Sick and dying Dwarf Arctic Willow

Would anyone know what is wrong with this Salix purpurea 'Nana'? It is dying. I don't know what happened. The leaves were a bit bad at the bottom when it was purchased. Disease?

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Its a native of the tundra so it should do well in Moorhead. ;) Has it been been brutally hot and dry there (like here)? They've got a shallow root system and yours looks like it might not be getting enough moisture.

It grows in wetlands here. Try planting it in a shallow pond.

Resin

Heat, heat, and more heat. The 95-106 degree F is what finally killed it. I sure wish I'd have asked this question a month ago. I normally overwater everything. So I figured...it is a tree...don't overwater it. But, duh! It is a willow.

Thanks to you both for the info. Next time I will put it in a wetland situation.

I grow mine in irrigated poor soil they trive in Montana. I noticed the base of your plant is quite large 1+" and that means they pruned it dramatically before you bought it. I suspect it had a root pruning too. (recent dig up) Mine that have a base of over 1" diameter are 5' tall and 5' wide. Yes they need moisture when 105 F. Try taking it back to the nursery. See what they say. Also look at the root system. Curled root ball and pot bound?

I have one that kicked around my back yard for three years in a one gallon pot before I finally planted it in the ground. These plants are tough. Yours doesn't look dead yet. I would mulch around the base to conserve moisture and regulate the soil temp and then water the bejeeses out of it regularly until fall, cutting back to more moderate watering until frost. Next Spring, copice the whole plant to 6-10 inches. Could make a full recovery. These willows can become quite large but you can control them to about 3-5 feet by copicing them every two or three years. Good luck...

I copiced mine every year back to 2' and it grew to over 6' tall and 8'wide every year. It is not a dwarf despite its name.

Do you fertilize your shrubs & trees? If so, with what? Thanks.

Yes all of my beds have been made with compost 10 to 50% of the mix. And now that I am getting so much compost I am top dressing all the beds every spring with various amounts of compost under the removed mulch. I use bone meal in my flower areas and High Phosphorous timed released Inorganic fertilizer. I only fertilize my yard once in the spring when I airiate the sod. There I use Milorganite at the max rate.

Thanks, I was foggy about what to use, when. I have so far just used mushroom compost as we rototilled, and as a top dressing. Also when new plants are added, as a side dressing. And then mulch, with cedar bark chips, now I hear that can rob the plants of nitrogen. So today I used shredded leaves we had from last year, they're not really composted. tx

Bark does not rob nitrogen only the wood from the tree. That is why bark is so often used. Though I have used lots and lots of wood chips and sawdust to make the soil and it is still feeding the artic willows.

that's good to know, thanks! :0)

Pardon my stepping into the compost.

I think Sofer is mixing the message a little. Decomposition of organic matter (whether bark, wood, lignin, cellulose, tree leaves, grass clippings, house scraps, etc.) is a matter of nitrogen, carbon, water, and air/oxygen ratios.

The "robbing of nitrogen" is the use of nitrogen in the decomposition of large amounts of carbon (in the woodiness of hardwood mulches, whether screened bark or otherwise). Bark doesn't degrade as fast as typical shredded hardwood, so the use of N occurs more slowly. Leaves and grass clippings decay rapidly, but have much lower C (and higher ratio of N) content so need less N for decomposition.

In general, if you are afraid of grand N theft, add N! Especially slow-release N. Then you can mulch with whatever you want or whatever you have. What you should worry about is whether or not you are creating other long-term changes in your soil's pH or alkalinity by the choice of mulches. That's a whole 'nother story, and I invite soil chemists (or a visit to Soil & Composting forum ) to clarify that.

I'll add one more point. Back when I actually used to be a landscape manager, we were always instructed to avoid lava rock by the researchers and scientists. I'm sure it varies with source, but the material generates a very high pH reaction (seems as though I remember around 8.0-9.0). Not a good choice if you are after elaborate Ericaceae ecstasy.

So, in other words, don't worry about it....

LOL~Have to get outside now, BBL

V V you know that we are talking to Prairiegirl. Don't confuse her with the details.
I'm pretty sure the color of her hair is blonde. Oh Oh......now I'm in trouble. LOL

Uh-oh. Steve, I'm heading for the fallout shelter! PartyGirl will be slinging scud missiles when she comes back and finds that!!!

Guy S.

That is why I said it I am in Alaska and no scud is worth its target over 200 miles. I pity the canadians between me and Her. Look out Regina, and Moose Jaw!

Well, she's a little under 200 miles from me. I hope she doesn't take me out as proxy for you just because I once (or twice . . . ) ordered her to fetch me a cold beer!
Guy S.

