Oops. Maybe. Surely suppressed simply by being 10' tall in a 15gal can.

Dan

Cut back at a 45 degree angle about 1/8" above the next bud/branch pointing upward.

I had one with dieback and the other broken as you mentioned. The upward bud already took over the leader position.

Your tree is almost certainly pot bound, and will need the root system corrected before planting if you want to keep it a good long time. But understand that correction will mean you are likely to have to cut roots, which will slow it down for a number of year.

Arktrees

Depends on the caliper and how long its actually been in the container.

I looked at several dormant bareroot Ginkgos that were 8' tall, 1/2" caliper and you could have easily put the roots in a 5 gallon container.

@whaas:the tip of the broken central leader seems to heal itself already; look dark and dried up; not sure if this is indication of healed wound. Should I still cut that per you described above? The whole piece is about 6 inches long above the branch that point upward.

@arktrees:I will definitely try to correct the root system before planting. I was just wondering if it is worth it to plant it at all? Should I exchange it for another tree?

My other question: should i cut one of the branch that point upward leaving just one branch to take over as the central leader? Should I wait until I can tell which branch seem stronger? Should I just leave both of them intact?

Thanks again for all the replies.

The Ginkgos that I have seen that lost the central leader, corrected it themselves in 1-2 growing seasons. However Autumn Gold is a cloned selection, and it's doesn't seem to have a strongly dominant central leader from what I've seen (perhaps someone will have a better experience), so it may take longer, of you would need to begin shaping one.

Arktrees

I'm with ark. It might be OK with help if all goes well. And the height in the can is a concern, and "correcting" root system...well...OK. I guess you can give 'er a whirl and hope it works. Ginkgoes are slow at first, so has it been pounded with steroids to look saleable?

Dan

@Dan: I have no idea if it has been pounded with steroid. This is actually my first time buying a tree. I just picked the biggest tree at the nursery. From what you and ark saying I think I chose the wrong tree :(

thundergoat,
It's not so much that you "picked the wrong tree". Autumn Gold is a great Ginkgo selection (there are reason's that it's one of the most commonly available). I personally would love to plant one, but we already have another selection Princeton Sentry, and have no room for the AG. Instead it's more about understanding what you are wanting\expecting, versus what is available. As for the rest (root bound, etc.), those are problems that are rampant in the nursery trade, and those of us that are here to help others, are very familiar with and know to assume to be present even though occasionally they are not.

So at this point, perhaps you can tell us what you would like, where you are located (general area i.e. I'm in Northwest Arkansas). It may be that you made an excellent selection, and we just need to educate you a bit about what to expect, and how to head off future potential problems.

Arktrees

july and august is NOT tree planting time anywhere in the US ....

especially a large tree in need of root surgery ... stuck in a small pot ...

as to the minor damage.. the tree will take care of that ... i am not worried about that .. i am worried the thing is a goner if you plant it now

what is your soil type .... is it high draining??? .. your best bet.. might be to sink pot and all ... so that all of the black pot is hidden from the sun ... and then plan on planting at the appropriate time of year .... but your soil has to drain ... so you dont drown the tree in the hole ...

ken

Could you take a couple pics for us?

One of the whole plant
One of the leader damage
One of the root flare

Your likely going to have to do as Ken suggested unless its a B&B plant in the container with an exposed rootflare.

First of, just want to say you guys are awesome! This helps me a lot :)

I live in northern california, zone 4-9. However, I think the developers put small rocks/debries on the land so the dirt in my backyard are a bit harder than it looks, and not as well drained. I plan to plant this tree in my backyard that faces East. The location will be near the back fence. The tree will sit between the lawn and the fence. My backyard neighbor does not have any tree or lawn or anything so I don't think the plant will have to compete for resource there.
The reason for the tree are providing shades primarily and color secondary. I pick this tree because of its breakage resistant and least root problem. I would like it to be around 20 feet high in less than 10 years. Is that reasonable expectation?
@Ken: I was told that I can plant the tree any time provided that I give it enough water. Would labor day be a better time to transplant?
@whaas: I will take pictures of the tree when I get home from work today.

May need to provide more detail on drainage. Ginkgos are quite adaptable but can suffer in poorly drained soil.

I would like it to be around 20 feet high in less than 10 years. Is that reasonable expectation?

If its 10' now, its possible it will hit 20' in 10 years. There are so many variables involved. It is a slower growing tree.

