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Authorities vary in their explanations of such behavior, which of course is variously caused. But in a general way there seems to be truth in the old saying, "That's Nature's way of perpetuating the species." Old trees with new troubles or an accumulation of chronic ones sometimes react with a burst of energy, as if trying to save themselves or their kind, and then give up trying. The phenomenon is mentioned in this discussion of arboreal geriatrics because another fact about it is this; such dying-gasp or death-throe activity will appear in old trees that have been entirely neglected, whose trouble is truly mortal, but seldom in trees that you have tried to help. If your feeding, root relief, and topside pruning have started an old tree on a new lease of life, you are not likely to see quick, dramatic results. Leaf color and annual growth will improve, dieback will lessen, but any stimulation provided by you should not produce suddenly a cloud of dogwood blossoms or a copious crop of spruce cones. If you do get such results, you are probably overdoing something, or doing something wrong. For people of modest means, self-service to their trees is less a matter of choice than of necessity. The surest way for them to avoid mistakes, of omission or commission, is (to repeat): call in a professional. If he is half the man he should be, he will, in appreciation of such paid work as you really need and can afford, be glad to lay out a program for you to follow by yourself, and to see that you follow it. Some of the happiest clients are those who, with several old trees that need skilled attention, have their tree man arrange these in priority order and then budget their therapy piecemeal over the years until all are rehabilitated. |
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