Infant mortality (of trees)

[spandit]

I know some of the beech are being a bit sluggish to get going but looking at the trees I planted, some of them look pretty dead, alder in particular.

 

How long should I wait before declaring them dead? Thinking of marking the tubes with red pegs or flags so I can see where to put different species next year

[daveindales]

Why not wait till summer. As you won't be able to get hold of bare root trees till the autumn anyway. Get some spray and mark each tube. Personally, i don't bother, just check when replacing to see which is dead

[woodyguy]

Beech can leaf up very late when planted bare root. I had one last year that I didn't bother replacing and then leafed up in July. Be patient and inspect when you reorder in the autumn.

[wrsni]

I was advised not to replace anything on the basis of one year and now in to my second year with them I can see the logic.

 

My Norway Maples last year seemed to be a disaster, probably something like 25 or 30 percent of them failed to establish. So I ordered replacements and started to slot them in around mid-March this year. However, when I examined the "dead" ones what had actually happened was that while the stem as I had planted them was dead, there were new shoots coming up at ground level so the tree was actually alive.

 

So what I done, not just with the Maples as I'd also got a few Hazel, Alder, Ash and some other bits and pieces, was anywhere there was a space I planted the replacements between the existing rows so if a new shoot comes up in another year from the original plant it'll still have space to come up and then I can thin in future.

 

Strange about the Alders, they're one of my star performers so far. I was worried about them on the really dry places but they grew on all summer, maybe be different this year with the really dry weather we've had so far, time will tell.

[spandit]

My ground is really damp - I was worried it would be too wet for some of the species - but they all seem to be thriving around the dead alder (plenty of live alder too). Perhaps it was a bad batch?

 

I'll mark the tubes but wait for a few months before uprooting any

[Paul Cleaver]

were the roots dry when they were planted, and were the roots covered from nursery to planting site. its a reason why some fail.

[wrsni]

I'll mark the tubes but wait for a few months before uprooting any

 

Personally I wouldn't uproot anything, even if the existing stem dies the roots may still establish and send up new shoots next year, or even I've been told, the following two or three years.

 

If and when you do decide to replace, plant between it and the next nearest stem and if it all grows eventually then just thin out sooner.

[spandit]

I will leave well alone. As far as I know the roots were fine and most of them have sprouted.

 

I'll replace any genuinely dead ones with sweet chestnut, red oak, Chinese dogwood and black locust (although the latter is planned for the boundary)

[spandit]

However, when I examined the "dead" ones what had actually happened was that while the stem as I had planted them was dead, there were new shoots coming up at ground level so the tree was actually alive.

 

Had a closer look at a "dead" one today and as you say, the upper stem was dead but there are leaves sprouting from the base, you can just see them next to my finger. I have tried what I call "emergency mulching" - basically ripping any grass/weeds that were growing inside of around the tube and laying it down as a mat around the tree:

 

 

I've marked the trees I'm worried about with little flags:

 

 

I did notice, unfortunately, that one of my cherries, which were going great guns, has been eaten by something and is now struggling: