Most trees can tolerate quite a bit of standing water before it will finally suffocate their roots and kill them. Trees tend to die slowly, and often people think they are dead when they are only going into dormancy. Sometimes trees go dormant by dropping all their leaves, which makes them seem dead even if they are not. Give the tree time to rebound. I wouldn't consider it dead until all the leaves have fallen off and no new leaves appear after a few weeks.

I would be concerned about where the root flare of the tree is located since the ground has settled. The root flare should be apparent above the soil surface. If it is not, the buried root flare is more likely to be a problem than the temporary waterlogging of the roots.

Dawn

Dawn,
My husband and I discussed digging up the tree and raising it. I wouldn't want to do anything right away, see if it will recover. I've read that the area directly around the trunk needs to be uncovered so that gases can escape. I'm not sure what the best course of actions are. Could I uncover around the trunk and put some kind of edging there, then raise the soil level around the tree? Or should we raise the tree? Thanks for the post. Lora

Lora,

If a tree has sunk into the ground, it can be difficult to raise the tree to help save it, but it is not impossible to do so.

The gardening guru who has written and talked extensively on trees whose root flares are planted too deeply is Howard Garrett, the Dirt Doctor, from the D-FW metro area. I am linking you to his website to see what he has to say about it.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Dirt Doctor Root Flare page

I have some pecan seedlings that have been standing in water for a few months. Leaves are very yellow and the trees look stressed. I don't think it's that big a deal. They should rebound nicely over time under semi normal conditions.

You might consider just moving some soil away from the tree to expose the flare and getting it at a proper level. Then put a ring around it out of nice landscaping blocks or a commercial made tree ring. Under normal conditions in Oklahoma, planting a tree slightly lower that the soil line without burying the flare of the tree would be a good thing.

randy

I will definitely uncover the flare, but if there's a void space there and if I raise the soil level outside the flare won't water continually flood the flare area? With the tree being 12 feet tall do you think I can dig up the tree say in Autumn and pack more soil under it in order to raise it? Or would that be foolhardy? I looked at Dirt Dr. link and the pics show tree flares that aren't buried very deep. If I leveled the ground around the Redbud the flare would be 8 to 12 inches below ground level. I've been researching the affects of flooding and trees and apparently the Redbud is listed as intolerant. YUK! I do think ya'll are right, the tree looks like it has it's fall foliage.

Has it grown much in 3 years? The tap root on an established red bud will be wicked to deal with. If this is a tree you don't want to lose, you might consider getting a quote with someone with a tree spade to come out and replant it for you.

To be honest, I'm probably not the best person to offer advice on this species. I know it's our state tree, but in my opinion it's just a short lived trash tree. For the most part, once they get about 10 to 12 inches in diameter they start limb die back and slowly die over time. I've had to remove 3 here on my property and my parents on Arbuckle lake have lost 2 on their property.

randy

Dawn,
My husband is an over the road truck driver and he's been telling me tidbits of knowledge that he's getting off a radio gardening show. Mainly anti fungal formulas, for treating and preventative. Well I was reading the postings for the Redbud on the phone to him and he's been listening to the Dirt Dr. lol. Pretty ironic, now I'll have to pick his brain when he gets back from Texas,which is one of his regular runs.
Lora

Randy,
I measured my tree and it's a little over 11 feet. It's doubled in size since we planted. I know Redbuds are smaller in stature, shorter living trees, but since we live in the city we wanted a tree that's roots wouldn't interfere with water lines or the stemwall of our house. When we moved to this neighborhood 15 yrs. ago every 2 out of three houses had massive trees in the front yards. Now almost every front yard tree has been removed, due to plumbing problems, foundation problems, or the fact that a lot of them were breaking or falling on the houses. So I guess what's an acreage's trash can become a city treasure.

Hi Y'all!

Randy,

I have to agree with you about Redbuds. I love them and have them in the wilder parts of our acreage, but they always seem prone to foliar diseases and they do decline pretty rapidly, so I haven't planted any up close to the house or garden or garage/barn.

