You should be able to see the flower buds if there are any. They are made the previous fall so if it will flower, the buds are already on the tree.

I recently bought a 'National' kousa that had an incredible profuse bloom last year and not a single flower this year. Big difference is mine spend all year a pot at the nursery, I saw the massive load of fruit last summer but no buds when I bought it last fall.

John

Here is a couple of photos, one showing the leaf growth on top and the others showing the scare on the trunk. Can anyone tell me whether or not this tree is in trouble due to that scare?

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This is the trunk.

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Below is the photo of the flower just starting to pop up, there are only a handful of these on the tree, does that mean there won't be many blooms this year or is there still time for more to pop out?

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If this tree is going to die, than I would really like to rip it out and plant a better tree, this isn't growing like I thought it would and I'm really not a fan of the vase style of tree either.

Any advice of help is greatly appreciated.

Ugh, that's pretty severe.

It's unlikely that the trunk damage is related to lack of flower buds this year, but it does look serious enough to warrant examination and possible treatment recommendations from an arborist or other expert.

It is a common characteristic of many plants to tend toward every other year blooming, especially the year after very heavy flower production and/or If they are not deadheaded after bloom.

It's hard to say if the tree is going to die. As bboy noted, the trunk has pretty severe damage. If you're unhappy with the tree anyway, replacement is probably the best option.

Looks like it's healing nicely. I'd let it live and see what happens. Doesn't look like it will bloom much this year. Just an off year, I guess. And I don't think the lack of blooms is related to the trunk damage.
Mike

So it is healing then? I'm not really concerned about getting a lot of blossoms, however, I am concerned about the trunk. If the concensus is that it is healing, is there anything I can do to help it along, i.e., wrapping it or something to that effect?

I would like to give it a chance, it was costly and I hate to just rip it out and toss it in the pile if it can be saved, but if it can't, then I will probably purchase an Eastern Redbud, I've always loved those trees and really don't want to have to deal with another Dogwood, especially in my area where there's a lot of harsh winters.

I believe this is the 4th summer for this tree, it was under warranty for 3 years but I didn't consider bringing it back last summer after the beautiful display it put on last June, it stayed in bloom for 3 weeks. But of course, now that the warranty has expired, the tree isn't happy dancing any longer.....always the way!

Thanks again!

Linda

Trees don't heal. Stem damage is covered over with new bark, but the damaged area remains beneath it. That's why trunk cavities form.

I guess I should have said healing OVER the damage.
Sheesh.
Mike

There is not much you can do about the trunk wound - wrapping it with anything is very likely to make things worse. Get some advice from an arborist if you want to do all you can to save the tree.

A redbud, btw, in a harsh winter area in the Northeast will likely have a more difficult time than a kousa dogawood. Even the redbud strains from northerly areas like MN do not seem to get sufficient summer heat in the Northeast to fully ripen their wood.

Surely there is some type of generalized recommendation for taking care of a tree with a wound or cavity?
Old wives tales, oldtimers legends?

Is making sure the tree has extra water during dry spells and tossing it a bit of food helpful for extending its life or does nothing affect a gradual decline?
Do they always decline eventually?
Is it better to keep debris out of the wound or leave it alone?
Is full sun exposure good to keep it dry or is it best to plant in front of it and keep it shaded?
Is the biggest danger moisture, fungus, insects, or maybe critters?

Any thoughts along those lines?

The importance of stressing that trees do not heal is the fact that the dead area remains, covered over by the new bark. Calling it "healing" implies that the entire affected area is replaced by new tissue, as it is when we heal. Because trees do not heal there can be structural failure later, even though the damage has long since been mostly or entirely masked by new stem growth on the outside.

Is making sure the tree has extra water during dry spells and tossing it a bit of food helpful for extending its life or does nothing affect a gradual decline?
Do they always decline eventually?
Is it better to keep debris out of the wound or leave it alone?
Is full sun exposure good to keep it dry or is it best to plant in front of it and keep it shaded?
Is the biggest danger moisture, fungus, insects, or maybe critters?

Any thoughts along those lines?

Linda,
The tree is well on it's way to closing the wound, and overall the tree looks good. The best thing you can do is try to provide as optimum conditions as possible, and let the tree do the rest. That mean water in dry weather, and maybe have a soil test done to see if you missing nutrients. No sprays, wraps or anything like that. keep the wound as dry and dirt free as possible is about it. Also our Milky Way C. kousa flowers more every other year. They simply sink so much energy into the heavy year, that they recover the next year, before flowering heavily again. IMHO, keep it and see how it goes.

Arktrees

Arktrees, thank you for the advice, and it makes sense. This tree bloomed like crazy last summer, looked so nice, but when I think back to the summer prior to last, it didn't bloom as much that year.

I have been watering it regularly when it's dry or hot, I did fertilize slightly last year with Plantone for flowers, shrubs and trees. This year the leaves are a lot bigger and look more healthier, so I will give it a chance and see what happens. I spent good money on it, so I'd like to give it every possible chance. If it doesn't do well, then I will think about replacing it but not sure with what yet, time will tell.

Thanks to all, I do appreciate your advice.

Linda