where are you ..

who planted it..

how big was it at planting..

how did you plant it ... or, how did the pros plant it ..

how did you water it since..

where are you ..

crikey.. give us something to talk about .. and in the mean time.. take the ax away from lizzzy .. lol ..

if it leafed.. its alive ... period ..

a better pic.. upright.. and not just past dusk ... plus a pic of the trunk at soil level .. might help ...

ken

IIRC I think this tree tends to just grow this way, some people find it desirable because it casts light shade.
It wasn't a good choice for screening if I'm right about that.

Anyhow the systemic issue I would look for is, was it planted from a container with circling roots and hasn't been able to correctly grow "down under"? I see more and more in the south that tree plantations are switching from B&B to giant - but maybe not giant enough - containers.

I'm in Houston area. Professional nursery planted it. Was probably 18 ft tall and in a 5x5 container. It has gotten a regular watering this year so far. I pulled up pics of other Chinese pistache and they are nice full trees without the "a small clump of leaves for every 5 feet of branch" look that mine currently has.

I'm not concerned the tree is dead or even dying, but I know it isn't growing the way it is supposed to. Here's some hopefully better pics

There could be various things going on and I'm just not familar enough with this species, they aren't very common "up north". (apparently nobody else here is either)
They are related to sumacs...if you look at wild sumac stands around here, you will see that because of seedling variation some are fuller and more compact, some are more open-canopied. I don't know if Chinese Pistaches are usually seed grown on not.
It will probably fill in over the next couple years but since you bought it anyhow and probably paid a good amount for it, why not ask the seller/installer their opinion?

I think this tree tends to just grow this way,....

That's true while they're juvenile, but develop a fairly self maintaining oval/umbrella crown as they hit maturity. VERY important to prune its irregular growth well (assertively?) until then - pretty sure the "gangly" look and poorly formed branching yours is displaying are indications this hasn't been done enough. If uncertain about doing this yourself, a good Houston arborist will know what to do with this tree as much as they are being used in Texas.

Here's an article that mentions the "Buggy Whip" shaped CP and gives an overview of the typical pruning/training recommendations: The Chinese Pistache Tree History, Planting and Care. However, I've found the more standard approach of maintaining a central leader as tree is gradually limbed up to the desired lowest limb height and eliminating poor/weak branching along the way also works. The suggested 6ft trunk may be good for privacy, but crown, which will eventually spread ~30 ft, will be too low for many adults to easily walk under.... so something else to consider.

Help! My previously green leaves are now showing black spots, turning brown, and falling off. We had 5 inches of rain last week, but don't think that would do it. Any thoughts are much appreciated. I really can't afford to lose this tree!

Anyone have any ideas what this could be? The man in the local garden store told me it was due to the 5+ inches of rain we got here in Houston last week. He explained the tree absorbed too much water, and the cells in the leaves basically burst. Huh? That didn't seem likely to me.

Actually, it can happen. In the PNW nursery grown BLEs sometimes get odd blebs or bumps on the foliage after especially wet winters. I forget the scientific name for it but there is one. I don't know if that's actually what is going on here, though. It could be a common, cosmopolitan plant pathogen is becoming extra virulent because of the weather conditions. The distinction is between a true physiological state which is reversible, and a microorganism-induced disease state which may or may not be.

I don't see much flare at the root collar. Is it covered with mulch or possibly planted too deep? Even pros do that occasionally.

yikes.. it sure is telephone poled ...

pull back the mulch.. and then the soil.. until you can see the root flare ...

superficial leaf damage.. rarely concerns me.. the other 99% of the leaf is still doing its job ... and your local guy should be familiar with how the local rains affected such .. i give him a big two thumbs up.. for not selling you 50 dollars of goo to poison the earth with .. for an unnecessary treatment.. read that.. boat payment ...

i think you found a good guy ...

ken

HELP! My wife's pistache tree has now lost all its leaves, and did so starting from the lower branches up to the top. Testing trunk still shows green, and the smaller branches are flexible and not brittle. But it has now been without leaves for several weeks.

What is happening? This tree is still alive, but has not interest in growing or keeping its leaves. It looks like it is the middle of winter.

"This tree is still alive"
Sorry, probably not. Haven't you had record rainfall? It probably drowned.

It being improperly planted and large to begin with and then the drowning likely did it in, although poor stock is likely an issue as well.

I would get with the company that you bought the tree from and planted it for you. It may be warranted against the damage you experienced

Thanks for your replies. The drowning diagnosis makes me confused a bit, since these pistache trees are supposedly great for the Houston area, where it is not uncommon to get heavy rains from time to time. (The tree is in an area with good drainage.) If they were so susceptible to occasional 5" rains, then why would they do well here?

And can someone tell me how this was improperly planted, and what I can do to fix? I know our soil isn't the best here, but again, they supposedly are good for this area. I don't know much about trees, but I'd think the experts would plant it correctly...

astro they (most any plant, really) are usually more susceptible to excess water in the first year or two after planting...just are they are more susceptible to drought at first