JLee9706
Seedling
How reliable is the “scratch” test for dying trees? I’ve heard that if you scratch the surface of the tree and it’s green underneath, then the tree is still alive and can be saved.
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
Scratch test?
- Thread starter JLee9706
- Start date
Orion_metalhead
Masterpiece
I think it depends on the time you scratch the tree. For instance, if you scratch a conifer in fall, even if the tree is dead, it could still have sap and still have living tissue. I think the test is best when use in the early spring as trees are coming out of dormancy, because by that time, a dead tree wouldn't be moving sap anymore.
Forsoothe!
Imperial Masterpiece
I'll be a contrarian here. A scratch in the bark big enough to reveal something is a wound to a tree which is on the borderline in the first place, and secondly can easily be inconclusive or misleading. I don't pitch a tree until its been dead for six months. I the meantime I treat it the way I would a live tree.
Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
Living tissue is no guarantee for survival or succesful rescues.
I think of it pretty binary:
Conifers - if you need a scratch test and the foliage is dead, it's beyond saving.
I find twig dessiccation more reliable in pines, if the twigs go wrinkly it's time to act fast. Recovery might be possible.
In junipers it's the foliage that tells a story. I have trunks that have been sawed bare two years ago and they're still green beneath the bark. But nothing will grow on them. How the foliage declines is a good indicator; if it dries to a crisp while staying green, no need to try. If it goes brown, there is a chance.
Deciduous - if you need a scratch test, and the foliage is dead, it might survive. If all the buds that form immediately abort or dry out, or the foliage drops right after leafing out, then it's a small chance.
But deciduous are a side husstle to me. I rarely kill those because I don't have many.
I think of it pretty binary:
Conifers - if you need a scratch test and the foliage is dead, it's beyond saving.
I find twig dessiccation more reliable in pines, if the twigs go wrinkly it's time to act fast. Recovery might be possible.
In junipers it's the foliage that tells a story. I have trunks that have been sawed bare two years ago and they're still green beneath the bark. But nothing will grow on them. How the foliage declines is a good indicator; if it dries to a crisp while staying green, no need to try. If it goes brown, there is a chance.
Deciduous - if you need a scratch test, and the foliage is dead, it might survive. If all the buds that form immediately abort or dry out, or the foliage drops right after leafing out, then it's a small chance.
But deciduous are a side husstle to me. I rarely kill those because I don't have many.
leatherback
The Treedeemer
Is my bonsai dead? - Growing Bonsai
When a bonsai is having trouble, people often recommend doing a scratch test. Is it worth the trouble?
www.growingbonsai.net
Not growing:
Green inside!
But certainly not alive, cut as christmas tree 7months before...:
JLee9706
Seedling
I appreciate all the replies! I’ll take it all into consideration.
Bnana
Chumono
That one is definitely still alive but will be very hard to save with regular means.
Alive and or being able to recover are two very different things.
Alive and or being able to recover are two very different things.
HorseloverFat
Squarepants with Conkers
I’m with @Forsoothe! , If I don’t know, for sure (normally by the time I’d consider scratching, it’s ALREADY a “speculative” move), I just leave ‘em be.... I’m normally correct in my “death notice”.. but I HAVE been surprised.
