Greetings
I had purchased trees from Arbor Day and received them in April 2009. I planted the trees (2 Yellow Tulip Poplars, 3 Red Maples, 4 River Birch). These were Bare Root twigs. After some anxious weeks (a member in this forum was kind enough to advise patience), all the trees started showing life. However a few of the trees show growth of leaves sprouting from almost the base of the twig (i.e. almost close to ground). The rest of the tree is bare. Other trees do sprout leaves along the top.
Should I chop of the top of the twig i.e. the space between where the leaves started sprouting) and the top of the twig.
Is such a growth normal? The River Birch trees are the ones that appear to be the slowest in growing leaves. The Red Maple and Yellow Poplars started showing life within 3 weeks of planting.
Any advice would be most helpful.
Thanks
It's possible that some of your seedlings were not "properly hardened off" before going into dormancy and the tops died. Scrape back a spot of the bark with your fingernail starting at the tip working down toward where there is active growth. You will probably see brown underneath the bark at the tip and green under the bark near the new growth. Prune off the dead tops close to a growing bud (check online for pruning tips if you are not familiar with technique).
[quote="Dubyadee":xsm31pha]It's possible that some of your seedlings were not "properly hardened off" before going into dormancy and the tops died. Scrape back a spot of the bark with your fingernail starting at the tip working down toward where there is active growth. You will probably see brown underneath the bark at the tip and green under the bark near the new growth. Prune off the dead tops close to a growing bud (check online for pruning tips if you are not familiar with technique).[/quote:xsm31pha]
I totally agree with above. 
But you can also leave them be for a while longer. If some tops are dead, this will become readily apparent a bit later. The dead part will also 'snap off' easily. Next consideration will be shaping them afterward. You probably don't want trees with 5 trunks from the base but that may be okay in the case of birch btw. I would watch overall growth of the shoots and rubb off the weaker ones in favor of nicer bigger/lead one(s).
Any that don't make it at all will leave room, perhaps, for fruit / food bearing trees.
[quote="Rickitikkitavi":zgxbxf0y]Any that don't make it at all will leave room, perhaps, for fruit / food bearing trees.
[/quote:zgxbxf0y]
My thoughts exactly! …I’ve very few non-productive trees/ vines in my landscape, but what could be more beautiful than an entire apple tree in bloom? …if maybe a persimmon in fall foliage, or autumn grape leaves …or the tropically exotic leaves of a mid-summer fig, or the multi-colored fruit of a multi-grafted Asian plum...?
Just for fun Viron - I say - Now Now Brown Cow!!!!!
There is room for non-fruiting stuff too. I am glad someone outside our normal interest sphere came and consulted us. River Birch are neato. Liriodendron (Tulip tree) are very nice too. I have been known to pluck little red maple volunteer seedlings and pot them up...
On the non-fruiting plant subj - it is probably too late to start up that Monarch Butterfly Colony with Asclepias - native and non.