Dogwood Planted Too Deep

Q: Just noticed today the debarking occurring on my 2-1/2 year old dogwood. What should I do?

A: When I first received this question, photos of only the branches and upper trunk were included. I had a guess of what was going on but I asked the homeowner to send more pictures of the lower trunk to me. He did so and my guess was confirmed!

Without looking at the bottom of the tree, my first guess was that it was planted too deeply originally.

This is my rule: if you can’t see the part of the trunk where the trunk flares out to become roots, the tree is planted too deeply.

This eventually leads to root deterioration….and the tree dies…….. even after several years in the ground.

Nothing can fix it at this point. The damage to the bark is too much to treat.