Need advice on this dogwood tree (grow, trees, how to, plant)

[NJDevil]

Here is a very old and half-dead dogwood tree. I love it to death and I know I need to cut off the dead parts. However, it's going to look severely lopsided. What would you do - how much would you cut and how far down? See the limb that was already cut. Need to know how to make it look best. THANKS!

The 3rd photo - with dead limb facing you - is the street view.

[TinaMcG]

I am almost alwaqys willing to try and save a tree that is suffering, but if this were my tree, I would remove it and replace it.

[in_newengland]

I didn't want to say anything but now that someone else has said it, I will agree. Trees have life spans just as people do. It's dying.

[J&Em]

Tina is right, and I tend to try and save anything green if I can. Dogwoods are not a long lived species and out in the open and full sun here in TN they also need more water to survive and resist disease. Their normal "habitat" is in the shade of taller trees where they do not need much water. This one has been struggling for a while.

Dogwoods are among the group of trees that also does not respond well to pruning/trimming/copacing.

This one has reached the end of its lifetime, sorry to say.

[no kudzu]

I agree with the others. I know how difficult it is to hear if you are like me and love living things. But it is in pain, not long for this world and needs to be put out of it's misery. Find a better tree for this location and plant a dogwood in a shadier location. you will not regret taking the proper steps. Don't think I'm crazy but think of it as a pet you love. You know what you need to do.

[azoria]

I was going to say the same thing, but nobody ever wants to hear it. Waited for backup.

The dogwood is largely dead and and totally ugly. Time to go.

We see a lot of photos around here of sick, dying, diseased, frozen, infested, failing, scraggly plants. Most of them cannot be reasonably salvaged.


If your plant is sick and ugly, get rid of it. Get something else. People seem to have a lot of trouble accepting this, and I'm not sure why.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Cut off all the dead wood and severely cut back that part that is still living. Maybe it will make it, maybe it won't. Give it some extreme last ditch effort and see what happens. You can always pull it out later if it doesn't bounce back.

[Butterfly4u]

NJDeviel,
You know now is the time of year all nurseries have nice
dogwood trees for sale.
Mabey try another color, and replace your old tree with a nice
new baby to grow there.
Dogwoods aren't real expensive and I'm sure you will find another one
to replace that old tree.
Call a tree guy to remove it for you, and go shopping.

[NJDevil]

Thanks....you're right, I don't want to hear most of that. We had a much younger dogwood next to this tree (planted by previous owners) and it died a few years ago. I cried. It was doing well and this happened suddenly. This old dogwood...we had a very dry summer 4 or 5 years ago and since then, every year another part of this tree has died. I have tried to keep up with watering it. 2 years ago, the bottom part of the dead section still had growth, but last year it was gone. I know it helps a tree to remove the dead parts. Can I plant another tree right next to it (one foot away)? will the roots of this one completely block new root growth? (I don't know what dogwood roots are like). I don't think anyone can dig this tree up, it's too big. We had someone try to dig up the smaller one that died and they couldn't even do that.

[no kudzu]

cut it down to the ground and put some stump rot stuff in it or just let it be. The roots will die eventually so don't worry about it. but think about it. You admit you have had two dogwoods die in the same location. that would tell me that it would be foolish to plant yet another dogwood in the same location. Again chose your plant material for the location and not for what you like. you are beating your head against a brick wall. Doesn't it hurt by now?