Q. I have attached a picture of my African Sumac. The tree showed several branches with dead
leaves so we started cutting back to a point where there was moisture and some
green in the bark.
Should we continue cutting to make the resulting tree
symmetrical or leave it alone and hope the tree recovers from our efforts?
symmetrical or leave it alone and hope the tree recovers from our efforts?
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| African sumac from reader |
A. I know there was not much you could do but the form of
the tree is pretty much gone. African sumac sucker from cut shoots easily. Most
of the suckering would occur within about 18 inches below the cut. You will
probably also see some suckering further down on the limbs and trunk but it
will not be as heavy. With the cuts made in September and October you might see
some new growth over the next couple of weeks. Because the growth will be soft
and succulent this time of year and perhaps not harden off very much for the
winter, that growth may freeze back if we have some very low temperatures.
the tree is pretty much gone. African sumac sucker from cut shoots easily. Most
of the suckering would occur within about 18 inches below the cut. You will
probably also see some suckering further down on the limbs and trunk but it
will not be as heavy. With the cuts made in September and October you might see
some new growth over the next couple of weeks. Because the growth will be soft
and succulent this time of year and perhaps not harden off very much for the
winter, that growth may freeze back if we have some very low temperatures.
I would not make any more cuts this time of year. You do
not want to encourage that kind of growth now.
not want to encourage that kind of growth now.
However, I would suggest you consider waiting until the
next spring growth and see what is alive and what is dead. When you can
determine which of those large trunks are alive in the spring, go ahead and cut
them back to the height where you would like to see new growth. From the look
of your picture I would suggest you look at somewhere between three and 5 feet
off the ground. You should start to see a lot of suckering below these cuts in
the spring when there is normally no growth. Because this growth is not coming
from existing buds on the tree, no growth may be delayed a few weeks compared
to other plants that have not been pruned. As you see this suckering on the
limbs, remove suckers that are too close together and those that are going
perfectly vertical.
next spring growth and see what is alive and what is dead. When you can
determine which of those large trunks are alive in the spring, go ahead and cut
them back to the height where you would like to see new growth. From the look
of your picture I would suggest you look at somewhere between three and 5 feet
off the ground. You should start to see a lot of suckering below these cuts in
the spring when there is normally no growth. Because this growth is not coming
from existing buds on the tree, no growth may be delayed a few weeks compared
to other plants that have not been pruned. As you see this suckering on the
limbs, remove suckers that are too close together and those that are going
perfectly vertical.
Why did the limbs start dying? Think of any changes that
were made to the landscape in the past 12 months. In my opinion, there are
perhaps three possibilities. The first to involve a lack of water or too much
water. Both of them can cause limb dieback. If your soil is kind of heavy and
does not drain water very well it’s possible that standing water could
suffocate the roots and eventually cause limbs to dieback. There is not much
you can do about this if it was from those heavy rains earlier in the year or
some earlier flooding event. I see you have wood mulch surrounding the base of
the tree. Has that mulch been applied fairly recently? Mulches can really
affect the moisture content of the soil and keep the soil moist much longer
than if it is desert soil exposed to the open air.
were made to the landscape in the past 12 months. In my opinion, there are
perhaps three possibilities. The first to involve a lack of water or too much
water. Both of them can cause limb dieback. If your soil is kind of heavy and
does not drain water very well it’s possible that standing water could
suffocate the roots and eventually cause limbs to dieback. There is not much
you can do about this if it was from those heavy rains earlier in the year or
some earlier flooding event. I see you have wood mulch surrounding the base of
the tree. Has that mulch been applied fairly recently? Mulches can really
affect the moisture content of the soil and keep the soil moist much longer
than if it is desert soil exposed to the open air.
I assume you were watching your watering but if your
source of water was plugged for a period of time when it was really hot, that
could cause limb dieback as well from drought. African sumac does not handle a
lack of water very well and it does not handle too much water very well or poor
drainage.
source of water was plugged for a period of time when it was really hot, that
could cause limb dieback as well from drought. African sumac does not handle a
lack of water very well and it does not handle too much water very well or poor
drainage.
The third is possible disease problems. Again, at this
stage there is probably nothing you can do about disease problems except what
you are doing now and keep the tree as healthy as you can. I do not know of any
specific disease or insect problems that will cause this to African sumac. I
wish I could be more helpful and give you a specific answer but I can’t.
stage there is probably nothing you can do about disease problems except what
you are doing now and keep the tree as healthy as you can. I do not know of any
specific disease or insect problems that will cause this to African sumac. I
wish I could be more helpful and give you a specific answer but I can’t.