British Columbia: Problem with new California Lilac

I got two 6 foot California Lilacs about 4 weeks ago from a local nursery in Victoria. One is doing well, but the other is fading in places and losing some leaves.

Online research tells me that California Lilacs do not like "wet feet", so I've watered less than I typically would for a transplanted tree. I've been using a drip hose for about an hour once a week. Could it be that I'm not watering enough?

The soil is somewhat acidic, I've been using a root booster mixture once per week, and added bone meal when I planted.

Thanks in advance for the advice.

 

Poke around in original soil ball to see what moisture situation is. In future skip root booster and bone meal.

 

Thanks Ron. It seems a bit damp in places, but not really wet or soggy. Do you think I should increase my watering slightly?

 

Could be too dry, too wet, damaged by the fertilizer, or maybe came from the store with a problem like a water mold infestation being already underway before you even took possession of the specimen. Not enough information here to be able to tell, and you do need to have a good idea what the specific problem is before you can have a hope of success in responding to it.

If water molds have been in the roots for some time you may not be able to do anything about it now.

 

I thought that's what you'd say...but thought I'd ask anyway.

Thanks, as always, for your help

 

If you can't put a picture here maybe cut a branch and try showing it to somebody somewhere they might know what they are talking about.

 

Here are a couple of photos. Note the problem is isolated to one side, at the bottom.