Every nursery will tell you you can plant anything at anytime of the year. Its true, but they are under the assumption most customers won't correct root problems. If you have to do so it should be done in spring and fall. Tooling around with roots this time of year will ensure your plant croaks.

By the way Ginkgo 'Autumn Gold' is one of my favorites. I had one at my previous home and two at my current home (all spring transplants this spring). This pics where taken quite early so they have filled out more. You'll also noticed I had to expose the rootflare on one of them which required root pruning since it was planted too deeply.

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@whaas: that is one nice yard!

Here are my gingko:
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WOW, there isn't much soil in the 15 gallon pot. Bad news is there are root issues visible in the picture, and from the lack of soil, there is pretty certain to be more. Did it have the brown leaves when you bought it? You might want to water it daily, and keep it in the shade as much as possible to reduce stress on that very limited root ball. The good news IMHO the overall structure of the tree is actually pretty good for Autumn Gold Ginkgo, and I would not worry about the leader too much, as most I have seen often have a leaning branch, and more branch's coming up sorta pointed upwards, so that you end up with a fan shape. Other good news, is that this looks fixable from the photo's provided, but it will have to wait until after leaf drop. Probable would be best to bare root it, straighten the roots out as best you, pruning out those that you can't, all while planting it immediately. More good news is that Ginkgo's are VERY tough, and so with good aftercare, it should survive.

IMHO, you are better off than you feared IF you understand what Ginkgo will do over time, so that you don't expect something that it will never be. This to me looks to be VERY salvageable if that is what you choose to do. Ideally, you would not have to do so, but alas that is more often not the case.

Arktrees

Ark's commments are on the money. Althought personally I wouldn't plant this tree. Browning of the leaves are suspect and its appears its been growing in that container too long. There are many fine encricling roots that are probably compressed and intertwined to the point you'll get too frustrated.

If you're really sold on the plant (it does have a nice structure), keep it watered and cool in light shade (so no sun hits the pot) until it drops its leaves...I guess I'm repeating what Ark said. Then cut or straighten the majoring encircling roots before planting (lets say late October?). I'd only do this if your warranty goes through June next year.

Ok, I decided to keep this tree and will plant it around october or so.
@Ark: what do you mean by bare root it? take it off the container now and loosen the root? Or just wait until near the time of transplanting?

You likely won't need to bareroot as its probably a big clump of intertwined roots.

You'll just need to straighten or cut encircling roots right before you plant.

thundergoat,
Do nothing now outside of thoroughly watering it frequently (probable at least daily), and try to keep it out of the sun. In the fall after leaf drop, you will want to wash all of the soil away from the roots until they are bare (bare root), at which time immediately while the roots are wet set about uncoiling ANY roots that are circling around the tree, so that when finished the roots point away from the trunk. There may be some roots that this will not be possible to do. With those uncoil them as much as possible, and then prune off the rest with sharp pruning shears. You may want to use toothpicks or something to hold roots in place (non-circling) while you back fill the whole that the tree is going into. Be sure to have the whole dug before you start. The reason for doing this is that as the tree grows, the trunk will grow, and the roots will grow. Over time if roots are left circling, then as everything grows, these circling roots will begin to strangle the tree, so that it's entirely possible to lose a tree from planting errors 10 or more years later. You will need to look at proper planting instructions so that you know how to handle that. Most people think dig a whole, stick in tree, bury with dirt. There's a bit more to it than that, and instructions have been linked in many threads recently. After planting, water when the soil begins to feel dry to the finger test, and be sure not to neglect it. If you have to put a calendar reminder to check, then do so. The tree likely will not grow much for a couple years, but then grow normally from there. I know this may sound complex and scary, but it's really not. You just have to learn what to watch for, and how to correct problems so that your tree will be happy, and you will be happy. You really have a pretty nice tree, but it's a nice tree that will require some TLC to begin with, due to neglect before it came to live with you.

*******IMPORTANT**********
DO NOT let the roots dry out at any time, even a little bit during this process. You don't want to stand them in water, but keep them moist. I keep a misting bottle nearby, and frequently mist the roots while working on them. Once you start the process, don't stop until problems are corrected and the tree is properly planted and watered.

Feel free to ask questions, and/or start new threads. There are lots of people that will happily help you.

Arktrees

Thank you so much ark and whaas. I do water it daily since I bought it and will keep it up until plant. I will report back progress after octorber or so.

Enjoy!