Thanks for writing in. It sounds like you’ve definitely put a lot of thoughtful care into transplanting this tree. I have a few more questions as I try to think of some helpful ideas:

- How big was the tree when you transplanted it to the barrel? And, how big was the rootball when you transplanted it? I’m wondering if you got enough rootball &/or if the rootball was so large that the tree’s bottom growth was already exceeding the bounds of the barrel you put it into (aka, there was no room left for it to put on new roots.)

- Did you graft the tree 2 years ago or did you transplant it to the barrel 2 years ago? If you didn’t transplant 2 years ago, how long ago did you transplant it? I ask because it sounds like it was leafed/fruited out when you moved it and then lost that growth. And, then this year it leafed out and died back immediately. I know that trees can survive a couple/few years of this kind of stress. What’s really curious is that you’ve checked the cambium and found it viable, but the plant isn’t succeeding in putting on strong leaves and feeding itself. Eventually, whatever strength it has in its roots will be tapped out if it can’t start feeding itself again.

When I do tree transplants, I try to do it when the trees are dormant. Since yours was fruiting when you moved it, it wasn’t dormant. If I do have to move a tree or shrub when it’s flowering or fruiting, I usually try to cut out the flowers and fruit. These processes take a lot of energy from a plant & during transplant we want them to focus as much energy as possible on rooting. (Yes, I hear you, hindsight is 20/20, right?). And, it sounds like the tree did just that on its own. Unfortunately, it dropped its leaves too, so it stopped feeding itself that year.

When I do transplants, I also don’t do a lot of top growth pruning at the time of transplant. I let the tree decide what it wants to “let go of” on its own. I may prune out anything crossing, rubbing or dead when I transplant, but I keep the live-growth removal to a minimum. I wait until the tree settles in and lets go of what it wants/needs to let go of. Then, I do any additional pruning in the following year. Since your tree continues to struggle, I’d continue to do this sort of pruning — aka, keep it minimal.

Now, another thing you might try is innoculating the soil with a mycorrhizal application. Mycorrhizal fungi can help plants increase their rooting capacities significantly. The fungi and trees have evolved together to form a symbiotic relationship. You can read more about Mycorrizae at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycorrhiza. These fungi can be purchased as stand-alone products. As well, they are included in many fertilizer products these days.

I guess my last bit of advice is to consider bringing in an arborist to evaluate the tree. It sounds like you’re giving it a lot of loving attention, but sometimes there’s nothing like bringing in a pro to take another look.

Please keep in touch & good luck!