Very Sad Looking Oak Tree

[angesradieux]

Hey all! So my sister was given a young man tree a little over a year ago. It hasn't been doing well. My family thinks the tree is as good as dead, but my sister has gotten a bit attached to it and doesn't want to give up on it. Since you've been so helpful in keeping my serissa alive, I figured I'd post here. Do you think there is anything that can be done to salvage this tree?

I guess my ideas would be a larger pot, ditching the mulch, and planting it in decent potting soil with some fertilizer. But I'm not sure if any of that would help at this point.

Thoughts?

 

[JudyB]

Pictures are inconclusive to whether the tree is alive or not (or is a man or woman). Scratch the bark, if there is green under it then is still alive. If no green under bark, then tree is dead. I would plant it in the ground if it's still alive. Larger pot would likely make the problems worse. Nothing like the ground to fix a sick seedling.

 

[angesradieux]

Thanks for the response! If it helps, it's still springy, not brittle. If you gently bend it, it springs right back. Does that mean anything? I'm hesitant to scratch it because my sister is scarily protective of it. Would it be safe to put it in the ground even if we have lots of deer around, or do you think it would get chewed on or trampled?

 

[rockm]

This looks pretty dead to me, but Judy's suggestion of scratching the bark to see if there is green tissue underneath is a good one. Even if there is, there is little hope this is going to make it through the winter.

FWIW, potting soil is a very bad thing for bonsai. It is made to hold onto moisture, which is great for tomatoes and such. But for trees, it can be a death sentence in a container because it holds so much water against the roots. That causes root rot.

 

[rockm]

Thanks for the response! If it helps, it's still springy, not brittle. If you gently bend it, it springs right back. Does that mean anything? I'm hesitant to scratch it because my sister is scarily protective of it. Would it be safe to put it in the ground even if we have lots of deer around, or do you think it would get chewed on or trampled?

Springy can mean that it's been dead for only a couple of weeks or a month. Brittle means its been dead quite a while. There is no point in planting it out in the ground if it's dead. Do the scratch test. I would not get too attached to it either way. As things are now, even if it does have some life left,--in the ground it likely won't survive winter, as the growing season is almost over. It has no leaves with which to make the "food" and reserves it needs. It has no time to make new leaves and have them produce before the first frost. In a container it's got even less chance.