Black tip fungus?

Jackie, I see plenty of buds on your Kauka Wilder that should make it through. I'll post some of my cold damage so that you can see that I have the same thing, and then we'll put this in the Sticky Thread under Cold Damage. You won't lose your plant. This is just minor cold damage.

Here is just one example of many in my garden. This particular tree has six giant inflo's, and as you can see, parts of it are aborting. I've had many do this, and I've lost whole inflo's.

This message was edited Aug 12, 2007 11:23 AM

Here is another tip, struggling to come back. It has been this way since spring.

Here's another:

Here is one that successfully came back after a long wait:

Here's the top view where you can see that the original tip is damaged, and tissue right below is damaged too, but the nodes keep pushing out branches below the damage until healthy tissue is reached. The only other alternative is to cut a few inches below the tip and let new branches form, and I've done that too. It is better to cut now during the growing season than later when they go dormant.

Thanks, Clare. I will go ahead and clip the one stem that is the worst. Are you clipping the ones that are still struggling to make leaves? Can you remove the new branches to limit the number of new branches that will sprout from the damaged clipped branch?

Oh, I forgot to also ask if there is any "trick" to clipping. Is just nipping it with garden shears at a right angle ok?

Yes, I am still clipping ones that are struggling to make leaves. I make a cut a few inches below the damaged tip(s) and cut on a slant. Yes, you can remove new branches if you wish, but I wouldn't. Each branch has a potential for flowers. Those branches can later be removed next year and rooted if you don't want them growing. Use clean, preferably sterilized, clippers. The wound can be sealed, but it is not necessary.

"Each branch has a potential for flowers.Those branches can later be removed next year and rooted if you don't want them growing."

Good points. With little experience at rooting my own, I hadn't thought about it that way.

Thanks, Clare!

Jackie

Sure, Jackie. Rooting is easy during warm weather, and KW is one of the few reds that roots well.