Poor color show this year on trees and shrubs
mxk3 z5b_MI
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years agoRelated Discussions
poor color on first year trees
Comments (7)What spruce said. Our Commemoration Sugar Maple did no read color until fall #3, then WOW. I would say 3-4 until you get anything close to normal for MOST trees. Think of it this way. Freshly planted, and the tree needs what? Roots. To get roots you need photosynthesis. To get photosynthesis, you need green leaves, not colored leaves. Therefore new plans usually keep their leaves green as long as possible to get as much photosynthesis as possible to grow as much roots as possible. So in short while getting established and developing a much more normal root system, they will not produce the color they will later on. Arktrees...See MorePoor year
Comments (14)First, sorry you are having trouble with what are generally pretty much trouble-free plants, so take heart and hang in there, this fine group will divine the answer(s) . . . My first thoughts are these: The little holes in the leaves sound like one of hosta's few but infamous pests, slugs. You will find all sorts of discussions about that here and elsewhere, and they are controllable, and certainly NOT killing you plants. From my mere 13 year experience (trust me, there are much more experienced growers here), I immediately thought of tree root competition. Maples are the most infamous, though we learned the hard way that Red Pines are almost as bad. Insidiously, this sometimes takes a cupla years to manifest itself, but again, there are ways to make all well, so stay in touch, O.K.? We'll make it worth your while, Hosta folk are tenacious and very giving, helpful folk! hh...See MoreMy Early start Strategy with poor weather this year.
Comments (2)Thanks daninthedirt, (Hardened off yes for about 2 weeks, took me a week to decide the move to vinyl bags first when temps were in low 40s for 10+ days Now, When I see the temps for the low if to be around 50ish) It should be within 10 days depending upon weather still and I will stake them. So far the in 10 days the weather at night seems to be around 50 or over and day temps in the high 60's to high 70's. When I stake them i use those 3/4 inch green pole stakes stakes that are about 6 ft tall then just support them with twine. (The new burppe seedlings will be planted in about 10-14 days) Also at times I use anything I see to prop them up when the plants become to heavy/tall, Not the best way but it worked for the past few years. Also my neighbor gave me at the end of last summer another 8 or so 6 foot high (2 inch) wood stakes so, it will be kind of fun to see how I makeshift this summer. All of the fabric bags are planted within a foot of each other so, basicly the twine with about 15+ stakes kind makes a makeshift cage plus with other props....See Moreplanting trees & shrubs in poor soil
Comments (11)Let's address #5 first. This is an incorrect assumption. In fact, it is an incorrect assumption to conclude this subsoil is devoid of nutrients and is - by your words -'uninhabitable'. The depth of the root systems of the native trees may just as easily be influenced by the amount of water that was available in the soil. The primary quest for tree roots is going to be a source of moisture. That's why for almost any kind of tree, the bulk of the root system, including all the fine feeder roots that take up that moisture, is located in the top 15-18" of the soil profile, regardless of how deep the enriched/amended soil may be. The only way to know if the soil is infertile or nutrient poor is to have it tested. Any amending will be influenced by drainage. Does the subsoil currently drain well? You can check online for various perk tests you can do yourself to determine drainage. To build on the previous comment, among other reasons it's not advised, amending individual planting holes in slow or poorly draining soil just creates pockets of overly wet soil around plant roots - the 'bucket effect'. These can lead to root rots and other disease issues. Increasing the easily plantable depth by bringing in a sufficient layer of soil can help but the 'topsoil' or a sandy loam garden mix is preferable to just compost because of more closely similar textural characteristics to the native soil and so avoid creating interface issues between the two different soils. It also never an problem to prepare wide but quite shallow planting holes and plant high, so the top of the rootball is above grade. You then bring in the better soil to mound up to the proper level If you feel you need to add organic matter, use some compost as a mulch. And this is something you will need repeat annually to replenish OM, which is always degrading and decomposing. #6 Don't assume the roots of the plants you are planning on adding will remain concentrated in the original planting hole (your 'quantity' factor in determining size of planting hole). Tree and shrub roots can be very pervasive and penetrate through some pretty nasty, compacted soils. They are actually more likely to stay concentrated in an enriched planting hole, as there is less incentive to seek out soil moisture and nutrients. There's a couple of other misconceptions in your plans as well but this should at least get you started in creating a desired soil planting situation for the immediate future. Probably the most important take-away from this - and the one most folks find to be counterintuitive - is that whenever possible, planting trees and shrubs in the unamended indigenous soil is the preferred approach. Any amendments should be applied as a mulch or top dressing....See MoreJurassic Park
2 years agoschoolhouse_gwagain
2 years agoJurassic Park
2 years agoperen.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
2 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years agoJaney Cat
2 years agodiggerdee zone 6 CT
2 years agodavidrt28 (zone 7)
2 years agobengz6westmd
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoDave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
2 years agolast modified: 2 years ago
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