QuestionI have followed your instructions to scape the bark of my 5 year old chitalpa tree to find green. It has 4 main trunks. None of the upper branches have leafed out and there is no green until I get to the main trunks, which just this week (5/20/2010) started having little shoots of leaves. Is the tree worth saving(perhaps hoping that it will fill out as a bush? Is this going to take years? How long should I wait before giving up and digging it out? It is very ugly right now ) I live in Albuquerque,New Mexico and the tree had a very tough year last year with yellowing leaves and signs of stress. It is planted in a very hot spot in the yard. All of my other plants, trees and perennials are thriving beautifully. All of the chitalpas in my neighborhood have totally leafed out.
AnswerI am not sure why the tree died back. But the root system seems to be alive and growing the sprouts. I would cut the dead parts off and let the sprouts grow and see what happens. IF the root system is ok the new sprouts should grow fast since the tree has an established roots system. About all you can do is wait and see.
