Other areas that are not split as deep.

I would have steered away from these trees due to the bark splitting. It appears that the trees are attempting to heal the damage. Overall, still not great.

The branch wound isn't great but the trunk damage is a major red flag for me. I'd take it back. I don't know if it's the camera angle but the trunk appears to be skinnier at the base than further up. Winter freeze damage and/or possibly the result of a canker.

I would never dig a tree with a trunk like that. No open wounds ever. Any damaged trees that are accidentally dug are given away to employees for free or taken to the burn pile.

@mntreegrower Thank you for your reply. Does the type of tree make any difference? The nursery is telling me that they will take the tree back if I want to return it. From their reply: "the lower bark crack closer to the base, that is a growth crack, you will need to trim the bark back a bit so that the tree can heal around the wound (this is completely normal)."

Uhhh...?

if they will take it back.. then there is nothing to add.. TAKE it BACK

and choose a healthy tree ... shape will come in a decade or two ... with perhaps a little guidance from you ...

and next time.. go at least half the size.. and buy 2 trees with the same money .. many of us think a smaller tree will get over the stresses and get established faster than the larger transplant ... grow the requite roots needed ... and outgrow the larger transplant inside 5 years ...

in fact.. if you need another tree.. politely ask if you can switch out two smaller ones for this one ... he will still have your money.. and a happy customer ...

ken

and just in case you need it.. check this out ..watering properly for 3 years will be your next objective ... and lawn irrigation isnt going to do it

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

Man, this is disappointing. But I am thankful for the advice.

Since I need to start again with a different tree, I have a question regarding Katsura. Does it make very much difference whether the tree is container grown or b&b? I don't even know if smaller ones are typically b&b anyway, but I chose b&b because I thought it might be better for this type of tree.

"Does the type of tree make any difference?"

In regards to buying a tree with any kind of trunk wound like this one? I wouldn't risk it, unless you are getting the tree for free. If a tree is slow to establish after having been transplanted, there is risk that the wound will take much longer than usual to heal. And longer to heal means there is more time for rot to begin, storm winds to inflict a fatal blow, etc.

"Trim the bark back." - I'm not sure what they are talking about here based on the picture. Dead bark usually sloughs off on its own as the tree heals over the exposed inner wood. Growth cracks are not gaping wounds like in your picture. What hardiness zone are you? The injury reminds me a lot of the freeze damage I see quite often on Japanese tree lilacs where I live.

I'd pick B&B over potted almost any day of the week. I have too many nightmares of past (root-bound - circling roots - planted too deep...) potted tree experiences.

This tree is very susceptible to sun scald which may have caused the splitting. I made the mistake of limbing one up once and was rewarded with the kind of damage that yours has. On my second try I left all of the lower branches on, no problems.

@mntreegrower I'm in Zone 5b, Chicagoland. I think the tree was grown somewhere in northern IL.

@Sara Malone Zone 9b Oh, that stinks that you learned this lesson the hard way. Did the trees that got sun scald recover?

Well...it didn't die a natural death. It was so ugly that I put it out of its misery. I didn't mind too much - it was a good lesson to learn.

I was happy to find a nice multi stemmed Katsura to plant in my yard. I kept it limbed low for several years and it still frost cracked up here in MN. Lost 3/4 of it last year.

Hmm, trees with thin bark are more vulnerable to sunscald damage -- looks like young katsuratrees have thin trunk bark. Maybe mine did too when young, but now it's older and the trunk has developed a thicker, flaky bark & never seen any damage.

Hi there! Just curious which nursery this is from if you don’t mind me asking. Thanks!

@Dingo2001 - Z5 Chicagoland Sure, it is from Wasco Nursery.

They have so many trees, mostly 2" and up. I'm outside of their delivery/planting service area, so this was fun going back and forth, as you can imagine. The owner was nice about the process, though, even when I told him lots of sources disagreed with their optimistic opinion of the first tree. (He gave me a credit for my extra trailer rental.)

I'm late in the season making my selection because I recently decided to plant a Katsura instead of a Hapdell Sweetgum, which I had been planning for a while. I visited Lurvey and Platt Hill as well.

Got a Katsura from the Chalet last fall, same problem this spring despite the mild winter. This post helps. Thanks everyone!

As far as two small trees vs one large tree. This makes quite a lot of sense when considered from a growth point of view. However there is another angle that must be considered. That is the wild life. We have found that a more mature plant/tree is better as it is more capable of taking the damage sustained by the deer. The large plant/tree can feed the deer and still have enough left for its own growth.

When we moved here we planted a lot of small azaleas (2 small ones better that one large one). It literally took years for them to get above the deer eating line, and once they did they took off. Some still have an hour glass figure as the deer keep them trimmed at the deer eating line.