Is it dead?? Help please...

Hi all

I am new to this forum and also gardening!!

This is my problem....

We have a tree in our garden, about a month ago, we had to dig it up to relocate it and hubby being slightly lazy, cut through most of the roots rather than dig a bigger hole to get it out. He said he cut through one very large one, which im guessing was its main life line.

Anyway he planted it again, didnt put much attention into it, and barely covered the roots with soil, and the soil was probably 60% gravel, not very good quality at all.

We went on holiday and 2 weeks later came back to a brown, limp tree. The leaves are brown and crisp, some are rubbery and the branches are a yellowy green, when a branch is snapped it is green inside.

I have had this tree since my daughter was born 11 years ago, and the lazy idiot has killed it! :(

I have put tree food on it, miracle gro plant food, compost and top soil around it but I cant decide if it is getting better or not?

I dont know what kind of tree it is, it has always been this height, and get red berries on it in winter. I really want to try and save it.

Any ideas, or is it beyond saving??


Thanks in advance for your help....

 

It doesnt look good but If I were you I would keep it well watered as it is dehydrated - No need to feed it that wont help at all.

 

Loads and loads of water and maybe cut off any branches that are brown to the core. If they are green inside, leave them. It won't look good, but then it doesn't look good anyway! Maybe even cut it down to a stump so at least you can plant around it to disguise it and if it does regrow you'll get a neat clump.

Is it a holly?

Hope your husband (aka lazy idiot) doesn't read this forum!

 

Not sure what it is! The leaves arnt spiky. I've just soaked the roots sohopefuly it will help it!

 

Looks like a dead Laurel to me. I don`t think it can be saved to be honest.

 

Without even knowing what kind of tree this is, you have undoubtedly killed it stone dead
Quite frankly, you can't treat a tree like this and expect it to survive
As a normal rule, trees should me moved when the plant is dormant, meaning ( in this neck of the woods) in late autumn
Buy yourself a new plant and learn from the experience

 

Totally agree Sam.

 

It's f***ed.

Yes, that is a professional technical terms that us arborists use quite often!

But all joking aside, I'd say it's been done for. You may want to try trimming it right back, making sure that it's firmly heeled into the ground and well watered, just to see if there's enough energy left to send out a shoot from the base.

Or you could just bin it, get your husband to buy you a replacement and don't let him anywhere near it again. Ever. Or anything else in the garden for that matter.

 

I've had a "evergreen" Black Bush for a number of years. Last winter it succumbed to the frost etc. and everything above ground died.
No leaves at all - just bare wood.
The twigs/branches were brittle and lifeless on the inside.

Like you I wanted to try and save it - havent seen another like it locally - so I took the savage approach.

I dug it out, hacked all the wood back to about 8" above ground and replanted it at the bottom of the garden just to see what happened. Now after about 6 weeks there are green foliage at the bottom of most of the branches. Green leaves go black as they develop so green is good.

Just try with your laurel (that is what it looks like to me also). Any damaged roots from Bossman's treatment should be removed and the root well watered regularly to help it along.

Good luck with it.

 

gcc3663, pardon my ignorance, but what`s a " Black Bush "?

 

Hope it's not the same as the Bonnie Black Hare.

 

We shall just have to wait and see Madhhalia.:D

 

Hi Dai
thanks for a great question - I think.

I bought the shrub at a Charity Allotment about 7 years ago. I liked the almost black leaves - it became the Black Bush and the family all know it as so.
I've spent 3 hours trawling my books and the Internet to try and identify it for you without success so far. If I do find info I will update.

The description I can offer as a challenge to all is:-
Height & spread about 3' x 2' after several years.
Leaves on new growth are light-mid green, turning to deep purple/black after a few weeks.
When trimmed new growth also go green - purple/black
Purple/Black leaves remain all year (perennial)

It was unusual and will be missed if the recovery effort is not successful.
If anyone can give it a name then I will try to replace it

 

gcc3663, any chance of a pic? Someone on here will id it for you.