Don't worry Guy she is blonde. She will probably light the wrong end. Ooooooowwww am I in deep.

Soferdig,

I think you are right that this shrub took a beating before I received it (as a gift). Pruned heavily and root bound. I dug it up this last week. I am attempting a resurrection by just letting it soak in water. Not much to lose at this point.

I'd love to take it back and visit with the seller. I know where my neighbor bought it...hardware and housewares store with a pseudo nursery. I don't think I can return it though.

Viburnum,
Thanks for the decomp lesson. Always good to have details. I always soak them in.

As to blondes and scuds, I am staying far away from any such discussion. My wife might arm herself.

Where is scud mama? PGZ I'm starting to worry. Gee maybe she is transporting a scud to Homer she could get me from there. Yes these are hardy plants and even if roots are ringing I would Straighten them with a stick supporting the main roots laterally tied with hemp. I have had luck with that before. Guy will disagree. But my garden is only 8 years old and maybe they will succumb to the strangle.

Too much mushroom compost is a bad thing as well--can't recall if it is because of pH changes, or salts? If interested, do a search on those keywords on Google--it should bring up the article I am thinking about.

Hey, all you over-fed, long-haired leaping gnomes! Glad to hear you were finally concerned enough to ask after me.

I am perfectly capable of rational thought. Kevin, I knew that mushroom compost can build up too much salts in the soil, and can also raise the pH. I've only been gardening here for 2 years, so I think it's ok. I needed some type of soil conditioner, I have sticky gooey clay. I've heard of something called Turface, a fired ceramic product, has anyone here used that on anything besides for lawn establishment? I plan to only add mulch as I go (replenished in spring), now I plan to add compost tea as well. I may even invest in the miracle of Messenger. I only use Miracle Grow on container plants, everything in the ground is 100% organic. Self-imposed restriction.

In case you were wondering what happened to me, my husband wrecked my car today, he wrapped it around a light pole. He's all right, thank goodness for airbags. He only borrowed it because his car needed a new alternator, which he was going to pick up on the way home. I had a sporty, old 1993 Saturn with a rear spoiler and a sun-roof, so that when I was tooling around in my leopard skin pill box hat, I looked like a million pesos! Hahahaha.

Glad to hear your Hubby is okay. Looks like you'll have to get the "after 3:00 pm" Lover Boy to chauffeur you around until you find another suitable goddess mobile...

Hmmm..I must admit, I'm vague on the details, what are you talking about? Hahaha. Remember, I have a teenage daughter (who turns 18 Friday, Lord help me!) and a sweet little boy, who's only 5, and wants nothing to do with either one of us. So I have entirely too much fun for a Lover Boy. Complications I don't need, I'm a simple woman. I know Steve, I asked for it just then didn't I?

Is it bad that now that I know he's all right, I'm P-O'd that it happened to MY car? ARRRGGGH!

I hope you were overly concerned for him and only brought up the car after he was dismissed from the ER. But I think that you may not have had such sensitivity. I am glad he had a good chickmobile to wrap around a post instead of a nice pickup. LOL OK I can't even picture what a leopard skin pill box hat looks like. Could we have a picture to make it more perceptable. The hat not the car. I know how precious cars are and I always feel sad when I sell mine to get the new one. My pickup is my baby and I am planning on keeping it well into retirement. I got one with no power windows or doors, locks, or any other electronic device so I can keep it working long after it should. Though after using it to haul compost, rocks, logs, soil, canoes, dogs, etc that I had to take a hose to the whole interior to get the clay, dust, hair, gravel out from in and under the seats and carpet. I unhooked the battery so this time I did not have to replace the computer like I did last year. Dumb!

SoHo~He did not go to the ER! That's for sissies! Sounds like Joe would love your truck. Thanks for the tip on disconnecting the battery, sounds like a plan. His car is extremely filthy too, from all the rock & brick dust. Plus one tire has a slow leak, needs an interior light bulb, no trunk lever, etc.

I can't say as I loved my car, it didn't have a tilt wheel and I would bang the top of my leg getting in and out (I have long legs for my height) and/or hit my head on the inside of the door, so I definitely need something designed for an American woman, not a dwarf. I took good care of it, and just paid $400 to fix the water pump. It did not have power anything, which I dislike also, but it was in excellent mechanical condition.

I was not too insensitive, except I didn't believe it when he first told me, I thought he was joking, because it happened 5 minutes after he called our daughter. Then he fell asleep and jumped the curb, the light-post jumped out & bit him, you know the rest. I'm going to bed, very depressed.