What To Do with a Damaged Dogwood Now - Ask Extension
Hello Extension Service Expert,
A young dogwood was planted in my community a couple of years ago and was damaged by deer rubbing their antlers on ...
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What To Do with a Damaged Dogwood Now #874653
Asked June 25, 2024, 2:50 PM EDT
Hello Extension Service Expert,
A young dogwood was planted in my community a couple of years ago and was damaged by deer rubbing their antlers on its trunk. The arborist my community had at the time thought it was doubtful the tree would survive. The main trunk of the tree died from the rubbed area upward, but shoots started growing from the remainder of the trunk as the photos show. Is there still any potential esthetic value left in the tree or would it just be better to replace it with a new one?
Best regards,
Germaine
Prince George's County Maryland
Expert Response
The roots on your Dogwood tree were healthy enough to send up new shoots that do have the potential to become an attractive tree or shrub. It's not possible to tell exactly what the dogwood will look like as the top of the tree may have been grafted on to the roots of another variety. So if the tree had say pink flowers and disease resistance bred in, the new one growing may not.
What you have there could be allowed to grow in shrub form, which is unusual, or you can prune back it back to one upright, healthy stem to welcome a new tree.
Give it a 2-3 inch layer of mulch, kept pulled back from the stems, a circle of protective 4' metal fencing, and keep it well-watered when we don't get an inch of rain per week.
Christine
What you have there could be allowed to grow in shrub form, which is unusual, or you can prune back it back to one upright, healthy stem to welcome a new tree.
Give it a 2-3 inch layer of mulch, kept pulled back from the stems, a circle of protective 4' metal fencing, and keep it well-watered when we don't get an inch of rain per week.
Christine
