Weeping Caragana in trouble

[rscdsdancer]

Hello from Nova Scotia (Zone 5),

Two weeks ago I purchased a weeping Caragana from a reputable nursery. The tree was installed in a properly prepared bed with good drainage, landscaping fabric & mulch. Within a week, the tree was producing new leaves, raising it's top branches, and seemed to be adapting well.

It was watered daily, and then we had four days of intermitent downpours.

Today the tree's leaves began to turn yellow and it started shedding profusely.

I may be panicking needlessly, but wondered if anyone had ever experienced what I assume to be a delayed case of transplant shock when installing Caragana during the summer?

 

[pdqdl]

I have never even heard of this plant before but here is a reference to that type of plant:

http://www.daytonnursery.com/encyclopedia/Trees_Shrubs/caragana.htm

It specifies Soil Preference: Tolerates drought and salt and will grow in dry soils but prefers well-drained/loamy, sandy or clay soils with a pH of acidic to alkaline

This suggests to me that you may be drowning it. Lighten up on the water.

Check your soil type. If the hole is full of water hours after you have watered, then it does not qualify as well-drained, and your plant may be in a poor location anyway.

 

[JeffL]

Anaerobic conditions? Is it mulched underneath? How quickly (if at all) does the water drain. Tree is probably drowning, get some air in there!

 

[rscdsdancer]

Appreciate the advice!

Thanks to all who posted.

I do very much appreciate the input & suggestions.

Before I had the tree insalled, I had the soil tested (it is a new to me property), and made the appropriate augmentations as recommended by the nursery before I purchased the tree. We did the 12 x 12 hole/water drainage test after the soil had rested for a week (after the additional materials were dug in), and the water disappeared in just over 2 hours.

Since all the replies suggested the tree was drowning, I have removed the top mulch, cut away the landscaping fabric to the root ball line, and am now praying for sunshine.

Shall post a follow up next week.

Regards,
rscdsdancer

 

[S Mc]

rs, Caragana is one of the toughest species known to man (my opinion). They are hosts to powdery mildew and aphids but seem to always pull through fine. We have seen them completely defoliated and come back just fine. We have them here in our valley (Zone 4) in abundance and we have seen them on the windswept prairies of Alberta, Canada, happy as clams. They come from Siberia so that should be a clue.

I concur with the other posters in the probability of too much water. At least that was the first thing that popped to mind upon reading your first post. What was the ground like when you pulled the mulch and landscape fabric away?

You mentioned tests and augmentation...would you mind sharing the specifics?

Sylvia

 

[rscdsdancer]

Soil test results left at nursery

Well..in addition to a tree whose foilage has turned yellow...I have a very red face as I can't definitively answer your question!

I've checked ever pile of paper in my study to no avail...the soil test is MIA.

I took the soil test results to the nursery in April, purchased considerable amounts of lime, peat moss, mushroom compost + top soil; paid the bill and it appears that I neglected to retreive the soil test.

The materials were worked into the various beds immediately after purchase(my landscaper has 30+ years experience & I did check references and view gardens before I hired him), and the planting didn't start until mid-June, as he recommended allowing the soil to "rest".

Everything else he installed looks terrifically happy...growing by leaps & bounds. Only the Caragana seems very distressed.

Ah well, fingers crossed!
RD

 

[pdqdl]

I see that you purchased lime. I hope that you did not add much, because your plant probably did not need it. Go back to my original post, you will see a reference that mentions "acidic to alkaline soils".

It would be an unfortunate waste of time and money if you added lime to soil that was already alkaline. I see a lot of people apply lime in some sort of misguided belief that it is good for plants. It's only purpose is to neutralize acidic soil, and should only be done at the recommendation of a soil sample.

Let us know what the pH was when you find the soil test. If you are lucky, you may have had strongly acidic soil.