Should I buy this tree?
northraleighguy
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I've wanted a sassafras for so long and I finally found one taller than my knee, but the central leader has been cut at one point? Is this an issue for the health of the tree? Will it ever "straighten out" or will there always be a right angle in the trunk? Thanks.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years agoedlincoln
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoRelated Discussions
New to fruit trees and berries
Comments (3)Raspberries are easy here. I have Heritage and I like it, but I've heard that Caroline is better. The black raspberries are good too and will fruit a bit earlier than the reds. I've got Anne for a yellow raspberry but I'm having some problems with it since it is competing with Heritage. Raspberries grow like weeds and your only problem is stopping them from taking over your yard. Well, the Japanese beetles like them too but there isn't much you can do about them. Nourse Farms is the best place to order raspberries. I've got a Honeycrisp apple tree. I haven't had to do anything to it so far. I bag the apples, but I left some unbagged this year and they were fine. It has wonderfully good apples here. Other trees - I'm still working on a good peach, Madison hasn't been very hardy for me. I had an unknown peach tree that was very good and only needed spraying for peach leaf curl during the winter. Danube is a good cherry tree with somewhat sweeter than normal tart cherries but definitely not the same as a sweet cherry. The birds get a lot of the cherries but that just requires some netting. My plums are still very young so I can't say much about them - I've got Superior and Kuban Comet and I'll be getting Black Ice this spring (I hope). Blueberries are a bit difficult since they need acidic soil. Once you get the soil right then you need to protect them from rabbits. I'm still working on that. Patriot is supposed to be very good. I'll agree with the recommendation for semi-dwarf trees. You can prune them to keep them the size you want and they won't need to be staked. I've ordered from Raintree last year and the trees that they sent were nice. You don't need large trees - they actually take longer to adjust and get established than smaller trees. There are other vendors that are good too. You can find them on the garden watchdog website....See MoreGrafting Seedling Valencia Oranges?
Comments (2)Sorry to not be able to help you directly but yours is a very complicated question best dealt with by an expert in fruit trees and grating them. So if you don't mind I'll refer you to another forum here, one that focuses on those issues. I hope one of the experts there can assist you. The Citrus Growing forum has several FAQs on grafting fruit trees as well as one specifically dealing with varieties of oranges. If the FAQs don't cover what you need then be sure to post your question on their discussion forum. Dave. Here is a link that might be useful: Citrus forum FAQs...See MoreHow old does a tree need to be to bloom?
Comments (9)I've had Hamamelis flower from seed in three years. But they are still small plants and the impact isn't huge. Unless you're into the native species (which aren't as spectacular as the x intermedia types), you'd never want a seed grown witchhazel anyway. The flowers are usually much smaller and less colorful than the cultivars. No one sells seedlings even if you wanted them. If you want a dogwood on the East Coast, you'll need an anthracnose resistant variety. "Appalachian Spring" is the cultivar I hear most often for this. Whether purchased locally or by mail-order, it will be a vegetatively produced clone and will bloom quickly, if the plant is in good health. Redbuds could be from seed or from vegetatively produced sources. A seed grown redbud grows fast and blooms young. Not a huge issue. ForestFarm is great. I like their selection and their plants are usually pretty good quality. But their plants are small and shipping to the East Coast is very expensive. If I can find a plant from a local nursery, it's usually a better all around value to buy it there. For something rare, ForestFarm is a great resource. Scott...See MoreStart a fig now or wait until spring?
Comments (12)I always order my plants/trees at the end of the season. Often times, the trees that I receive from a nursery have been nursed all year, therefore are larger than the new stock that was put out at the beginning of the season. My trees come with leaves and fruit and I know instantly if I have a healthy plant or not. Also, this way the tree goes dormant at my house and springs to life in the spring, unlike dormant trees with which you wait til spring to see if the tree will flourish, I have one now that I received this spring and it never came out of dormancy so now I've lost this year's growing season. With fruit trees that are shipped dormant only, I order like everyone else but with things like figs, I've gotten great results by ordering late. My most recent experience is with Greer Gardens. I ordered five fig trees from them in September, asked them to ship in October since the trees would be in route for a week coming from Oregon. The trees arrived yesterday, in great condition, and again with leaves and fruit. The fruit is ready to ripen and I'll get to enjoy it this year. All the trees are 4ft or taller and one is even taller than me (I'm only 5'3" but...). ***I ordered larger size trees but I always do and I don't always get what I pay for. So, I agree they won't grow much this late in the year but in my opinion it is beneficial to get them now if you are prepared to care for them. Good luck!...See Moreedlincoln
8 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years ago
davidrt28 (zone 7)
8 years agomiketropic
8 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years agoalabamatreehugger 8b SW Alabama
8 years agonorthraleighguy
8 years agoalabamatreehugger 8b SW Alabama
8 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
8 years agogardenprincethenetherlandsZ7/8
8 years agoStart one from seed. A lot cheaper than the plant you saw at that nursery (I'm gonna be rich!). Attached picture is from a Sassafras albidum that germinated in the spring of 2014.
Sassafras seeds should be sown relative fresh as it has a short term viability.Embothrium
8 years agogardenprincethenetherlandsZ7/8
8 years agosam_md
8 years agogardenprincethenetherlandsZ7/8
8 years agoSassafras is seldom planted in Holland probably because not many people know this tree. Furthermore there are the well known problems with transplanting and the lack of viable seed.
About the cotyledons: I added a pic from Sassafras seed germinating. It could be the tree in the earlier pic!
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northraleighguyOriginal Author