It is a root problem, possibly caused by poor drainage; did you dig a hole in clay then mix in compost in the backfill soil? Also, was this a potted tree when you planted it? If it had lots of organic material in the potting soil, it's rotting now that the oxygen is cut off, and rotting the roots with it. If the drainage is poor and you created a bucket in the clay by backfilling with composted dirt, the tree is not likely to live.

My interpretation: It doesn't look that bad. Is it painted white? You need to dump a good 4 inch thick of wood chip mulch layer down there to stabilize the moisture level and keep the soil temp cooler around the roots. Otherwise the upper 3" of soil will be the same as the air temp.

Generally not a good time to plant a tree. Too hot for any significant above ground growth. But not impossible, just means you need to keep an eye on it and the soil moisture.

I started washing all container soil off of my roots this year and have been pleased with the results as container soil is for containers and sucks in the ground (drains too fast) and often has too much uncomposted material present.

I should have added, put some western shade up. The container was likely getting some overhead shade at some point in the day at the nursery and now is out in the open(?).

Put a old palate on its side and drive a couple of rebar rods inside to support it or put a couple 1/2" x 2 ft. rebar halfway into the ground, put a 1/2" x 10' PVC pipe over each rebar. Put the structure as close to the tree as possible to get the shade onto the tree ASAP in the afternoon...all the way until near sunset. Suspend a piece of shade cloth or burlap between them using a large binder clip (found at an office supply store like Staples) on each corner. Adjust the cloth up and down for optimal shading from about 3PM on until you get at least 8 hours of temps below 85F.

You should only need the western shade this summer as it should acclimate next summer.

This post was edited by Fascist_Nation on Sat, Aug 3, 13 at 22:05

Make certain the original rootball is moist. Likely it's more dry than you think.

Thank all for your advices. I checked with a guy working for Home Depot Nursery.

According to him. I used quite a lot of manure. When preparing the soil for planting, I mixed manure/soil from my garden at the ratio 1:1. He said the manure is salty and hot so it turned the leaves into yellow and made them falling down.

He advised me to flush salt in the soil by spraying with a lot of water for several times (I did not need to dig out the soil) and I already sprayed the water. I will let you know how the tree comes out in a couple of weeks .

Thanks again