kimt
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Jun 28, 2008 2:59 pm
Location: ct

roots alive tree dead beech tree

Hi I am new and need some help..
I have a 20 year old beech tree that my friend who died left me.
my dog attacked it for some reason last year and broke off about 4 branches..
well the tree hasnt gotten in leaves this year at all. and most of the tree is brittle and dead the limbs snap off if you bend them even a tiny bit..
except for about 3 small ones the are pliable and don't break.
the soil was wet very wetbecause the screens got clogged and today I had to take the tree out and put some sand into the soil and clean the screens out..
well the roots most of them are alive there were hundreds of tiny feeder roots growing everywhere they were white and the main roots seemed alive.
I fixed the soil by adding some sand and a bit of soil I have in my back yard.. that is good plus a tiny bit of seed starter soil.. I don't know if any of this is any good.
I know little about trees
but that tree was doing great until my lovely dog did that.
it is a beech tree.
please help .
thankyou
kim

Kenshin14435
Senior Member
Posts: 284
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 3:33 pm
Location: Northern VA USDA Zone 7A

It doesn't sound good at all. This tree could be lost beyond all repair.
the only real news I know to give is to maybe scratch a thin layer of bark off with you fingernail on the trunk. If it is green youhave a chance. If not then it might be lost. As I do not have a beech tree, you should wait for any more replies.
Good Luck

User avatar
Gnome
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 5122
Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:17 am
Location: Western PA USDA Zone 6A

Kim,

Hello and welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear about your friend and your tree. I have poor track recored with Beech trees but I'll try to help.

I have found that most people have a tendency to overcompensate with a failing tree. You cannot water, fertilize or prune it back to health. Find a shady spot outside (it was outside right?) keep it damp but do not water too often. A tree with no foliage has reduced need for water since it is not transpiring much water. Check the soil below the surface not just the top.

The white root tips are a good sign so it might pull through. Beech can back bud on old wood, even the trunk, so be careful when handling the tree so you don't accidentally rub them off. Other than that it is basically a waiting game. I wish you luck, I really like Beeches but I struggle with them as well.

Norm

kimt
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Jun 28, 2008 2:59 pm
Location: ct

Hi thanks for the help.
I have it on my deck, I have taken it out of the sun yesterday and placed it in a shade area.
I for got to mention that I saw one of those centipede type looking bugs with alot of legs crawl up into the root area yesterday when I added sand to the soil and cleared the screens (it was much to wet).
is this very bad?
what can I use to rid of him or them?
don't know what those things can do maybe its eating the tree?
thanks so much for the help.
I do feel very bad for the tree and that this happened to it under my care.
ill watch it every day.



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