it appears to me that the tree was improperly dug at the nursery in the first place and I feel that it probably wasn't root pruned to generate the needed fine feeder roots. I also feel that the solid mass of clay surrounding what roots there may be could be exacerbating the problem.

==>>> if you took pix to them.. why not for us???

root pruning is OLD SCHOOL... and not recommended.. gold star for them

clay is the ONLY soil which will form a root ball for BB purposes

so your two premises are off a bit ... as to whether they got a good root mass.. well.. no one will know.. until it dies and you bare root it ...

please refer to the link below... perhaps you will note.. that you did a few things we would not have recommended ...

do read about PROPER WATERING.. including.. deep infrequent watering ...

i am not sure whether you removed the burlap ...

i am not surprised they want to wait until after next spring... with proper watering.. it does have a chance..

and it is good you put them on notice...

good luck

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Here is a picture. I planted it in strict accordance and have watered it (or not watered it) also in strict accordance with the nurseries instructions. i checked many branches this evening when I got home and many with shriveling/dried leaves have little to no green in the cambium layer. Many branches that didn't leaf out have died and is proven by the LACK of green anywhere in the cambium on those branches. I did not remove the burlap surrounding the clay ball. When I untied the ropes, the clay began to slightly fall away from the base of the tree. Their planting instructions actually told me NOT to remove the burlap as it would allow the clay ball to disintegrate.

So, is it possible that the tree was severely shocked by the HIGH heat, planting and then REALLY rainy few weeks we've had and just went back into dormancy?

there are also black bands on the main trunk that only go about half way around. The nursery told me that was some type of shipping strap rubbing.

Those few days of 90+ temperatures followed by excessive rain were certainly less than ideal for a newly planted tree, but the nursery's assertion that this caused the tree to re-enter dormancy is, imho, absurd. Whatever is wrong with this tree existed when you bought it. Redbuds are strongly tap rooted trees and it's very possible that the tap root was severely damaged when the tree was first dug. Since the feeder roots emerge from the tap root, damage to the first means great difficulty in establishing them. This is also a grafted variety and something may have happened to the union between graft and understock - not terribly likely in a tree of this size, but...

I'd totally agree with arktrees that it's likely a goner and that there's no point in waiting until next spring to see what happens. I'm sure this was an expensive purchase. Portions of it are already dead as evidenced by the lack of green cambium tissue. Even if some of the lower portion is technically alive next spring, the tree will hardly be worth what you paid for it. A reputable nursery would replace it now.

Here is a picture. I planted it in strict accordance and have watered it (or not watered it) also in strict accordance with the nurseries instructions. i checked many branches this evening when I got home and many with shriveling/dried leaves have little to no green in the cambium layer. Many branches that didn't leaf out have died and is proven by the LACK of green anywhere in the cambium on those branches. I did not remove the burlap surrounding the clay ball. When I untied the ropes, the clay began to slightly fall away from the base of the tree. Their planting instructions actually told me NOT to remove the burlap as it would allow the clay ball to disintegrate.

So, is it possible that the tree was severely shocked by the HIGH heat, planting and then REALLY rainy few weeks we've had and just went back into dormancy?

there are also black bands on the main trunk that only go about half way around. The nursery told me that was some type of shipping strap rubbing.

{{!gwi}}

[quote]With all that said, I notice a downspout next to your tree in the picture. I have to wonder if the tree was not drown from excessive water from rain combined with the water schedule the nursery gave you.[/quote]

The nursery asked the same question about the down spout. The bottom angles away from the base of the tree by and discharges about 3 feet away down a slight hill. There is zero chance the tree received excess water via that down spout.

The Nursery is reputable, albeit, I have never gone through the warranty process with them. They have said that they will honor the warranty and that they wanted to wait to see what the tree was going to do. From my limited knowledge regarding the growing cycle of trees, I have concluded that the tree simply didn't have the energy to leaf out properly due to root damage of some sort and that the tree is going to continue to die back this summer. I will probably approach the nursery again in a few months time and see what they say. My wife went in the first time because I was working.

As noted by akama, this IS NOT WHAT YOU PAID FOR. Lets say a miracle happened, and part of the tree leafed out again. Probable 70%+ would be dead, Hardly what you paid for when paying extra for a larger size. Even if it did begin to grow again, do you know how to recover the shape, branching etc? It doesn't just happen on these on their own. But if you do know how to do this, by buying a larger plant, you have already paid for someone else to do this for you. I can go on, but I think you see the point. There MIGHT be sprouting from the rootstock, but again that would not be what you paid for. Your tree, money etc. However IMHO, waiting is just the nursery trying to get out of the warranty no matter what they claim. Have seen in more than once from nurseries at at levels of reputation.

Arktrees

That sucks. It had to be a bit of work to plant it also.

With a sizeable tree I understand leaving the burlap in place until it is in the hole. Then the burlap has done its job and needs removed.

FWIW, you probably do not want a new transplant now. The time to plant is when the plant is dormant. I vote for letting them wait till fall to warranty it. If it re leafs during the summer, great. Just try to get them to say the will warranty it in the fall and try to get the soil in that burlap prison wet when you water it.

Oh, and there is another thread round here with much talk and pictures on proper planting. Make sure you can find the rootball and don't dig too deep a hole so the plant does not settle, all that.

Good luck

Not to beat a dead horse, but a nursery person who tells you that a tree has "reentered dormancy" when there is clear evidence of death indicated by the lack of a green cambium layer, is either deliberately misleading you or suffering from an amazing level of ignorance for someone in the nursery business. A fully dormant tree with barely visible buds and not a leaf in evidence will still have green cambium from bottom to top, trunk to branch. No leaves or new growth will emerge if the plants vascular system is not functional. No green cambium equals no possibility of growth from any part of any woody plant that lacks living cambium tissue. If some new growth does emerge over the summer and the nursery claims the tree is still alive and therefore no replacement, it has a serious ethical problem.

Any updates?

I just bought a bare root Ruby Falls Weeping Redbud and it has no buds at all. I see other Ruby Falls in Pittsburgh and they all have leaves on them at this time.

So I was curious if yours survived the die-back?

Very late to this discussion and so my remarks may have little bearing. Redbuds - Cercis sp. - are very prone to verticillium wilt. VW is a very opportunistic pathogen that is typically stimulated into activity by a plant under stress. That could be root disruption, weather extremes or drought stress or excess soil moisture. Mechanical damage can also introduce the pathogen so just the act of planting can create difficulty with susceptible species,

It often requires a lab analysis to determine if VW is the cause of a tree's demise but the apparance and rapidity of the decline/death are strong indicators.

Fall is an unusual time for bare root nursery stock but being bare rooted would indicate the tree has (or is about to) entered dormancy, so lack of foliage is expected.

I have purchased 2 ruby falls red bud trees. they have both snapped midway up the trunk. I assume it is the mild wind we get in Ohio, however, could the 2 trees have a disease? Should the company have added more stability with several support poles?

I bought one a few years ago from Sooner Tree Farm. It was shipped so I was concerned it might not be a great choice. To the contrary, it's doing beautifully- in fact too well. It's getting too big. If you don't want too much spread, do train it up- and I mean way up- early in it's life. Otherwise, you'll end up like me with a plant that is getting too big for it's space.....I have pruned it but it needs to be taller for the proportions to work.