is it on the winter sun side of the tree??? ... south?? SE??
SW????

might simple be sun scald based on recent transplant of a very large tree ...

ball and burlap??.. potted.. how planted.. mulched??? watered PROPERLY???

more info please.. and pic would sure help

ken

Thanks for the reply. The splitting is actually all the way around the trunk. I bought it ball and burlap. I dug a large hole twice the size of the ball and backfilled with the removed dirt ammended with pete moss as per the nursery's instructions. The root ball was just above the surrounding ground and I mulched a mound around the trunk. I watered the tree deeply pretty frequently for a couple of months. I've also been watering it this spring once a week. About two weeks ago I added two tree fertilizer spikes to the ground at the drip line. Also notable, when I was taking the pics, I noticed a couple of caterpillers inside the splits. Thank again for the helps. I e-mailed you a few pics because I wasn't sure how to post them in the forum.

Thanks,

Absolutely not normal so you'll need to get to the 'root' of the problem, so to speak.

Holes should be dug twice (or more) as WIDE as the root ball, but not twice as deep. The ball should sit on the native ground in the bottom of the basin shaped hole, slightly above grade. Peat moss nor any other soil amendment should not be added to the backfill....we've been discouraging that bad practice for many years. (It's shameful how industry professionals continue to push this.)

I'm a little worried about your description of your mulch. "I mulched a mound around the trunk." That sounds like what has been termed 'volcano mulching'. Terrible for plants. That's probably not what you did, but I thought I'd check. Right?

Fertilizer spikes tend to break down and dissolve in one location only, and can cause root injury or even fertilizer burn. An all purpose granular product can be broadcast in the imaginary vicinity of the root zone (which will, hopefully, have extended far beyond the drip line at this point.

Did you remove any of the bindings, ropes, straps and/or burlap when planting? Was the burlap made of natural fiber or synthetic?

Yes, the hole was dug twice as wide an only as deep. When I sat the root ball in the hole, the top was slightly higher than the surrounding ground. As for the mulch, I only mounded it in an area about three feet around the base of the tree, but kept the mulch from touching the trunk itself.

I will stop using the fertilizer spikes and opt for a granular product.

Yes, I removed the binding as it was metal. I also removed the burlap. It was a natural burlap.

Where should I go from here? Is it possible that it could be related to the 2-3 foot snows we had this year that would have been surrounding the trunk for weeks at a time? It seems coincidental that the splits are only as high as the snow was. Should I be concerned about the caterpillers? I have pics but do not know how to post them. I would be happy to post them if someone could instruct me.

Thanks!

ken -- can you post OP's images, please?

I put one in 7/23/03, it was in a container. The bark split and some broke off. Research indicated to me that it was caused by irregular watering. I believe the cracking was in other places around the tree, the photo showed the worse.

Here is a picture that was taken on 8/11/04. The tree healed nicely and is now a very healthy and beautiful tree.

{{gwi:355072}}

Go to photobucket.com

register

upload your photo

beneath each picture you upload, there will be four codes, copy the HTML code and paste it into your message on this forum.

The picture will appear.

Here are the pics in photobucket. Thanks for the help. I hope I did it correctly.

http://i922.photobucket.com/albums/ad67/ChameleonGT/DSC_1822.jpg

http://i922.photobucket.com/albums/ad67/ChameleonGT/DSC_1823.jpg

http://i922.photobucket.com/albums/ad67/ChameleonGT/DSC_1825.jpg

http://i922.photobucket.com/albums/ad67/ChameleonGT/DSC_1826.jpg

http://i922.photobucket.com/albums/ad67/ChameleonGT/DSC_1828.jpg

shot of trunk - image 1823. Not looking good.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:355071}}

Yup. That's not good. Maybe it will recover, but I'd start making a plan B.

Dan

Is there anything I can do to improve my chances?? The person at the nursery told me I should put pruning sealer on the wounds. Is that a bad idea? I guess it's too late in the spring to wrap the trunk. If that would even help anyhow. I just want to give the tree the best chance to recover possible. Any thoughts. Does everyone concur that it's sunscald??

Thanks,

Dustin

The person at the nursery told me I should put pruning sealer on the wounds.

That person doesn't know what they area talking about. All you can do is hope it recovers and start making a plan B.

Dan

Oh my.. your nursery is just trying to sell you everything off the shelf, aren't they?

I wonder if the spotlight played a role in the sun scald. Did anyone else notice that?

I will also add it sounds like you've been overwatering. Stick your finger in the soil, if it's moist, no need to water.
No need to fertilize a new tree. Amending soil is a bad idea. Pruning sealer is a bad idea. Planting in August is a bad idea. Do us all a favor. Post a review on google for your nursery and tell the world they are trying to sell you stuff you don't need that has caused the tree they sold you to fail.

Unfortunately, this nursery is the most reputable one around here. I thought I was getting good advice, but now I know to never go there again.
So there's nothing in the world that could be done to improve the tree's chance??? Should I be concerned about bugs moving in?

is this plant guaranteed???

if so.. discuss replacement of this tree ...

you know.. all and all.. you were very close to doing everything right.. which should have led to success ....

first. ... i would never plant a leafed out tree in august... no matter where you are ... i might have bought it then.. but i would have either tagged it for fall delivery . ... or if potted... placed the pot in the shade... and again.. planted it right after it lost its leaves ...

also.. IMHO .. TREES NEVER !!! NEED FERTILIZER .... unless a soil test indicates something is lacking from the soil.. and from the looks of you nice dark soil.. i would bet nothing is needed.. but that didnt harm the tree.. unless you put a 50 pound bag there.. and tree spikes are useless.. so that didnt matter ... and i doubt the hole needed peat ... its a willow for crying out loud ...

if this joker balled and burlapped it in august.. IMHO ... it was a death march from that point forward ....

see if you can politely ask for a replacement .... most likely for fall planting, depending where you are ... [if you said.. i missed it]

why did you pick a willow???? perhaps you should get something else.. and a bit smaller.. as large trees can be problematic in transplanting.. as i guess you know ...

sometimes... a good bargaining chip is to say you will take a half size replacement.. which inside 5 years.. will outgrow the bigger one anyway.. since the shock of it all wont be so intense ....

ken

So there's nothing in the world that could be done to improve the tree's chance???

Not really. Not now.

Should I be concerned about bugs moving in?

Yes.

Dan