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exskier10

Eastern Hemlock not well after planting

exskier10
9 years ago

Earlier this year I purchased four hemlocks trees in the Greater Boston area - each tree is about 6-7ft in hight. When I first planted them they were lush green, however in the past month they have started to have a signficant amount of needle loss and the tops lost all their needless. I have been watering regularly (2-3 times a week) I have also removed soil from the base of the trunks since they were likely planted too low to begin with. They are also planted in well drained soil in considerable amount of shade.

This post was edited by exskier10 on Mon, Sep 1, 14 at 17:09

Comments (14)

  • famartin
    9 years ago

    Just how much water have you been giving them 2-3 times a week? I wonder if you might be OVER watering them...

  • mikebotann
    9 years ago

    What was the rootball like?
    Was it wrapped in burlap, or in a pot, or both?
    Can you be more specific about your watering. Times a week is a little vague. How much in approximate volume for a given time frame?
    Mike

  • akamainegrower
    9 years ago

    Hopefully this is not your problem, but... The hemlock woolly algedid has been devastating hemlocks throughout much of the East for several years now. Check the underside of the branches that still have needles. Small white cotton-like masses next to the stems are diagnostic for this pest. It does not seem likely that any reputable nursery would be selling infected trees with all the publicity this problem has received, but you never know. If you do find evidence of algedid infection, contact your state agriculture department quickly. They will want to remove and destroy these trees to prevent the spread of the pest. You will cetainly have a case for a full refund and MA authorities will want to pay a visit to the nursery where you bought them.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    the odds of severe bug infestation is probably low... as maine notes.. it would destroy the sellers biz ...

    of which.. what does your seller say????

    most likely... large transplant.. root system severely ruined by digging ... and only the most perfect watering MIGHT have saved it ... and you really cant compare between a number of transplants.. since there is no way to know.. what the roots systems are like.. underground ...

    we have no clue.. what your soil is.. or whether your watering was sufficient ... in regard to this plant ... see link about proper watering ... compare.. and we can discuss ...

    but you have to start by talking with your supplier.. and lets discuss what he says ... this plant should be fully warrantied ... based on what i presume you must have paid for it ...

    i HIGHLY RECOMMEND ... you replace it with a divergent species ...

    ken

    ps: i also highly doubt.. planting too deep.. would do this.. that fast .. unless it was planted a foot or two.. too deep .... such can kill a plant .... but not this fast.. IMHO .. leading me to the root theory ....

    Here is a link that might be useful: link

  • tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
    9 years ago

    How it was watered, how much water, soil type and checking rootball moisture would all be key to what went wrong.

    tj

  • wisconsitom
    9 years ago

    Quite right, Ken and TJ. A too-deep planting is indeed one of the worst things you can do to your new plantings, but that problem manifests slowly over time. Not the case here.

    Beyond that which has already been said, I wonder about the handling of these plants while at the garden center/nursery. Could they have been left to dry out one too many times in the holding yard? Something like that, I suspect.

    Wooly adelgid was, of course, the first thing that popped into my head, but we don't have it here yet, so I'm not the most well-versed in that regard-thankfully. There's tons of hemlocks where my land is.

    Are there buds present on these denuded twigs? By now, there should be, and believe it or not, if there are viable buds, these plants could still turn out just fine.

    BTW, for you easterners, I believe some Asian hemlocks may be the better long-term bet for the landscape, given the wooly adelgid has pretty much set up shop out there.

    +oM

  • exskier10
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you for your comments.

    Each tree came in a burlap sack with wire. I removed 75% of the sack and wire (could not lift the base to remove the remainder). The root bulb was clay but my surrounding soil seems to be more sandy.

    With regards to watering, I give them a deep water, probably 5min each tree twice a week - only give a third watering when its extremely hot out that week. All four trees are planted under a large maple tree. They do receive sun but not full sun as you can see from the picture. A day or two after watering the soil feels cool yet dry.

    They may turn out to be okay but I thought I would seek advice due to the large amount of interior needles each tree has loss.

  • exskier10
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Picture of needles loss from bottom of tree.

  • poaky1
    9 years ago

    I have had the same problem when I tried to grow a couple in my yard. The eastern Hemlock is our state tree. I even tried the Western Hemlock also, in case it was a PH thing. If you are in Massachusetts I will guess you have acidic soil. I took soil samples from where they grow wild, though, and the PH was more alkaline, and the calcium levels were much higher where they grow wild. They have been troubled by Wooly Adelgid in many places also. Ken knows more than me, though. So listen to him about insects. But I am just adding that you aren't alone with this Hemlock problem. They look fine, then once planted they lose their needles and croak, even with irrigation, shaded or full sun, roots loosened.

  • tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
    9 years ago

    Is that 5 min of watering a hose trickle right at the trunk? Have you dug into the rootball (not the surrounding soil) 4-5 inches to see/feel the moisture there? A clay B&B can repel water.

    tj

  • exskier10
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I usually water around the perimeter of the plant with the Soaker setting of the garden hose, I read that you want the roots to have to reach out for water. However, I recently read that I should be watering right at the trunk base for 30-45min, which is way longer that I usually do it for. So my understanding would be to water the base of the tree with a hose on trickle for 30min twice a week. Is this correct to assume for a 6ft+ tree?

    I also dug into the rootball about 4-5inches and it felt cool but dry. I called the nursery when I orginally posted to the forum and they mentioned that I may be over watering them, but after checking the rootball I think I may be under-watering.

    Would the tree comeback after a few weeks with the proper amount of watering?

    Thanks again for everyones comments.

    This post was edited by exskier10 on Fri, Sep 5, 14 at 10:25

  • dbarron
    9 years ago

    With an evergreen, if it's dehydrated enough to lose most of it's needles, it's probably dead. Or that's been my experience.

  • wisconsitom
    9 years ago

    One of the conundrums of hemlocks is the widely-held belief that they belong in the shade. True enough, they're relatively shade-tolerant, especially for a pine family member, but where I see young ones coming up most commonly is in a little shaft of light where blow-downs or some other factor has allowed light into the forest. In fact, if I were to grow hemlocks in any degree of intensity, I'd be placing them right out in the sun, next to my white pines, red pines, etc. Leastways up north here, that's how it goes.

    +oM

  • mikebotann
    9 years ago

    It's a classic example of a rootball problem from being field dug which cuts off a lot of the feeder roots. That in turn limits the water it's able to uptake and now it's being watered as if it has a full root system. Also, the rootball may have been broken in handling which adds to the problem.
    Check the rootball for moisture.
    The damaged ones will probably live, but will take several years to look good.
    I grow them in full sun here too, both eastern and western varieties.
    Mike

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