Dogwood starting to die out in sections

I planted 2 flowering dogwoods (labelled red & pink) some 6 wks ago. One of the trees is starting to die out in sections. It starts with the leaves shriviling up from the bottom, then it moves to another branch & begins again. I cut the diseased portions out but I have this feeling it's gonna spread. I didn't notice any signs but I wouldn't know what to look for anyway. Will it go on to the 2nd tree some 15 ft away? TIA for any help offered.

Could it be transplant shock and/or a watering issue? Newly planted plants are easier to over/under water than things that are well established so it could be as simple as that. If you think it's something else it would help if you could post a picture.

The symptoms you are describing sound like Anthracnose disease.
C. florida is very susceptible to it.

Did you notice the root ball when you planted. IE root bound, diseased, small etc. Take the plants back to the nursery and have them replace them if you can. What about the ground you planted them in Clay, poor drainage etc.

I'm hoping you can see something to explain whats going on. It could very well be poor drainage due to clay. I can relocate the tree, if it'll help. Maybe putting it in on one of the slopes would ensure better drainage??? Anyway, note the branch on the left. Other leaves are starting to shrivel too.

Does this help?

Now that we can see pictures, I almost think a.) it could be too dry or b.) too much sun????? The tips of the leaves look sun-burned to me and the soil looks dry from the pictures.

I dug up the dogwood yesterday. Looks like I had planted it over top an underground spring. I'm not sure what to do now. It is so damaged & the root ball is still soggy. But it's still alive. Should I cut back? Let the rootball dry out more? Or just go ahead and replant it? TIA for all advice.

here's the root ball

If it were my plant I'd probably pot it up and put it somewhere that's shady for a while to see if it recovers.

Was its location in full sun? While dogwoods can adapt to full sun, they can't go from having been raised in shade to being transplanted into full sun. If you want a dogwood to survive in full sun, you need to buy a very young tree and plant it while completely dormant (late fall or early winter). They are edge of woods and/or understory trees by nature.

thanks, I repotted the tree as ecrane3 suggested. I moved it to a spot with am sun only. But I think I will move it into the woods & let it rest. Thanks for the tips & suggestions, with any luck it will survive.

It's a little hard to tell from the picture but it looks very pot bound, as soferdig questioned. If you get to the point where you plant it out make sure you tease a good amount of roots out from the root ball and head them out into the surrounding soil. It does not hurt to rough up the root ball. It helps a lot. Also make sure you dont bury the root flare. Pay attention to where the trunk widens and the major roots branch off at the base. Just bury at the root flare, not above. Do not plant too deeply. That's a slow killer of transplanted trees.With today's mechanical nursery planting techniques you can't count on the old soil line as a guide. You have to find and expose that root flare yourself and plant accordingly. Good luck!

This message was edited May 19, 2008 9:15 PM