Large boxwood

[BrianBay9]

Looks like great material. Is it pushing new growth? All you really care about this year is replacing roots. I wouldn't trim anything that stays green.

 

[stevek]

i like this angle with the movement. I would cut down that middle straight strong trunk half way to the leaves. also the ones to it's left, those two are doing you no good, bring it down to the next fork to the right. then leave it alone. getting to close to fall and winter to want new growth. sk.

 

[defra]

Looking good just let it do its thing it needs to be strong for the future....

 

[drew33998]

Looks like it needs a big resurgence of leaves/New growth. Unless you just pruned a lot of it off. My boxwoods started growing again last week. I hit them with one last round of fertilizer for the year.

 

[catfish chapstick]

This thing was doing just fine when suddenly one day it just split open and died.

Does anyone know what happened here?

 

[JudyB]

perhaps boxwood blight, I hear that it can kill very quickly although I don't know what the symptoms look like.

 

[Tiki]

Now that's a new one I've never seen before. You sure it wasn't struck by lightning?

 

[Nicholas Box]

I can't think of a reason for the split....

I've only personally seen that in nature with extreme temperature swings.

 

[BonsaiFurLife]

I had an old one do that. Multi trunk. Most of it died. It was winter When I dug and happened about a month after. It actually had old scars from where it had about 1-2 inch long splits and healed years before. When it split on me though it was much worse. I thought maybe the cold weather and sun shining on the trunk did it but Who knows.

 

[sorce]

one day it just split open and died.

"One day" may be misleading.

Was it actually one day?

Have you split it to look inside?

Sorce

 

[catfish chapstick]

"One day" may be misleading.

Was it actually one day?

Have you split it to look inside?

Sorce

One day I noticed a crack. Each day after it elongated and widened. Fresh wood split apart. We have had high temperatures and I've watered normal. It's really discouraging . I had actually just inspected the roots and they looked fine about a week prior.

 

[amatbrewer]

This thing was doing just fine when suddenly one day it just split open and died.

Does anyone know what happened here?

I could be totally off base, but is there any chance when potting it there was stress on that large root to the right (pushing it backwards) in relation to the rest of the trunk, that over time (or some trigger) could have caused it to split it from the inside out? That may not explain why it died, but could explain the split.
When clearing logs during trail work I have seen similar splits. Sometimes it is not visible until something triggers it to release (like attempting to cut it) and then it can zipper right up the material. When the forces involved are strong enough it can be quite dangerous, so it is something we really look out for.

 

[sorce]

Odd that there is 2 would be pressure points though...

Right?

2 splits seemingly unrelated? Root and trunk?

More pics!

Sorce

 

[amatbrewer]

Odd that there is 2 would be pressure points though...

Right?

2 splits seemingly unrelated? Root and trunk?

More pics!

Sorce

If that root splits under the soil and the pressure was on the rear half, and the grain was connected in a specific way...
Lots of speculation I know, but its the only explanation I have been able to come up with.
If I am wrong it won't be the first time. Not even the first time today. ☺

 

[sorce]

Lots of speculation I know, b

It's all good! I'd rather think about it than not!

Nothing else makes sense!

Sorce

 

[Tulsabonsigh]

I’ve seen this too. Just last week. Here’s what caused mine. Trunk was covered in mulch when I dug it up. It had lived 50 years in a hyper moist environment surrounded by mulch then I proudly showed off trunk and crack!!!