Hey guys I have a prunus mume that is not growing. I'm in zone 5b. It leafed out early and was doing fine, then the leaves started turning brown/black. I'm thinking maybe due to some cold that came in late, I'm not sure. It still has a literal few leaves but isn't growing. I've got it in mostly shade and have cut back on the watering. Any ideas guys?
Prunus mume not growing
- Thread starter Bman7689
- Start date
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
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- USDA Zone
- 6a
Your tree is very weak and I can’t be optimistic about its survival. Freezing after bud break could explain it, but I’m guessing, as will everyone else without knowing how long you’ve had it, what the roots look like as well as the soil under the surface, and how it grew last year. I have several ume in 6a MI and they grow well enough… not as vigorous as they did in 7a GA… but I protect them from deep cold from thanksgiving on and am very careful to avoid frost or freezing once they start growing.
I've recieved it last year, potted it up and it grew like crazy, super vigorous. We had a mild winter overall so I don't think it got that real deep freeze we've had in the past winters. Any recommendations on how I should proceed? Full shade?
Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
The brown discolored part up top looks dead. It's probably no longer with you and it'll be rigid as a dried stick. You can scratch some bark to check, if it's unscratchable you know it's dry wood.
I have a fair share of prunus, both live and dead (and disease going rampant in the backyard; pseudomonas gummosis). And I find they either grow wild, or are very weak and take a couple years to fade. The best thing to do with them is watching your watering and baby them in the winter.
Full shade can evoke some elongating growth but it will weaken the tree, so half shade might be better. Don't cut anything for a year or three.
I have a fair share of prunus, both live and dead (and disease going rampant in the backyard; pseudomonas gummosis). And I find they either grow wild, or are very weak and take a couple years to fade. The best thing to do with them is watching your watering and baby them in the winter.
Full shade can evoke some elongating growth but it will weaken the tree, so half shade might be better. Don't cut anything for a year or three.
