Sorry in advance for my ignorance on this subject 🙁
Last year, a landscaping company transplanted a pine tree that had been planted too close to a rose bush and they were starting to grow into each other. I'm not sure if the transplant was done incorrectly, or if the timing was just bad, since I believe it was done in the summer.
After the move, the tree started to decline and some areas went bare. I didn't act right away, and since it didn't seem to be getting any worse, I held off. Then at the end of fall, I called an arborist to take a look. I gave him the backstory, but without examining the tree too closely, he said the decline was likely just transplant stress and told me to be patient and add some fertilizer. He also said to remove the fabric around the tree which we did.
Fast forward to today — the pictures show the current state of the tree, and it looks pretty much the same as it did when the arborist visited last fall.
A few questions:
Is there anything I should be doing at this point?
Would it be worth getting a second opinion?
In ideal conditions, will those bare spots ever fill back in?
When should I see improvements? and if I have not seen any yet, is that an issue?
by cespii
6 Comments
He should have also told you that gravel and rock “mulch” are terrible for trees.
Remove that, make sure it’s getting enough water, and reassess. The dead spots won’t come back to life, but they may get covered over as the tree grows.
Get rid of the rock & plastic barrier. Mulch her in. Happy times ahead!
Replace the rocks with mulch and make sure it gets lots of water during periods of high heat and prolonged drought. Fertilizer is a good idea.
For the love of God, what’s with people and white rocks all of a sudden?
Spider mites. They are very small and red. Usually a magnifying glass is needed to see them. Just mix up a half ounce of dishwashing liquid and water in a 12 to 26 ounce spray bottle. Spray your shrub a couple of times a week for a month and you’ll have a beautiful green shrub.
You may get some decent tips, but be aware that most advice you get here is people who have never planted or maintained a tree in their lives regurgitating the same things they’ve read here hundreds of times with a holier than thou attitude: “Sigh, expose the root flare, get rid of those rocks, what’s with idiots burying their trees in stones/soil these days, you butchered that tree you dunce”, etc