Hackberry Dormancy - Ask Extension
Hi,
I was hoping to get some advice regarding any steps I should take to help my Hackberry seedling.
On June 8th I planted a hackberry seedling,...
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Hackberry Dormancy #880852
Asked August 09, 2024, 2:17 PM EDT
Hi,
I was hoping to get some advice regarding any steps I should take to help my Hackberry seedling.
On June 8th I planted a hackberry seedling, around 8 inches tall. I got the seedling from a seed swapping event. The seedling was wrapped in a wet paper towel. I kept the seedling moist and planted it the next day. I placed the seedling in a tree tube to protect it from deer and I gave it a deep watering. Over the next couple days, the leaves began to turn brown and drop. I tried to water it as best I could but all the leaves were gone in around a week. Once all the leaves were gone, I left the tree alone in the tube assuming it was dead.
Today I was going to remove the tree but I decided to double check to see if it was alive by scratching the bark. To my surprise, the tissue under the bark was green so I think the tree still lives.
I am wondering if there is anything I should do to help the tree. It probably was under a lot of stress this hot summer as I didn't really water it after June because I thought it was dead. Should I try and water the tree more now? I have also heard trimming the tree may help as it may have lost roots and be unable to support itself once it breaks dormancy, would that be a good idea for such a small sapling? Or should I just leave it alone?
Would really appreciate some advice. Thanks!
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
Recent rains aside, it's been very dry in most of Maryland, so landscape plants (especially new installations in the ground less than two years) would definitely benefit from occasional watering. Feel the soil a few inches deep and water thoroughly once it becomes somewhat dry to the touch at that depth. (If damp when checked, watering can probably wait, though a sapling with such a limited root system may need extra attention.) The roots being exposed for however long it may have been (before the swap and after), plus possibly transplant shock (both from being dug or bare-rooted and then being planted), were likely the main reasons behind leaf shed. Cambium (the sapwood being checked by a "scratch test") can appear green for some time after a tree or shrub is beyond recovery, unfortunately, though it might be a good sign for now that it's not dead yet. The tree probably won't leaf out again until spring, if it survives.
Do not prune it back. Shoots (branch tips and above-ground growth points) produce growth hormone that stimulates root growth, and vice-versa (root growth stimulates and supports shoot growth). Horticulture used to recommend "balancing-out" the ability of a reduced root system to support a full canopy of foliage by pruning back above-ground growth for plants suffering from transplant shock or root injury stress, but now we know that this is not a helpful practice and might compromise the plant's ability to recover. Leaf drop is a typical response for plants trying to balance-out their own needs, when they can't keep a full set of leaves alive after root trauma or drought, but the stem itself (as you noticed) might remain alive and therefore capable of growth next season. By removing wood (twigs, branches, trunk, etc.), it reduces the number of leaf buds the plant develops prior to winter dormancy, and also removes wood that might be storing some of the plant's limited reserves of carbohydrates and other nutrients needed for regrowth.
At this point, all you can do is to give the sapling time and see if it begins to recover in spring. If it does not leaf-out by mid- to late spring along with the rest of the area woodlands, you can consider it in need of replacement.
Miri
Do not prune it back. Shoots (branch tips and above-ground growth points) produce growth hormone that stimulates root growth, and vice-versa (root growth stimulates and supports shoot growth). Horticulture used to recommend "balancing-out" the ability of a reduced root system to support a full canopy of foliage by pruning back above-ground growth for plants suffering from transplant shock or root injury stress, but now we know that this is not a helpful practice and might compromise the plant's ability to recover. Leaf drop is a typical response for plants trying to balance-out their own needs, when they can't keep a full set of leaves alive after root trauma or drought, but the stem itself (as you noticed) might remain alive and therefore capable of growth next season. By removing wood (twigs, branches, trunk, etc.), it reduces the number of leaf buds the plant develops prior to winter dormancy, and also removes wood that might be storing some of the plant's limited reserves of carbohydrates and other nutrients needed for regrowth.
At this point, all you can do is to give the sapling time and see if it begins to recover in spring. If it does not leaf-out by mid- to late spring along with the rest of the area woodlands, you can consider it in need of replacement.
Miri
