Neat tree. Plenty of posts on here about dead Forest Pansies. Pansys? Pansi?

Whichever. Three of the ones around the neighborhood here did not make it either. Oddly high number for a tree that is not THAT widely planted. We had a wet spring too. Leaving that burlap on just does not help.

The only likely way that leaving burlap on would have killed a tree that fast would be if it was left exposed and wicked moisture out of the rootball. Another possibility (significant drainage impediment) would have required additional factors. That doesn't mean it's a good practice, but, by itself, it probably wasn't what killed the tree (a vast amount of nurseries today plant trees successfully* every day with the burlap left on).
* = trees live and do well through the warranty period

One other guess is a rootball that dried out prematurely because of difference in soil between the rootball and the clay. Clay can quickly wick moisture from soil with larger pore sizes.

Was the moisture level around AND IN the rootball checked on a regular basis before/after watering?

I have planted many trees in my gardening lifetime, and I did ask the nursery- who is a highly respected company here with many years of expertise- and they said loosen it, not take off burlap etc. So I followed their directions.

Also, I used the trickle method- laying a hose down near the base of the tree to water it and also the needle attachment for deep watering.

I did monitor the soil moisture to prevent dry out and the tree looked stunning through the fall, it set flower buds and the leaf buds looked great too, in the winter.

We had a wet, very cold winter. This tree was North exposed and I am wondering if it was too tender a species for that direction?

I also planted two forest pansy Red Buds at the school I work at (in a similar way) that were south exposed and protected from the winds by the building itself. They leafed out beautifully and look awesome now... they didn't get half the attention mine did and are also in heavy compacted clay.

So... I know Dan's Default is the joke here, but I've provided all the info I can. Any serious thoughts?

Thanks,

Kcail

Redbuds are widely planted here in NJ and they seem to be fussy trees. They are, like dogwoods, mostly understory trees and seem to be unhappy in unsheltered locations. My next door neighbor is on her second redbud, and it's not growing too well.I had one that was lovely and healthy and just didn't come back in its fourth April (it wasn't a b&b tree, so Dan's default might not apply). It could have been the winter, which was hard everywhere, but it could just have been the wrong tree in the wrong place.

Planting site was too wet. Redbuds must have good drainage. Or the trees were not dug and handled successfully before purchase and planting, maybe coming to you with not enough roots.

The Bottom Line
* Best management practices are constantly changing as a result of ongoing scientific research
* Most nurseries do not have resources to research and write educational materials
* Educational materials for both customers and employees need to be updated annually to ensure
validity
* Information on best management practices is readily available from WSU and other land-grant
university extension offices

Here is a link that might be useful: The Myth of Indisputable Information

... the tree looked good for one summer and then the weather was very wet, after which it failed there's certainly an implication of a connection. This is one reason why you have to be sure the planting site is right at planting time, that is to allow for future variations in weather. One of the main problems with planting intact root-balls is how movement of water between the often different texture of the soil on the new site and the growing field soil (or potting soil) inside the root-ball is liable to be affected. It may be that you squeaked by at first, until there was an excess of water on the site and then this soil textural difference problem kicked in, water collecting around the tree and killing its roots.

It is the same problem as with planting in small (normally sized) holes of amended back-fill. When a tree or shrub is planted with an intact root-ball, in an amended planting hole then there are probably now three different zones of soil texture present, to affect how water moves into and out of the new plant's root zone.

On a heavy soil during wet conditions a plant sitting in a pocket of coarser textured material may be occupying what is in effect a sump. And during less wet conditions intact root-balls made up of potting soil are liable to shed water to surrounding, finer-textured soil, to an excessive degree. I have found dry, soil-less potting medium still present at the base of an established tree years after planting.

"I have planted many trees in my gardening lifetime, and I did ask the nursery- who is a highly respected company here with many years of expertise- and they said loosen it, not take off burlap etc. So I followed their directions."

Your nursery's lack of knowledge about proper tree planting technique is not unusual, but doesn't change the facts. Leaving the burlap on is NOT the best way to plant a tree. It may not have caused the death of your tree, but it has caused the premature death of many many many trees.

That said, I think drainage (whether too much or too little moisture in the rootball) was the problem. Since, in your initial post, you said you were familiar with the way your soil drained and that it soaked up water very quickly, I assumed it was not too much moisture (and may have been too little). But, one way or other, I think improper moisture levels are highly likely to be the problem.

I am trying hard to figure out how leaving the burlap on can help the tree....

It helps the nursery crew be done faster for sure.

Leaving it on while moving the tree probably makes moving it easier.

Really setting it in place burlap intact if u think the rootball will break apart then spending the ten minutes to cut it away has to be best.

Tell your nursery I asked their name and am saying bad things about them lol.

It's a very common horticultural myth that leaving the burlap on is necessary to hold the rootball together. That is THE reason nurseries give for the practice. Why reality is so slow to catch on in the nursery business (and not just in this single case) is sometimes hard to understand. I guess it's just easier for many to ardently hold to their current beliefs and practices (myth and tradition) than to consider other possibilities (science and new ideas).

heavy clay which is like a sponge with water

===>>> i dont understand this comment ... but i dont have clay ..

i though clay was basically water repellant ...

i suspect a planting in a cauldron of clay.. which was drowned with the excessive rains ...

i hope its still under warranty ...

BTW... most clay peeps suggest planting about one half the ball in clay.. and mounding a berm around the rest .. to avoid the cauldron situation ..

and i agree.. once its placed in the hole ... razor blade all the burlap off.. but for maybe the bit at the bottom its sitting on .... its served its purpose.. once the tree is in situ ... it can ONLY be a negative.. it will NEVER be a positive ... the best you can hope for.. leaving it.. is neutral ...

ken

Ken, Some clay drains well (not like sand, but still very well). Clay covers a wide range of particle/pore sizes and a range of combinations of particle/pore sizes. I have some areas on my farm that are clay but I plant things there pretty much like I would at any other location.

Thank you for the discussion... I dug up a dead Judd Viburnum which is planted about 8 feet in another bed from my Red Bud.

When I did, there was a giant sucking sound of wet clay and the stench of rot (anerobic bacteria). I have not removed the Red bud yet but as every one suggested, it was probably the deluge we got here in KY this spring. I watched water oozing into my hole from my neighbors yard ( he does *nothing* to his yard at all). Amazing...

Also, since every one agrees here that burlap is bad for trees etc. I'll never plant one that way again. Learn something new every day...

In my flower bed, I dug up three wheelbarrows full of stinking clay, mixed in 200 lbs of manure and 80+ cu. ft. of peat moss today. Then I replanted a smoke tree bush which was showing signs of excessive water stress, planted a new Ninebark and tidied up some.

Hopefully that will be it!

Thanks,

Kcail