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| I just planted two trees in my front yard. The leaves have recently turned color and are falling off due to what I believe is transplant shock as planted exactly as instructed to by the many helpful comments from this website.
My question is when do I stop watering them? Once the leaves are completely gone, do I continue to water? thanks in advance for any help. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Your trees will still need water. Be sure to check for proper soil moisture (the finger method, mentioned frequently here, works well for that) at root level before watering. It would be interested to know why the leaves fell off. Significant transplant shock is often a sign that something went wrong (and maybe still is). |
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| The trees were planted by an arborist about 4 weeks ago. They were containerized 1.75 caliper trees. He said he had to perform some significant root prunning when he put them in the ground. I'm thinking that is what has caused the leaves to mostly come down. How long into the fall should I water? |
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| You should continue to check for soil moisture and water appropriately until the ground freezes. Significant root pruning could explain the leaf drop. Sounds like maybe he was dealing with inferior nursery stock. Hopefully he knew what he was doing. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Planting a Tree or Shrub
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Mon, Oct 10, 11 at 15:14
| do you have that famous OH clay.. or are you south of that nightmare ... drainage might be an issue ... i think you are wrong.. sorta ... the leaves are turning color because its MID-OCTOBER .... complicated by transplant shock ... i would have delayed until the tree was leafless.. and then i wouldnt have been concerned that the leaves fell off immediately .. its unimportant ... water should have been provided throughout the entire root mass at planting .. and that root mass should remain DAMP [as compared to wet]. .. for the next 2 to 3 years ... how that all works in your soil.. is unknown to us ... this late in the year.. if properly and deeply watered.. AND MULCHED.. most likely they will not need any further water.. because the soil is simply not hot enough to dry at depth ... but that should not stop you from CHECKING... you water a tree.. when it needs it.. and no one can tell you when it needs it.. as it involves inserting your finger or digging a small hole next to where the root ball was .. to see if the soil is dry .. one thing for sure.. freezing the roots into an ice cube late in the fall is not good ... and that would be an issue in clay soil ... dont forget.. infrequent DEEP waterings.. with near drying.. is what the goal is.. frequent waterings of the first inch are useless .. especially come the heat of next summer ... soo.. in summation.. forget about shock.. that went without saying .... and dont forget its late october.. and leaves are supposed to fall off .. and otherwise.. learn to water PROPERLY ... deeply.. and infrequently.. but thru the whole root zone ... ken |
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| Thanks for the information. I have been checking the soil around the rootball. It's a little difficult due to the mulch and the little roots that have shot out from the tree. (It's an autumn blaze maple which I understands grows pretty fast). Anyway, I'm hoping my trees are getting the right amount of water. Are there any signs of under or over watered trees one can look for this time of year besides the soil moisture? |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Wed, Oct 12, 11 at 12:54
| with cool days.. and cold nights on the way.. presuming proper deep watering.. you should probably be all set ... but you didnt answer what your soil is ... and how it drains ... ken |
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| I live in Northern Kentucky in a mature neighborhood. The guy who planted my tree said the soil where I live is pretty good. I think there's some clay but not a ton. Also, what does "Deep Watering" mean? I've been putting the hose at the base of the tree at just above a trickle for an hour rotating every 15 minutes to a new spot around the trunk. Is that considered a deep watering? |
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| Deep watering is watering long enough to ensure that moisture reaches at least to the bottom of the rootball, both around AND inside the rootball. If you don't have a good feel for how much water and how much time that will take for your soil, you should probably dig down after watering and find out. Water will drain down through a sandy soil (large pore-space soil) much more quickly than through clay (small pore-space soil). Don't forget to ensure proper moisture levels both around AND inside the rootball. If the soil texture inside the rootball is different than the native soil, drainage/aeration will be different. |
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