Also, since we have a native woodland, they come up everywhere in the wooded areas...sort of like weeds and I am forever mowing over them or weedeating them.

Lora,

When we lived in Fort Worth, I always listened to the Dirt Doctor's radio program and read his newspaper columns and books, and the last few years he has spent a LOT of time discussing proper tree planting with people, esp. with regards to the root flare. I don't know if he is obsessed with root flares, or if improper tree planting is such a huge problem in the D-FW area or what, but he certainly devotes a lot of time to the topic.

I think the type of soil you have and the drainage of that soil is important to consider. In poorly draining clay soil I think a low root flare would be more of a concern. In sandy or loamy soils, it might not be so worrisome. Randy is the person I consider our 'tree expert' and he gave you great advice!

I don't agree with all of the Dirt Doctor's philosophy, but he has played a major role in my conversion over the decades from being a conventional, chemical-using gardener to being a mostly organic gardener. I will use some chemical products as a last resort for some problems, though.

Dawn

It has been a little bit of a pain to take care of my Redbud. Each year the City becomes infested with webworms. I try to catch the smallest amount of infestation and open any webs and spray the tree. I have pruned it yearly and it has a very lovely shape. You guys ever take care of a sick or injured animal? The more care you give the more attached you become.

Lora,
Redbuds are tougher than you think. Last year my area had severe drought. We went 110-120 days without a drop of rain. I was on a water well and had so many plants to water, I couldn't spare any for my redbud tree that I had planted twenty years before from a little twig, less than a foot tall. The redbud lost every single leaf and I feared it was dead, but as soon as the rain started back in the fall, the tree came back to life. It flowered beautifully this spring. I am so happy it survived that horrible drought :) I lost a pecan tree, bois d arc tree and several other trash trees during that drought, but the redbud survived. I know that drought and drowning are two different stories, but I thought I'd offer a tidbit of hope that your redbud will survive all this rain we've had. I love my redbud tree too!
Dawna

The Redbud should be able to handle drought extremely well. The seedlings I've dug up more than doubled in diameter just a few inches below the soil line and the tap was about twice as long as what was above the soil. Just like a pecan.

That may be problematic with replanting it in the fall. An established tap on a healthy tree will go some distance quickly looking for water. That's why I mentioned a tree spade. You might call a few specialists and see what they have to say.

Good luck with it. Keeps informed. I would be curious what happens and how it does.

randy

I think my new post We Has To Pull The Tree Out> was a little confusing since it no longer followed the original thread and it was so long ago.
Dawn, Randy,
I sooooo appreciated your input and advice in July. Now I'm looking for some guidance on an appropriate replacement tree for spring. Some of my past ideas once researched haven't been very good. For instance I thought about Mimosas because we had one in our yard when I was a child, and the hummingbirds loved the pink blooms. I didn't know their life span is short and their not native to the USA. Then this last spring while at Lowes I took pity on a tree that was tipped over and had lost the bottom out of the planter. It was wilted, most of the soil was lost around it's roots and it couldn't even be set upright. It was going to be a goner for sure in a short time. They offered it for half price. It was a Cleveland Select Ornamental Pear. I then researched it after the fact. I learned that birds will eat it's fruit to their detriment, since it has practically no nutritional value for them. It has more positive aspects than a Bradford Pear and I put seed out for the birds, but I wouldn't have purchased it had I known the negative aspects.
Dawn,
Here's the info repeated on this thread. I have red clay soil, But I'm willing to put some effort into soil prep. for a healthy tree. I need a tree that at maturity will be around 20' to 30', because I've read or been told that the height of the tree is also the length of the roots. Not sure if that's fact. The tree would be planted 20' away from the front of the house. I don't want any future problems with the foundation of the house since I think I'll be here the rest of my life, lol. I would like something that's at least native to the US and would be a plus for the local birds. I don't think I want a fruit tree since it's going to be in the front yard. I hope this info helps. Any and all suggestions are appreciated. Lora