A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2003 Tree problems

I recently moved to this area and some
of the neighbors have told me they planted
trees and they would only live a year or two.
I planted a plane tree and I would like to see it live. Has anyone had this problem and
if so what was the solution.
The soil here is dark hard clay with some rock.It is alkaline soil with a 6.5 to 8Ph.
I use redwood compost when I plant and it seems to work good on grass and flowers.
I am in zone 9.

Gene

I've had the same challenge. I have been growing 10 redbuds and 10 dogwoods in large pots for the past year, all but 4 of the dogwoods died, and I transplanted those 4, and 2 more died thereafter in the ground. I now have two left, one seems strong andhealthy, the other dubious. As to the rosebuds, I have 7 left, still in pots, with two fading quickly...I think it may have something to do with the sun exposure, as I've given them the right soil and water...

Is your Sycamore, PLATANUS acerifolia (London Plane tree) or PLATANUS racemosa (California Sycamore)? Both are recommended for zones 2-24.

My book says the London Plane tree tolerates most soils and stands up beautifully under city smog, soot, dust, reflected heat. It can be pollarded (Pollarding is a style of prunning where the main limbs of a young tree are drastically cut back to short lengths. The result is a compact, leafy dome during the growing season and a somewhat grotesque branch structure during the dormant months. London plane tree (Platanus acerifolia) is most often subjected to this treatment.)to create a dense, low canopy. It is often sold as P. orientalis. It is goodstreet, park or lawn tree.

In our area, I am in zone 15 (San Francisco Bay Area and Inland Climate zone), the Platanus acerifolia "Bloodgood" commonly called London Plane tree is recommended for yard planting (in the easement portion of the property near the sidewalk).

Sycamore can be subjected to the following diseases or pests:

greenhouse whitefly
Sycamore scale
Antracnose (a fungal disease)
Powdery mildew ( a fungal disease)
Sycamore spider mite
Western sycamore lace bug
Fall webworm
Sycamore leaf skeletonizer
Canker stain
Oystershell scale
Sycamore borer
Flatheaded appletree borer
or Pacific flatheaded borer

Check the last wo. If the tree is infested, you would see whitisth larvae with enlarged head, tunnel under bark. This causes decline or death of limbs or entire plant. Roughened, cracked, wet or oozing areas on bark.

plants are seriously damaged by too much or too little water. Irrigate near the outer portion of the canopy, not near the trunk.

Avoid injuries to roots or trunk (ex.: lawnmower, etc.)

For other information, please visit:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/selectnewpest.home.html

GENE69 AND ALLTHUMBS,
It's all that hot air and bright lights from the moviestars!!! *BIG SMILE*

Allthumbs,
Which name is it on the red bud?
Did you know there is one that is zoned up to 4, which is my area. (cold) And there is one zoned to 6? A Chinese variety. That might be a factor???
And the dog woods like the shade!!!!
Probly especially in your area, think of it as a under story plant....

GENE69,
Also, how you plant trees can be somewhat tricky, alot of times people want to cover the bark, and/or pushing the mulch way up the trunk to make it look nice, I've heard from alot of landscapers that's a no~no,
Also, it may have been planted too deep,
not enough water in the inital planting week.

Hope some of this helps!!
Happy Gardening!
Weezie

Thanks for the feedback guys.
Papito, I think were in the same zone.
The tree I planted is an English Plane tree,
anyway thats what the tag says. So it may be
the same as the London Plane tree.
After 3 months its still growing. I have
some leaf scorch and powdery mildew for
which I sprayed. I planted it about 10ft
from the sidewalk. Maybe the soil is better
down by the sidewalk. Most of the front yard is fill dirt, like adobe. I had a bad thatch
problem here and tore out most of it. Now at
least the water gets down into the soil.

Gene