push zones for perennials that are usually covered by snow, but I've learned that for taller, long-lived woody plants that sooner or later a bad winter will arrive and kill parts or all of the plant. A half dead tree is pretty ugly, and though it may regrow, IME it won't recover its original shape. I love redbuds, so I looked a long time to find a MN strain tree that I figured would have a reasonable chance of living out its full life in reasonable shape in my zone.
...See More
Need help diagnosing eastern redbud problem
Q
Comments (5)
Well, that sounds right. Only thing I can quibble about is that might be a bit more water then this tree needs in the dormant season...but if that were the problem I would think it wouldn't have looked good when it first leafed out. High soil PH seems unlikely...I've never heard this tree listed as being especially picky about PH, and there are pines nearby...I'd think they would show signs of PH problems first. However, that one is easy to test...do a soil test. It will tell you the exact PH, and might help you figure out what precisely your pines need in the way of fertilizer while you are at it. Nitrogen burn is always a possibility.
...See More
markinspringborooh
15 years ago
We have an eastern redbud of similiar size to yours right now, soitgoes.
It was a container tree that was planted 4 years ago, that we've just had some breakage problem with, too.

I thought it was in a relatively 'protected' location from excessive sun & wind...as redbuds do prefer to be 'understory trees' in their natural habitat in the forest, generally. Not unlike a wild dogwood.

But as it bloomed and leafed out real well this spring, I noticed one particular day that the trunk was almost ROTATING in the ground as the wind was blowing strongly against it.
I was flabergasted !
I hadn't "staked" a tree for maybe 25 years...but here, I saw recently a DEFINATE need for this redbud to be staked 3 ways, to ensure stabilization long enough to re-establish a root 'foundation'...of sorts.

So what happened next ?

Because of the relative 'firmness' of the 3-way staking...there wasn't enough 'give' in the middle-to-top of the tree during a recent SEVERE direct line wind we had over the weekend. And, as a result, a crucial 'main' branch just snapped off !

) ;
Soooooooooooo............I'm hoping my Felcos can do some magic down the road...we'll see.
It's still putting out ALOT of growth at this point in the year.
brandon7 TN_zone7
15 years ago
Eastern Redbuds are notorious for this! I see it frequently. Don't blame the kids unless you are sure they are at fault; chances are they are not.

Related Stories

WINTER GARDENING 10 Native Wildflowers to Beautify Your Winter Garden

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

They stand strong in wind, feed wildlife and are easy to grow. But you may want to add these plants for their looks alone

TREES Great Design Plant: Acer Rubrum Brings Shade and Beauty

By Ellen Sousa/Turkey Hill Brook Farm

Red maple — a fast-growing, low-maintenance Eastern native — has spectacular fall foliage and early-spring flowers that feed pollinators

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Solidago Speciosa

By Curtis Adams

Showy goldenrod lives up to its name in eastern U.S. gardens, with bold, upright yellow flowers appearing in early fall

ARBOR DAY 8 Reasons to Plant a Great Tree

By June Scott Design

Beauty is its own reward, but the benefits of planting the right tree in the right place go way beyond looks

HOMES AROUND THE WORLD The Great Escape: Family Rebuilds After a Devastating Wildfire

Tim and Tammy Holmes survived the 2013 Tasmanian bushfires but lost their home. See how they’ve started over

FALL GARDENING 6 Deer-Resistant Flowering Vines to Plant This Fall

Have a major deer problem? Here are some of the only vines that have a chance of not being eaten

CONTEMPORARY HOMES Houzz Tour: Candy-Colored Church Conversion in South Australia

By Grace Chamia

A couple bring their 150-year-old church-turned-residence into the modern world

ARCHITECTURE Houzz Tour: Give Me a ‘Y’

The 3-legged plan of this Tennessee house responds to its site with covered outdoor spaces and nature views

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Amelanchier Signals Spring With Airy White Blooms

By Ellen Sousa/Turkey Hill Brook Farm

With roughly 20 species of serviceberry native to the U.S., bees can feed on the early-season blooms while birds enjoy the summer berries

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Comptonia Peregrina

By Curtis Adams

Though not a fern, sweet fern sure smells sweet and thrives in tough spots where many shrubs and ferns cannot

Sponsored

Dave Fox Design Build Remodelers

49 Reviews

Columbus Area's Luxury Design Build Firm | 17x Best of Houzz Winner!

More Discussions

Enormous silver maple

3

Is it possible to supplement a plant with glucose?

16

Is This a Sandbox Tree?

1

Dappled willow tree damaged by deer

3

Japanese Maple for sun/shady deck

2