Trees can be susceptible to several types of fungus that can prevent it from coming back from dormancy.
The cooler temperatures of the early winter will then release the buds from their dormant state, but the buds will not break until the tree has experienced the warmer spring temperatures. The longer days of early summer will then promote further vegetative growth and the cycle repeats itself.
While dormant trees might not exhibit fully-formed buds, you should be able to identify small, healthy-looking buds waiting to grow. If the tree lacks buds or they appear shriveled, dry, and lifeless, it might be dead.
Do not give up on your tree. Proper watering and using organic mulch, and organic fertilizer like fish fertilizer will revive your tree in 3-4 weeks. With record breaking hot temperatures around the United States, many trees are not acclimated to these extra hot temperatures and may be showing heat stress.
In summary, while it's possible to save a dying tree, the likelihood depends on the root cause and how quickly you act. Early detection and intervention are key to giving your tree the best chance at recovery.
So can a half-dead tree be saved? It depends. In many cases, the answer is a resounding YES! And in other cases, the answer is NO — with the possibility of renewed life from root systems that still have the capacity to sustain tree life.
Trees which are dormant don't need to be watered as frequently as during the growing season. When there is little to no snow cover and little precipitation, plan on watering your trees one to two times per month until they begin leafing out in the spring.
Signs of a dormant tree include the absence of buds or shriveled buds on the branches, but these do not necessarily mean the tree is dead. Checking the strength and flexibility of branches helps determine if they are dead or still healthy, with dead branches being brittle and easy to snap.
Dead trees and trees in shock can look deceivingly similar, but there's an easy way to tell the difference. Pick a random twig on the tree and scratch it with your finger or a pocket knife. Do the same for a few other twigs throughout the tree. If they're all bright green and moist underneath, viola!
#1 Move the Tree to a Sunny, Warm Location
Retrieve them from their storage area and place them near a window with warm, filtered sunlight. The heat and light will signal an end to their dormant state.
It's perfectly normal for some trees to be a bit on the lazy side when emerging from dormancy. To help them out, have patience and start watering on a regular schedule. This is also a good time to start fertilizing to support the new flush of growth in spring.
Warm spring temperatures can be an overriding driver of bud break, to an extent. Growing degree days are the days above a certain minimum temperature threshold. Each species requires a certain number of degree days above their temperature threshold to trigger growth.
On average a tree in the northern hemisphere needs to go through 60 days where the temperature is below 40 degrees for the abscisic acid to break down enough to allow the tree to leaf out once favorable conditions arrive.
The tree has a structural issue, restricted root system or poor soil that prevents it from gaining the nutrients it needs to grow properly. Sometimes trees with thin bark or trees planted in the wrong hardiness zone can have wood and buds that become damaged and don't leaf out due to extreme temperatures.
Remove any sprouts (suckers) coming from the base of the trunk. Remove any perfectly vertical branches or "watersprouts" that may be growing from the main branches. Prune the branches back so they are flush to the larger limb they are growing from — don't leave little stubs.
If your leaves change colors and fall of during the right time of year, your tree is going dormant. However, if the leaves turn brown but don't fall, your tree is possibly sick or dying. You find small leaf buds. Even during the winter, you can find live, pliable buds that are preparing to bloom in the springtime.
It can take up to six weeks for a bare root tree to put out its first flush of leaves.
Your tree roots will not stop growing as soon as the temperature is freezing. This is because they have retained nutrients that will help them experience a little bit of growth. If there are enough nutrients and water in the soil, then your roots will search for those.
If your plants are dormant, you will not need to water them until they break dormancy. You will know that a plant's period of dormancy is over because you will begin to see leaves or flowers.
Most species can go 6-8 hours after cutting the trunk and still take up water.
While it is possible, yet sometimes difficult, to revive some sick or dying trees it is impossible to bring a dead tree back to life.
“Half dead,” regarding a tree, means that the tree is unwell or dying on one side. It's kind of deceptive to call a tree half-dead. These trees are in partially poor condition. “Partial” means they can still grow. If a tree can grow, it's technically not dead.
Dead trees can also be a staging ground for spreading diseases to healthy trees. Fungi form on dead trees and will weaken the host tree and potentially spread fungal spores to nearby trees.