P. dogwood likes some shade & reacts to full sun the same way Flowering dogwood does, by the leaves getting reddish (Sourwood does this too). I think it's more of an aesthetic issue than actually hurting the plant. One of my Pagodas in a mere 5 hrs sun is reddish like yours. Another nearby in more shade has no red.

What to do, I'm not sure other than watering in times of drought (I also add vinegar to supplimental water to be sure soil acidity is maintained).

so those leaves aren't really going to die? My first impression was that it was dying. I just wondered why the reds have been there for more than 2 weeks and the leaves haven't died yet nor droop.

In the future when the tree is more mature, will this behavior go away? Or will it always be like this?

Thanks for the info and I'm glad that it wasn't a sign of dying. :)

I don't think the leaves will die, but the redness is a bit of a sign of stress -- too much sun. All I can say is keep it well watered. Dogwoods like acidic soil, so lack of sufficient acidity might be an issue. In any supplimental water I give dogwoods/sourwoods, I add vinegar -- I've found this seems to help reduce the redness.

Cool! How much vinegar per gallon should I add?

Chronic stress on Pagoda dogwood can make it susceptible to two potentially devastating canker diseases. This is an understory tree. Cool, moist acidic soil.

v1rtu0s1ty, I add say a pint or two of vinegar per 5-gal bucket. Very difficult to put "too much" vinegar in.

Will it improve in time? I can't say. I see mature dogwoods in this sun-stressed state (& short lifespans) on open lawns all the time.

Bottom line is, I prb'ly wouldn't have planted one in full sun. I suggest to let it go for a couple yrs -- if it doesn't improve, you may consider re-transplanting to a shadier spot.

Are you suggesting that I move it to a shadier area or maybe, morning sun only?

v1rtu0s1ty, I was careless w/my measurements, should have said up to a half-gallon vinegar to 5-gal water -- IOW, 10%.

It's up to you whether to move or not. It may establish OK in its current spot given a season or two. The reddness may just be a sign of transplant stress and go away next season, or even on new growth this season.

Ok. I will just keep it there then. I looked at it this morning and leaves are really strong but just the red spots which I will no longer worry. :)

Are they slow growers?

I'm going back there later to put peat moss. I found out that they like acidic soil. I'm going to drop by Star Bucks as well to grab some coffee grounds and plus the vinegar you mentioned.

Thanks!

Don't use peat moss for mulch. When it drys it cakes and forms a hard cap that actually repels moisture from getting through to the soil. Use pine needles for mulch, if not available, use hardwood mulch. Keep it away from the trunk.

There is already wood mulch. I just put a little peat moss this afternoon. I'm hoping it's fine. I also got the coffee grounds from Star Bucks. I will spread some tomorrow.

I've read that putting peat moss can make the soil acidic. Putting coffee grounds make the soil acidic as well. This is just based from some articles I have seen on the web.

Thanks. :)

Looks like it's getting more red. I see few leaves with red all over and some are on the ground.

Anyways, here is a pic I took this morning. Please let me know what you think about it. I dug it May 22 and transplanted it morning of May 23.

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v1rtu0s1ty, it's transplant shock. That actually doesn't look too bad, so be patient. Don't overwater, the leaves can droop a bit in the sun even if the soil is wet so soon after transplanting.

The larger one of mine (only 4' tall) is making a reasonable berry crop from the flowers a couple weeks ago.

Thanks! That helps a lot. I remember transplanting a very nice spirea sucker and it looked really bad after few hours. About 85% of the leaves died after a week. It took 3 weeks+ before I saw the improvement. I'll keep you posted. :)

Just an update folks about my pagoda dogwood tree. I put peat moss and coffee grounds 2 weeks ago. It has greatly improved!!! :D

However, my other March planted Yellow Twig Dogwood isn't doing great. I am seeing tons of yellow leaves. When I planted it, it didn't have any leaves. Around April to last week of May, it was beautiful. I water it like once a week and deeply.

Oh, I am seeing japanese beetles now on my pagoda dogwood. LOL.

Just want to update this thread. I never had any problems with my Pagoda Dogwood this year. I saw some Japanese beetles but the damage was very very little to none. I was really amazed! Probably, all the jbs went to the canna beside it. The canna really looks so bad. What an amazing discovery :D You can actually see the damage the JapBeetles did to the canna.

Going back to my Pagoda tree, it produced 6-7 inches branch on top. I don't know if it produced new branches sideways. It is very healthy. It is very drought tolerant. I've never watered it, just nature. I like the straightness of the trunk as well.

This was taken August 1, 2010. The picture above was from 2009.
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