New to the forum,interesting reading.I just 2 weeks ago planted 25 6' tall emerald cedars in a 2' wide by 50' long by 16" deep trench.I have been watering them for about 1 to 2 hours daily with a 5/8" soaker hose.They don't look as healthy as when I brought them home.They were B&B and were planted less than a week after I picked them up.The soil wasn't the greatest,quite compacted so I dug down about 6" or so more with pick axe to loosen it up a little hoping it would give the roots a better chance.When I firsy got them they looked great but now on a few of them they have some brown sprouts at the ends of the tips.Is this cause for concern?How often should I water them?The soil does have a lot of clay content here but is deeper than the rootball and I thought these were shallow rooted plants.Any ideas or thoughts would be great.Thanks.
Hello, It is difficult to say exactly how much you should water your newly planted trees. It depends on a number of factors, including rainfall, water retention of the soil, temperature, wind and drainage of the soil. If you are planting in a clay soil the water retention is very high. You can determine the drainage of your soil simply be observing how long the water takes to soak into the ground. All of the other factors you will have to judge based on your own observation. As for watering technique, it is good to use a soaker hose and direct it at the root ball, as it sounds like you are doing. Apply a slow leak so that the water does not run off. Honestly, it sounds as though you are watering too much. Too much water will reduce the oxygen available to the roots and do a great deal of damage. I read one source which suggested 4 litres-per-2.5 centimeters of tree trunk diameter per week, to give you an idea. Of course, this does depend on the factors I mentioned. Use your finger to feel the soil of the root ball (without damaging the roots). If the soil is moist, your tree will be fine for a couple days. Usually it is a judgment call. It could be that you planted your tree to deeply, which will kill the tree in time. I wonder, did you just loosen the soil to 6 inches below the root ball, or did you plant the root ball 6 inches lower? If so, raise the root ball so that the top is level with the ground. Although the soil was compacted at the base of the hole, it is better to plant onto the compacted soil, and work up the soil around the root ball. Most roots grow outward rather than downward. If you loosen the soil below the root ball it may settle and the root ball may be lower than desired. One other way to test if the root ball is too low is to move the trunk of the tree. If the soil around the base of the trunk is pushed aside leaving a gap between the soil and the trunk (I hope that makes sense)., then the root ball is too low. Good luck. I hope that the health of your tree improves. Raakel
I would try not watering as often. Try a good soaking every three or four days for 1-2 hours and then allow the soil to dry out a bit before drenching them again. If the temperature soars make sure the soil actually needs moisture before watering. It is a common mistake for people to want to water when it is hot and often it leads to overwatering or drowning the plant.
All the other advice (on root ball and plant height) I agree with. Your main issue in Ladner will be to get enough drainage to allow some air to the roots. We planted cedars in Ladner by tilling up the area (spading would be OK) and then adding a berm of imported soil, and planted the cedars only slightly into the old ground, but mostly in the new soil of the berm. The berm was about 5' from edge to edge and about 12" deep. The soil was covered with cardboard (soaked) and about 3" of alder chips from a tree guy. We watered heavily after planting them, and sporadically after that, maybe once every week to 10 days. The trees took off, 100% survival. Prior to that I had planted a couple of trees with the "dig a big hole, stick in the tree" method with very poor results. One was a Noble Fir that got slowly to about 10' in height before fading away. I was able to push it over by hand; it had no roots to speak of Ralph.
I live in Ladner and have the same trees. When new we watered them every day with a soaker hose, mind you we planted ours as soon as we brought them home.That was 6 years ago and when new they were 6 feet tall, and fairly thin, now are 8 feet tall and very thick. Check with Jim Weed ( on this site) he is in Ladner from time to time and he can perhaps give you some help. (Was at our home today deep root fertilizing these cedars)
I used to live in Ladner. Soil there is mostly clay until you get west of 46A St (Port Guichon), then it has some very sandy spots. A lot depends on soil type as to how much watering is needed. Most winters it's a mucky mess with all the rain fall, flat land and water table. Cheers, LPN.
Thanks for all the replies.I think I will cut down on the watering.Some of the trees have I believe what is called "flagging".Where one leaf will turn brown,apparently that's normal and it will come back.I also bought some miracle grow evergreen fertilizer,hopefully that will help.I guess it can't hurt.
Here are some recent pics.Have cut down on watering with the soaker hose,now usually water with a nozzle.Every 2 weeks I feed them with Miracle Gro evergereen food.They don't look too good.Any thoughts?
I don't know what to say Buzz. Other than I wouldn't water or fertilize for a while. Quite often you see that variety of Cedar give up some of its inner leaves, just like the large Western Red Cedars do this time of year. Although it looks very aggressive and you can see some of the tips dying off, not a good thing. Kinda gives the impression of over watering or something to cause the roots to decline. I would imagine the hedge will be fine, doesn't look as if it is going to die. I would be more than happy to look at the hedge next time I am in Ladner. Regards Jim.
Thanks jimweed,that would be great if you could take a peek if you are in the area.The address is 5030 Westminster Ave.Again many thanks.
