Billy Blankenship

Cujo Liva wrote:I have a moderate amount of char that I'd like to break down into small pieces.  

Any suggestions on good methods?  I don't have a large press of any form, so this will likely be a manual process.

I just fill the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket with charcoal and crush it with a 4-5 foot long 2×4. Wear a dust mask.

I have access to some Ashe Juniper trees in the Texas Hill Country. I am wondering if there is a way to root these trees from cuttings. I know they can grow from seed but they can take a long time to grow that way. I watched a video about rooting Junipers and took a bunch of new growth cuttings but not one of them were successful in seed starting mix with a humidity dome and grow lights. Most of them stayed green but formed no roots after over a month. It was a different variety of Juniper, though, that the video was made about. So, I am wanting to know about this particular variety and if anyone has had any experience with it.

Josiah Kobernik wrote:I think that the tree is trying to replace it's diseased trunk by sending up new replacement trunks from its roots. As the old trunk dies, it's ability to transport energy from the roots is constricted, so that root energy must make a new way to reach for the sun.

I would consider allowing the root suckers to grow and see if they will succumb to the same disease. You could either leave the old trunk to die of its own, or use a sterilized pruning saw to make an angled heading cut two feet below the lowest canker. I would remove the diseased wood and burn it.

If the new leading stems also get the same disease, then I would try to grow a genetically different individual. Either from seed, or a cutting from a different plant. you might even consider planting seeds from this diseased tree.

these are just my thoughts, hope this helps.

Thank you for your help, I will go with your suggestion. I saw small white bugs on it earlier. I looked it up and they are called planthoppers. I am wondering if they caused the damage. I found the bug because it was "spraying" droplets of water in the air. I guess it was somehow taking liquid from the tree. It is hard to get a look at them because they walk around the limb as you try to see them.

Josiah Kobernik wrote:I'm not an expert with mulberry, but that looks like a pathogenic canker to me. Either fungal or bacterial.

Is it a grafted tree?

No, it is from a cutting.

I have a 4 year old mulberry tree that is having a few issues. The first two years it grew a couple of feet each year and put out good mulberries. Last year the leaves and fruit on the tree were much smaller and the fruit tasted bland, but the tree still grew a couple of feet. This year the tree lost the top few feet of previous years growth, the leaves are still small, but the fruit tasted a little better than last year. This year I keep getting really good growth from the trunk of the tree but the top is growing slowly. I keep trimming the growth off from the bottom but it comes back in a few days. I now have bark damage where the limbs come out from the trunk. Do you have any ideas of what could be causing these issues? I have pictures attached. The tree was about three feet taller but I had to trim off the portion that died. It was only 2-3 feet tall when I planted it, and had a pencil thin trunk.

Dennis Bangham wrote:Do you think there is a large rock a little under the tree that has stopped the root from growing?  Can you move the tree to another spot?

Thank you. I can't believe I did not think of the tree being root bound. I do have a lot of limestone on my property. I dug the hole when I first moved to this location, and I wasn't as experienced at digging here as I am now. I will dig up the tree this winter and redo it.

Trace Oswald wrote:

Billy Blankenship wrote:I planted a Fuyu Persimmon Tree 4 years ago and the tree has not grown 1 inch. It puts out leaves every year though. I have over 20 other trees that are growing fine, and even native persimmons that grow well. I thought it wasn't receiving enough sun, so I trimmed the trees around it. It receives plenty of sun now, but still no growth. I fertilize regularly and don't overdo it. I water during dry periods with rain water, but we've been getting pretty regular rain so I don't water often. I live in zone 8B. Do these trees take a while to get started? Do you have any suggestions?

My guess is that it was a) very root bound when you planted it, or b) planted into amended clay soil.  If that is the case, it's likely that the roots hit the edge of the amended area and stopped right there, so it is still root bound.  I would rip it out and start again.

Thanks. I don't know why I did not think of it being root bound. I dug the hole when I first moved to the property, and I probably did not dig it large enough to remove the large rocks. I will dig it up this winter and redo the hole or move it.

I planted a Fuyu Persimmon Tree 4 years ago and the tree has not grown 1 inch. It puts out leaves every year though. I have over 20 other trees that are growing fine, and even native persimmons that grow well. I thought it wasn't receiving enough sun, so I trimmed the trees around it. It receives plenty of sun now, but still no growth. I fertilize regularly and don't overdo it. I water during dry periods with rain water, but we've been getting pretty regular rain so I don't water often. I live in zone 8B. Do these trees take a while to get started? Do you have any suggestions?

I ordered fruit trees from a nursery online, and they cut the central leader off of a mulberry tree. Is there anything I can do about this, or do I need to replant? I want the tree to grow full height for shade. A picture is attached.

I also have another mulberry tree and the central leader died. It now has two limbs growing out of the side. I am worried that if I make one of them the new leader, that the tree would be weak since it is on the side of the tree. Any fix? Picture attached of this tree too.

Thank you all for the suggestions. Dustin, I looked up Vetiver Grass and I think I might go with this. Thank you.