Are you sure it's a dogwood? The fact that it is only 6 inches tall after 5 years and "comes up every year" would suggest it probably isn't a tree at all. There is a dogwood that is a low growing groundcover......just saying :-)

Any chance at a photo?

and it still hasn't reached 6" tall

===>>> inches or feet????

i agree.. lets start by verifying the ID ...

ken

6". Yeah, I know. It's not the only tree that I planted out the Conservation pack that I bought that is just not growing. I have about 4 Walnuts that grow to about 3-4 feet, then the biggest part dies and a new shoot sprouts from the root. I'll snap a picture tonight.

And "comes up" might have been misleading. Its always there, just tiny

Where are you? There could be many reasons the plants aren't growing well. It could be that there are soil issues since there are several trees that aren't growing well. There could be hardiness problems if the plants weren't from plants genetically selected to grow well in your area. Are you watering them if it is really dry? Is there mulch around them but not against the stems or have you removed any plants such as grass that might compete with your woodies for water and nutrients? Have you done a soil test to see if your soil has issues? What kind of light do your plants get? Did you get your plants from a reputable supplier?

It's not the only tree that I planted out the Conservation pack that I bought that is just not growing.

You and many others. Arbor Day? I have colleagues there, so will only say don't expect them all to live without babying or growing out in a larger pot.

I am doing soil tests as we speak. I don't have mulch around them anymore, but did for the first few years. I was careful not to put it on the trunk. Other than grass, there isn't anything too close that should be on competition for nutrients. I did throw a little compost around them last week.

Your grass looks very patchy as well, which would make me think maybe it's the soil. Have you noticed it looking pruned at all at the end of winter? we have loads of dogwood shrubs and the rabbits prune them off so nicely it looks like I took shears to them.

This is a head scratcher. A soil deficiency sufficient to cause that level of dwarfing would be incredibly rare anywhere in the normally-inhabited USA. I think it's safe to assume there are no posters here who are squatting in EPA superfund sites ;-). Maybe it's just a naturally semi-dwarf form.

Are you sure that plant is really 5 years old, and that a prior one didn't die and this isn't just a dogwood seedling that popped up there?

Might be planted too deep, might be getting nipped back by deer...

A a general policy you should mulch new plantings and keep them mulched for optimum response. Maybe if you try this you will see some improvement. And if deer browsing is a possibility some wire enclosures sufficient to keep them off should be installed around each plant.

My suspicion is planted too deeply.

My property sits on old Coal mine property, so a lot of my backfill is tailings. I am not sure yet what the makeup of coal mine tailings are, but I've been told that its devoid of nutrients. Can anyone confirm by the pictures that It is actually a Dogwood?

It's definitely a dogwood :-) Have you attempted to improve growing conditions by amending your soil? It appears that coal tailings can indeed stunt or slow growth but adding amendments like organic matter (compost) can help.

Best applied as mulch rather than dug in.

Thanks all for the advice. I'll give it a try

Check your soil pH as well. Often coal mine runoff (and so I am assuming tailings as well) is incredibly acidic to the point that it prevents many plants from growing well.

Tailings is key. I would definitely do several soil tests around the property, ouch.

I bought a test kit from Lowes and ran a few samples last night. I'm sure you all are familiar with these test kits, but it gives you a color chart to match up you sample after adding the Barium Sulphate and Ph solution. To be honest, It was hard to tell what color it matched but I think the pH close to the tree was around 5-6. There are a bunch of other tests in the kit. Is there another one that might be more important than the other?

Agreed on do all the tests. And then if you get other concerning ballpark figures (pH between 5-6 is concerning) then spend the money to get an accurate test kit. Plenty out there via the Internets.

Best,

D

Most states have some public university or cooperative extension that does soil tests. You will get accurate results that usually covers pH, organic matter, major nutrients and some minor nutrients. If you can't find anywhere local, Cornell has a lab that does soil tests.