Q. (My) birch tree, planted a few years in the past, has by no means actually grown full. Within the spring, it would get tiny inexperienced leaves however (it’s) nonetheless very ethereal and never full foliage. We’ve been instructed to not prune it.
We water with our automated sprinkler system and sometimes sprinkle all-purpose fertilizer and hand water it. The tree (has been) the identical for 10 years.
Rosalie Kallas, Brentwood
A. At any time when a plant fails to thrive, the most typical motive is that it’s planted within the mistaken place. That is very true for birch bushes.
The mistaken place, on this case, is California. They aren't native and aren't fitted to our Mediterranean local weather. Birch bushes thrive within the cool, moist north. Typically, it's simply too scorching and dry for them to do effectively right here.
Birch bushes require a whole lot of water and good drainage. That could possibly be the primary concern with why your tree has did not thrive over time.
It won't be the quantity of water it will get, however how the water is delivered. Timber desire deep, rare soakings. As an alternative of watering for a couple of minutes each day, you’d be higher off watering for an extended interval, permitting the water to soak deeply into the soil, however solely watering twice a month, relying on the climate.
Up to now few years, owners across the Bay Space have watched their birch bushes decline and die due to the drought. It might seem you’ve carried out effectively to maintain your tree alive in any respect.
I don’t what kind of birch you could have, however all bushes can profit from pruning to handle their development, take away lifeless limbs and open up the middle of the tree to permit the solar to achieve the middle — and this contains birch bushes. The distinction, nonetheless, is within the timing.
Whereas most bushes are pruned earlier than they break dormancy within the spring, pruning a birch in that timeframe will probably be disastrous, because the tree will produce a whole lot of sap and make it vulnerable to insect infestation. It’s finest to attend till late summer time or early fall to prune birch.
You may strive adjusting your irrigation and fertilize within the late fall and early spring. Otherwise you can provide up on making an attempt to develop a tree that isn’t completely happy right here. There are many choices that can fare a lot better.
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