Hi there. I just bought 15 7ft tall emerald cedards and planted them in my back yard. The ground is hard packed clay so I mixed the soil in the holes with steer manure. We've had a lot of very hot days in the last week and the top tips of the trees are droopy, losing colour, and brittle. What can I do to save them?? I have "mounds" built around them to keep the water in and I've been soaking them daily (in the evening). Today I tried soaking in the morning. Should I water more or less? What else can I do? Aaron.
clay in penticton? water, water, water. soak them then let them begin to dry out. then soak them again. 7' cedars in May is a tough go. especially if they were dug recently/ also talk to the nursery you bought them from, asl them for care instructions for you locale
Steer manure may also not be the best thing - it's a bit strong, and other types of amendments would have been better - tho' planting them in a clay-ey place to begin with is also a bad idea because anything you put in there doesn't last very long at all with trees, and fertilizer (manure) should be withheld for a few wks anyway when transplanting.
Thanks for the response. I think another problem is that, in the week since I planted them, we've had temperatures in the mid 30's, 10 degrees above seasonal norms. So I shouldn't keep them wet all the time? I should let them dry out a bit? If the top tips are already brown are they a lost cause at this point? Can I use a tree fertilizer to help things out?
fertilizer would be detrimental if it a lack of water that is hurting them, thats for later when they are settled in, for now assure that the watering is adequate and let them adjust to their new location. If you are in penticton, try the Art Knapps or try Bylands in Kelowna for advice.
'Horticultural Techniques for Successful Plant Establishment'. http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda Chalker-Scott/Fact Sheets/Planting fact sheet.pdf
Another dumb question. At this point, with these new cedars, can I water them too much?? And if they're already tinged brown at the tips are they too far gone? Oh, I guess three questions... I think I may have spaced them too close together. Would it be a huge risk if I moved them a bit?
