Looks like it got too dry this past summer.

In nature it's an understory tree.

Redbuds are wonderful trees around here -- tough natives colonizing many areas (even rocky, barren roadcuts) & having much greater effect than the much-advertised flowering dogwood. Not sure what you're complaining about -- many trees don't "live up" to what turns out to be false expectations.

Plants of any kind that go brown and shrivel don't need to be fertilized. At least not because they have shriveled. And if they are having a dryness problem the mineral salts in fertilizers can just make things worse for them. Plus 10-10-10 is pretty high potency, better for things like frequently watered hanging baskets filled with soilless potting medium than plants in the ground.

Dig around in the soil right next to it to make sure it is as moist as you think it is. And to also make sure it is not too moist.

In nature it's an understory tree

The outermost leaves on tree asked about here are the least affected, which is the opposite of what would be expected when a plant is sunburned.

i dont understand the complaint in late october ... with a deciduous tree ... some years they go dormant sooner.. some year later .... but regardless... they are all going to fall off ... ugly or not ....

it will NEVER need fert again .. its a tree... not a production crop ...

im curious... and can usually spy it out from the pic... is your lawn fertd... and or irrigated.... lawn irrigation is not sufficient for a newly planted tree .... so maybe.. it didnt get what it needed the prior two years ... by year three... it should be fully established.. and in no need of anything from you .... unless you are way out of its normal climes ....

i cant see and you dont mention.. where you are ....

ken

Woody plants can and often do need fertilizer for best growth, there is nothing about them that puts them outside of the set of plants that benefit from fertilization - when needed.

Thanks to all for varied comments. I gather the following - I should plant a forest so that I can maintain the understory quality and life of this tree. Guess that's not going to happen. I had read that sun - granted, to a moderate degree - was a good environment for this tree. That's what it gets.

More water. Perhaps I failed there. The tree has been in the ground for 2.5 years not 3 so I definitely failed there as I know early plantings need lots of water.

Fertilizer - as I said, 1x of triple 10 for its first 2 years each year - in the spring.

I truly appreciate everyone's input and am going to apply all suggestions as we emerge into a new year of growth - next spring.

I am in RI. Thanks to all.

Redbuds are often understory trees, but they're native here and grow absolutely anywhere they want, often on baking shale banks. With the drought we had here--I didn't have rain between July 4 and Oct 7--everything looks awful.

to be clear .... a LITTLE 10-10-10 .... NEVER HURT ANYTHING... i presume you didnt apply a whole bag ....

its just that i dont think it matters .. so why waste your time and money .,...

this did not happen due to lack of fert ...

and i always let the lawn clippings fall ... and figured that was compost enough ...

ahhhh.. bottom line.. dont worry about it ...

ken

While you may find a beautifully flower tree in the nursery, it may be several years before the tree produces the same quality display in your yard, We planted pink dogwood with beautiful flowers in our yard about 3 years ago, so far it has not had flower one.

When we moved into this house there was a young dogwood in the back. That was 8 years ago, and just this spring it finally had sufficient flowers to say it was a flowering tree. It is covered with buds so it should be pretty next year.

Our Red Bud which was in bloom when planted has been in the ground for about 4 years, and we will get a couple of blooms each year. Currently while the most of he leaves are still green (Much further south), those that have change are drying up and turning brown. Red buds are fairly slow growing trees.

Point is trees grow and perform in their time, not yours. They produce leaves and flowers as they feel like it, not when you want them.

I am in the south, east of Raleigh, where dogwoods grow like weeds, and still I have to adjust to their time not mine

Pv Picotte, around here right now, many trees have poor to even no color other than dull brown, so fall color is not a given for most trees except perhaps for selections chosen for their dependable colors. Wild sugar maples here often, like this yr, fail to color particularly well. Below is about the best my wild sugar maples color. I don't mind -- they are overall outstanding & durable native trees. The little sourwood in the center foreground is one of the few straight (non-selected) species that dependably has outstanding color (too early in this pic):

Again - thanks to all. Ken - not a whole bag but as directed on bag. Probably a scoop. And bottom line - I shan't worry about it.

Nuttle - totally agree - trees are on their schedule not ours. I guess I am fortunate in that I planted a small dogwood 2 years ago and this spring it was covered with flowers. I didn't expect that on such a small, young tree but tree did it on their time.:-)

WestMD- I think you are right about selection gives the best fall color as in maples - mostly. I don't remember the redbud looking so shabby last fall but perhaps it did. I will apply all hints and measures as recommended by forum.

Is the tree fairly close to the road or driveway? I only ask because while it is fairly salt-tolerant, it may just have been the perfect storm of dry weather, fertilizer, salt build up in the soil and persisting warmish fall weather we've been having. Just a thought.

Trees and shrubs brought home from retailers full of flowers and then not blooming so much - if at all - for a while afterward is the result of fertilization regimes being undertaken prior to purchase by end consumers.

The opposite occurrence - specimens not having flowered yet at time of purchase and then bursting into bloom in unexpectedly small sizes after establishment on final planting sites - will be likely to be due to them being cutting raised or grafted clones, with the sexual maturity of the stock plants from which they came. As opposed to seed raised plants that will not flower until sexual maturity is attained, after an interval of some years (this can be decades in the case of large growing tree species).

Some trees exhibit different foliage quality including fall color based soil quality and nutrients. might Be worthwhile doing a soil test with Logan labs. Good to know eitherway.

Fall color on redbud has been hit or miss for me like many other trees.

Suza-Not too close to the road or driveway. Many contributing factors I'm sure. I will just hope for better next fall. Bengz-what a display. Wild redbuds in abundance! Is that Md?

All things considered, I had lovely flowers on my "baby" dogwood and unattractive leaves on my redbud - did have lovely bloom period on the redbud tho. Can't have it all I guess! Thanks again to all.