Confused Trees

[tex048]

Living in Sydney the weather is not too extreme

But with the last weeks of rain, rain, sun, sun, rain, rain, sun my poor decidious trees are confused

All trees are well established and all are exposed to the same conditions and environment

Liquidambers - 1 dorment, 1 just starting to turn, 1 pushing new growth
Tridents - 1 dorment, several turning, 1 still green with a couple of branches turned
Ash - 1 dorment, 1 turning
Pomegranete - sevaral dorment, 1 large still pushing growth
Wisteria - 1 just turning, 1 dorment
Jacaranda - still growing
Chinese/Eng Elms - Half dorment, half pushing new growth
Japanese Maple - 3 dorment, some just starting to turn
Oak - several dormwnt, 1 large turning slowly

And the list goes on and on

Im alittle bewildered at the diversity in the timing of dormency - and in some cases the pushing of new growth.
I guess that come from living in a temperate climate.

Is any one else having these issues ??

[Damian Bee]

In relation to your question about dormancy, yeah things can go a little haywire. Dormancy can depend on how cold your Winters are, a couple of years ago in Victoria it was almost as though Autumn didn't really come as it was a warm winter.
Also, if your trees are seed grown they can turn at different times and the micro climate around the tree, it could be in a warm spot in the yard?

Either way, I just live with it and enjoy it. I have 1 Trident Maple which still has its leaves that have turned deep burgundy while all of my other Tridents have dropped 2 weeks ago

[BirchMan]

Yep, after a long hot Perth summer and a lot of nitrogen rich ferts weekly my Japanese Maples are barely going red at the leaf tips. My 1 liquidambar is probably the most "autumnal" with a nice purple hue on most leaves with a couple a striking red.

My chinese elms have a yellow leaf here and there but largely still green, though they've finally stopped sending their shoots off growing like plants possessed. My small trident, like my palmatums, has pretty much just not bothered to replace its leaves lost through wind-scorch. Also i have 2 each of Plane trees and Chinese Tallows that had little or no colour, just dropped dry leaves - though i'm fairly confident all are still kicking. A little confusing at my end too!

[tex048]

Thanks Damien and Birchman.

It is confusing, I was out checking trees again today and am still bewildered.

I now have a medium sized rooted prunus cutting that had dropped it's leaves a few weeks ago and is now starting to flower!!!

Any suggestions on repotting stratigies for the trees refusing to go into dormancy??

Thanks

[rawhide]

I some times wish i lived in a warmer climate i have so many trees i want to work on but it is so cold here at the moment i am not game ,mind you i have two chinese elms that dont believe it is winter they are in full leaf while every thing elso dropped its leaves weeks ago and they are the only trees i do not intend to work on this year argh the irony

[Damian Bee]

Just be patient Tex, it will happen then you can repot.

[kcpoole]

I in western Sydney and Jacarandah and Oak's are still growing so that is sorta normal

All the others mostly are either turned or turning now.
If trees are grown from seed, there will be variations between then like you see, but individual microclimate or root / soil condition will affect them as well

I regularly have elms that do not go dormant here, so I just defoliate and repaot as the new buds swell in late winter

Ken

[Matthew]

Everythings gone dormant here for the winter, including me. MAN ITS COLD!

[tex048]

Thanks Ken

I didn't think of defoliating and then reporting at budswell.
But that makes sense, I'll just be patient and wait and see.

[astroboy76]

i hear ya, my apricot has started to bloom and it hasnt even lost all its leaves yet! i have moved it into a shaded area to try and trick it into going to sleep. one of my crabs hasnt lost a leaf while the rest are bare. its a strange autumn indeed!

[OwnLeeOne]

Most of my trees had a growth spurt just as it started getting cold, a few weeks ago, dont think thats normal? They didnt grow as much as i expected through summer, maybe to hot? and now there catching up...