Are my beech saplings dead?

antonian

Hi,

In march this year I planted a short double row hedge of bare root beech saplings (around 80 plants). While most of these have been successful sporting nice green fresh leaves, unfortunately 10 of the plants have as yet failed to produce any leaves at all and look exactly as they did when I planted them. I think that they might be dead but someone told me recently that they were just dormant and that it would be next spring before they start.

Thanks for any advice on this.

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mossym

i put down 50 in feb and have 1 like this. i reckon it's dead. when i finished along the wall i wanted to hedge i had 4 left over, i stuck them down even though i hadn't planned on trees there. i'm just going to transport one of them over.

i know that doesn't help you much, but given how much the others have grown i reckon if tehre is no leaves on it now it is dead...would be interested tohear otherwise

magicbastarder

if the branches are supple, it might be too soon to call in the undertakers. if they snap when you try to bend them, though, they're dead.

antonian

Thanks folks. The branches don't break when I bend them and as I don't have any 'spares' I leave them on a while longer before rolling in the hearse!

bbam

With your thumbnail carefully scrape back a small piece of bark... If its fresh and green under the bark you have a good chance... If not they're prob dead.
What is the ground like ?? Are the deadines all together or spread thoughout the row??
Beech doesn't like wet/waterlogged ground..

antonian

Hi bbam,
I did like you said on one of them and it seems green underneath. Not bubbling with sap mind but not dried out and brittle either. The ground is fresh, well draining top soil and the 'dead' ones are spread here and there along the row, not concentrated in one place. I think I'll leave them in place and this coming winter, plant a few spares that I can substitute in next spring if the worst comes to the worst.

Thanks
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mossym

not trying to steal the thread..but looked out the window this morning, and saw green leaves on the tree i though was dead, they were low down so thought it was a weed, but went out and it has sprouted leaves!! happy out!! so don't give up on your palnts, my one has sprouted leaves about 3 months after the rest!!