Pink dogwood tree

Question

I got my tree in spring and the leaves shriveled up. Is it too much sun? Not enough water? Please help! I don’t want it to die.

Answer 1

Did you plant this yourself or observe the planting? If the tree was root-bound and these roots weren’t teased out to go straight, even if that means trimming some root, the roots will circle the tree and slowly strangle it. I don’t think this is what is going on this soon but HOW you planted the tree is crucial in a lot of ways. Is the trunk flare visible? If not, it is planted too deeply? The flare is not roots, it is part of the trunk and can not be underground. Does it get at least one inch of water weekly, more if it has been unusually hot or windy. Dig you fingers into the soil. You should reach moisture within an inch or two. Information is slowly making its way out that hardscape tree circles are bad for trees. Roots need to breathe – access oxygen. Your circle isn’t much but when a tree is struggling ya gotta look at all the angles. 2-4 inch mulch is OK but always leave 2 inches next to the trunk mulch free. Mulch touching the trunk allows mice to chew on the trunk unseen and allows moisture to be trapped, damaging the trunk. Dogwoods naturally appear at woodland edges so they are intended for part sun/part shade and they prefer some shade from harsh afternoon sun. If the moisture situation is good and your summer has been unusually hot, it may be heat stressed. If the tree was grown in Minnesota and you are in Tennessee, that’s a problem. When you buy from reputable nurseries, you get stock grown nearby and thus acclimated to your locale. A good nursery will have plant tags that state where the plant was grown. Here is some info on pruning young trees. How and when you do this are very important. https://www.treesaregood.org/portals/0/docs/treecare/Pruning_YoungTrees.pdf