|
I may be sticking my neck out here arguing with someone named "treedoc" about trees but here goes...
This is the short version of the story as I understand it. Yellow and orange pigments are always present in the leaves in amounts that are determined mostly by genetics. When chlorophyl is prevented from reaching the leaves in the fall the underlying yellow or orange shows through. This happens without regard to environmental factors. Most red pigments on the other hand contain a sugar as part of thier chemical makeup and are produced only in the fall as excess sugar builds up in the leaves. Two of the most important factors in sugar production are sunlight and moisture. Any tree can show a lot of variability in fall color through it's life. In a drought year you will see crappy fall color. Same thing if you have excessively cloudy weather in early fall. Look at the yellow leaves on the inner branches of some red maples where the leaves don't get as much sun.
So I don't think it's true that the color you see is the color you will get. A six inch tree being dug and losing eighty or ninety percent of its root mass will definately experience drought stress in a nursery. Combine that with being located in the shade at the nursery and it seems logical that what you are seeing is the least intense fall color that the tree is likely to show. When established in it's new site in the sun it should but better. How much better is anyone's guess though.
|