Droopy Silver Birch

Hello! I'm after some advice on a tree I planted about 3 years ago - a Betula Pendula Tristis, or weeping birch.

The tree was about 6'tall when I got it, and on planting it immediately bent over at quite an alarming angle, a lot of flex in the rather spindly trunk. So it was staked, as low as I dared to let it flex and hopefully build up some girth to support itself.

Anyhow - it sat and did nothing for a couple of years, I was fearful that honey fungus, which has done for other trees in my garden, was attacking it. But, it eventually found it's feet and started growing and producing more foliage.

But it's still rather spindly - and when the taller stake it was attached to snapped recently, it bent over like this:-



As you can see, it would go over even further without the low stake.

The question is, what to do with it? I know it's supposed to be weeping but this is a bit too much! All I can think is to stake it higher up again, but how to make it increase it's trunk girth so it can support itself?

 

Although it's a weeping birch I would expect the main trunk to be pretty straight and the branches to weep. I can't quite see properly but it looks like the tree hole is covered with grass , I think I'd get rid of the grass about a foot wide to give it a bit of breathing space. I can't see any other option than to re stake it. I would definitely check it over for disease as I think birches are pretty resilient.

 

I'm no expert but I think you need to cut off a lot of the top growth.
Not now though, wait until early autumn.

After that you need to try to stop it going upwards so fast.

Are you sure it is a pendulous variety.

 

Thinking again but is it grafted at the base?

I would have thought a pendulous variety would have been top grafted onto a strong upright stem of common Birch.

 

One would expect a silver birch seedling to be 100mm thick at ground level by the height of 5metres. I suspect yours has had a sheltered upbringing!!

 

It's grafted at the base.

I've staked it again and tied it at about 6'. I hope I didn't buy a duff one! It came from a very well regarded nursery, they were all of a similar size, it was only once it was home and the tie to the cane in the pot was snipped that it's natural inclination to lean over was found.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts!

 

Is it possible to contact the nursery you bought it from and ask for their thoughts.

 

I have contacted them, but only today. I'll post back with what they've got to say.

 

IMPO my initial thought on this is that the tree has been unnecessarily and inadequately staked resulting in an overall weak form. Trees need movement in the base to promote reaction wood around the lower stem to produce thicker woody tissue; the kind of tissue needed to hold the tree upright. By now the tree should have a lovely, well defined taper from ground to tip and be able to support its own weight. You can clearly tell from the photo that this taper is completely missing and the tree hasn't developed well enough to support its own canopy. If it was delivered in this state then it may have been poor early years management from the nursery and should've been sent back.

I don't suggest cutting off the top. Not only is this poor tree management, but it will also promote excessive reaction growth that will simply add more weight to the tree and need annual trimming to control Birch trees are also easily prone to wood decaying organisms - especially in the tips.

Staking it again higher could help it stay upright, artificially, but I really don't think it will ever develop the thickening of the base needed to stand on its own.

 

You've said what I was fearing HarmonyArb. I contacted the nursery - who, I have to say, have an excellent reputation - and got the following unsatisfactory response:-

"The main trunk needs support, so I nice strong cane attached up the length of the tree, like a splint, is what you need. I don’t know if you have noticed all the trees growing in the fields around the garden centre, they all have sturdy canes attached to them."

I've got a feeling that I'll be shopping for a new tree at another nursery at some point this year.

 

Surely if that has a rigid stake put up to a certain height it will snap at the point you put the tie in the next gale.

I know it's a different kettle of fish but it's what often happens with eucalyptus when young, they grow like the clappers and don't thicken up.
My approach has always been to hard prune the top back and take the weight off of it.
Worry about forming a nice balanced head when the trunk has thickened.

Left to it's own devises it appears to want to be prostrate.