Question From: C. Werner - Colwich, Kansas, United States
Q: I have a clump river birch that I planted last fall. It lost all it's leaves at the end of fall. This spring the leaves have only budded about 4' up the tree and is bare from 4' up. Do you have any idea what could be causing this? FYI we did have freezing rain that turned to ice on all our trees. However it did not appear to damage the birch. Thank you,
A: Most new transplants fail from either lack of water or too much water. River Birch prefer moist soils. Lack of water may have been the problem. It may have been stressed when you planted it. These are my best guesses without a crystal ball. Best And Happy Yardening, Nancy.
