Bare root dogwood trees do not sprout

Gardenfan

I ordered two Cherokee Chief Dogwood trees last fall online. They came as bare root. I planted them right away upon receiving. However, they did not leaf until the end of April. I requested a replacement with other trees that didn't come through the winter either. I received the replacement late in May and planted them right away. Most other replaced trees have leafed but the two dogwood trees don't.

The initial order might have been too late so that many trees didn't come through the cold winter. However, the replacement should be fine because most other trees have turned green. Do I need special care for dogwood trees or they may take much longer time to "wake up" from the dormant? I'd appreciate it if an arborist could advise me.

Thanks a lot.

MoDirt

Is there buds and if so are they green? you can scratch one and see

Take a small knife and peel away a strip of bark at a branch tip. Look for green.

It would be best to get ahold of the nursery or head to a nursery and compare stock.

Where are you located? "How deep has it been planted? Did you use fertilizer and if so what type? Can you explain the site and soil conditions? What was the condition of the trees roots upon receiving?

Gardenfan

Thanks for your instructions.

There is no green buds on them. I tried a small branch, it was brittle. The online nursery is not very responsive, I'm tired of calling for $20, and have switched to another nursery. These are in the replacement. I'm thinking whether these trees take longer time to wake up from dormant or the nursery's dormant stock is getting outdated although the mjority of others in the replacement worked out fine.

Q: Where are you located?

NJ

Q: How deep has it been planted?

To the soil surface marker


Qid you use fertilizer and if so what type?

I did once, very light, mainly nitrigen. Would this matter since a couple of days ago, I saw a message saying not to fertilize bare-root. However, this was after most other trees started sprouting.


Q:Can you explain the site and soil conditions?

The site has been used for growing vegs, very good. Initially, the builder covered the sandy soil with about a feet of dark clay. I added a lot of topsoil so it became very good actually for vegs.

Q: What was the condition of the trees roots upon receiving?

Roots looked very good, no obvious damage or trimming

Thanks again.