dirtlvr
Newly Registered
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 10:07 pm
Location: Northwest Missouri

Is my Redbud Dead?:(

Hop someone can help. I live just outside of Kansas City, MO and have three redbuds in my yard approximately 10 years old. All bloomed out beautifully this spring, but at some point one of them did not get any leaves--now the branches are completely bare. I'm not exactly sure when this happened as this one is in an area of the yard that we are not in every day. The only thing out of the normal that I saw was a group of yellow birds with white heads in the branches the day I noticed it had no leaves. You can see where every bud was and I thought it might go ahead and leaf out, but it has not :( Any ideas--like I said the other 2 look great.

Thanks!

TheLorax
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1416
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:40 pm
Location: US

The birds you saw would have absolutely nothing to do with this tree not leafing out. The birds are just hanging out in that tree because it's dead and birds love dead trees... one of the reasons why I try my best to leave dead trees be here by me. My best dead tree is a big old elm to the north of me and it is used by hawks during the day and owls at night and everything winged in between. We have been afforded the luxury of being able to view more birds than I can count all because of leaving dead trees to come down on their own when ever possible. Based on my observations, dead trees are equally as important as live trees.

The flower buds of your Redbud would have been formed last year. This could explain why all three bloomed. Your tree evidently had enough oomph to bloom but not enough stored energy to leaf out. The formation of flower buds in the prior year also exclains why some redbuds fully leaf out but never bloom- untimely frosts can obliterate flower buds leaving leaf buds unscathed.

Have no idea what stressed that tree to the extent it died but strongly suspect it is in redbud heaven right now.

bullthistle
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1152
Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2008 10:26 am
Location: North Carolina

You might want to scratch the branch bark with your thumb nail to see if the cambium is still green or brown, means dead. Then do the stem of the tree and if that is still green prune back the tree so it might have the energy to send out new shoots. Don't give up hope.

https://propagatingperennials.blogspot.com

TheLorax
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1416
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:40 pm
Location: US

This tree never leafed out at all. I've seen trees that leafed out and experienced early leaf drop in mid summer come back the following year but not one that didn't leaf out at all. Still think s/he should hold out hope if it hasn't leafed out when we're already into June even if s/he does find some sign of life?



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