I bought this Scarlet Hawthorne tree for $5 and brought it home. At the time I thought the whole thing was alive but obviously the only life is in the bottom few inches :-? sad little hawthorn 7/2/10 ( photo / image / picture from stratsmom's Garden ) What do I do? Do I leave it alone or cut off the top 3 feet of dead stick?
I'd cut off the top as it will do no harm. It's already dead anyway. The growth at the bottom looks healthy enough she let's keep our fingers crossed for your little tree.
poor little tree... I agree, trim off the top, give it lots of TLC, keep it well watered, and see if it doesn't respond!
Agree, cut back the dead. Now, you must decide on a new leader branch sooner or later or you will end up with a large shrub. Generally you want to pick the healthiest and possibly straighted new branch as your leader or new main trunk. When you cut back the dead and other little branches, nature should kick in and force the new trunk upward. Continue to water as you would any new plant (trees for the first full year) Limit feeding it for now. Maybe a light feeding in the fall when the tree goes dormant, but the roots are still growing. Keep us posted please. Ron
