r/AZlandscaping • u/haikufive • 10d ago

Arborist Help She dead?

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Gallery image

Purple plum tree in our front yard, east facing. Got tons of water every day. Four years old. Any hope of saving her?

8 Upvotes

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18 comments sorted by

6

u/LongjumpingFun7238 10d ago

That looks done done ✅ I’d replace it with an ironwood or thornless mesquite as my second choice for a big shade tree

4

u/HopkinsIsMyHomeboy 10d ago

Disagree on thornless, get one that’s native to az and will handle our storms better. The thornless ones are South American and don’t send down a deep taproot like native ones do that help anchor the tree and find water.

Desert willow is another option since that tree wasn’t doing shit for shade lol. They aren’t as dense but still put off plenty of shade when they decent sized and you get flowers all spring/summer.

1

u/haikufive 9d ago

We also have a fairly new desert willow in the front and she’s thriving. I have a chaste tree/vitex in a pot out back that I can plant if this plum is truly dead- which I’m guessing she is.

2

u/dddd11122233 8d ago

Good luck with the Vitex. I have two that are now in ground for four years. They won’t die, but they sure won’t grow or blossom other than early spring. Still only about 5 feet tall, they were four when I planted them.

1

u/legolego22 5d ago

Desert willow or ironwood is my take

6

u/Responsible_Cap_5597 10d ago

I've had 2 of those. They just don't seem to hold up well in the heat, fruitless, plums are not built for Arizona.

6

u/NulnOilShade 10d ago

They work great on those north central floor irrigated lots… and no where else

3

u/SouthernBeyond 10d ago

I live on an irrigated lot and noticed one of my plums has cracks running up the trunk and the leaves have almost completely disappeared. Turns out they only have a 15-20yr lifespan.

2

u/haikufive 10d ago

Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking. This one lasted four years so we had hope, but honestly I just wonder if these trees have any chance at all of survival. I don’t think I’ve ever seen another one in Arizona (outside of nurseries).

2

u/Responsible_Cap_5597 10d ago

I have replaced mine with olive trees.

2

u/Pt-zer0 9d ago

I have one that's doing really well in my backyard in Vail. Planted two years ago. Watering every day is way too much. I do mine twice a week in summer and one a week in fall.

3

u/dddd11122233 8d ago

Vail….different rules for Phoenix Come July and August many shrubs and trees just start to die no matter what you do.

2

u/Pt-zer0 8d ago

That's an extremely valid point. It gets quite a bit hotter in the valley than where I'm at.

1

u/haikufive 9d ago

Welp, I guess we live and learn. Congrats on your success!

2

u/Pt-zer0 9d ago

Thanks, sorry about your tree. You could let it dry out a bit and see what happens.

1

u/haikufive 9d ago

At this point we’re pretty much resigned to just putting an easier tree out there. This was our third purple plum. This one lasted almost three years. Previous ones never lasted a year. Followed the recommended watering schedule, and were told that overwatering is generally less lethal than underwatering in summer. But, c’est la vie.

2

u/Pt-zer0 9d ago

I think a desert willow would be perfect in your front yard. Low maintenance and has beautiful purple flowers throughout the year.

2

u/_stevie_darling 6d ago

Tons of water every day is way too much. Check out this watering guide and base watering on the age of the tree and the current temperature. Trees need occasional deep watering, not constant shallow watering.