I planted a tulip poplar tree about 9 years ago i front of my house. I hasn’t bloomed yet, but I understand that it will be years before it does. About 12′ away I planted a Kousa Dogwood tree which is doing very well. This year, I notice that the bottom 4 or 5 branches are producing NO leaves!! It is dying? What should I do? I’ve taken a few pictures of it, but cannot email them but if necessary I can bring them to you to show you. Please help! Thanks. Joan
If it is just a few small branches at the bottom but the majority of the tree is healthy, I wouldn’t be too concerned. As a tree grows, it shades out it lower branches and they may die off. If this is the case just prune them off. If the branches represent a large portion of the foliage then look for any small bumps on the branches which may be scale. Also, make sure that you haven’t piled any mulch up against the trunk of the tree…this will strangle the tree and gradually kill it. Brush any mulch away from the bark until you find the original soil level and keep it that way. You can send pictures of the problem to me at peterb@hewitts.com