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paghat[_2_] · 25-12-2007, 01:07 AM posted to rec.gardens

In article
,
wrote:

On Dec 24, 4:58 pm, "symplastless" wrote:

Good question.

John,

Thanks for the reply, and all the info!

Actually you had some of the most unfortunate advice imaginable for
dogwoods, from someone who appears to be a notorious fraud pretending to
expertise about trees he never bothered to obtain.

Sadly due to the ease by which North American dogwoods fall prey to
anthracnose, it is generally recommended never to mulch beneath these
trees but to keep the area very, very clean of debris. So the details
about mulching your dogwood is just terrible advice.

Nor should be you ammending soil near a tree after it has become rooted.
Dogwoods like Japanese maples have shallow roots. For the same reason a
young dogwood will need plenty of water during droughty periods of summer;
regular watering in summer also helps the bark become less susceptible to
scald in winter.

Sunnier locations than dogwoods would ordinarily self-select are today
recommended because helpful in keeping anthracnose at bay, as this
ferocious and today widespread disease gets started in moist humusy areas
and gets those dogwoods first, usually after insects that like leaf-litter
bring the disease into a mulched area.

The recommendation for a less shaded area does mean that it makes very
young dogwoods more susceptible to sunscald (though bigger ones with
plenty of foliage won't be harmed by the sunnier locations; even in
self-selected spots the mature dogwoods reach bright sun & only youngsters
prefer shade).

It helps to plant some medium-sized shrub nearby that will shade the trunk
of a young dogwood or any thin-barked sapling like a baby Japanese maple,
then when it's big enough and branchy enough to be tougher and to
partially shade itself, the smaller shrub will be below the tree's
foliage, or if in the way the shrub can just be sacrificed. A sun-hardy
evergreen rhody like "Nova Zembla" is sometimes a good permanent companion
for a dogwood, though other rhodies would have some of the same issues as
the dogwood about too much sun.

Dogwoods are most prone to sun scald when temperatures are low, perhaps
because there's less surrounding foliage for shading the thin bark,
perhaps because the tree is semi-dormant and not taking in much moisture.
Scald to leaves is no big burden but to bark can make a dogwood more
susceptible to disease. Really the only aid is not letting it get too dry
in summer, and planting something nearby that can shade the trunk enough
of the day that it doesn't end up cooked.

-paghat the ratgirl
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