Kousa Dogwood Tree Growth

Question

I purchased the tree last Sept. and till now, mid June, approximately half the tree has leaves. . .the lower half, with very little leaf growth above that point. The tree has been fertilized and receives adequate watering. It has flowered also. The tree is about 5 to 6 foot tall. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Being a newly planted tree, it sounds like it may have had some cold damage to the top half of the tree. Newly planted trees are very susceptible to it and, typically, the whole tree dies when it happens. But it appears that yours only suffered damage to the parts that were further from the ground (the ground acts as a heat sink and releases back heat energy it got from the sun and so can help protect lower growth). I would hazard a guess that you had a very sudden and cold snap in your area in late fall or early winter.

You will need to check the upper branches and remove any that are brittle as they are dead and will not grow. The tree will regrow branches to replaces them and, now that it is established, you should not see this kind of damage in the future.