with proper watering.. the green should cover it all up in a few years ... prune back to a live portion of the plant.. if you dont like what you see or are impatient.. get rid of it ...

PROPER WATERING ... involves .. as noted .... inserting your finger.. FOR THE ENTIRE ESTABLISHMENT PERIOD ... and water when its dry .. or hot in summer ...

though that large tree could be tying up all the available water... it could just as likely be.. where some burly guy grabbed the plant and threw it on or off a truck ... physical damage ...

you have to get water.. throughout the entire root zone.. not just drip some on the top of the soil ...

good luck

ken

BTWay .. how much has it grown since planted????

As stated previously, the browned, dead portions will not grow back. But if the tree survives and sufficient attention given to watering, especially given the proximity of the other tree, it should eventually fill out so that this damage is no longer visible.

EVEN with the transplant... yours should show some signs of growing .... however little that is ...

i would discuss such with the warrantor .... see what they say ...

in my neck of the woods.. no one would have stock.. at this time of year for a replacement.. so i would not be surprised if he told you to see what happens over winter ...

ken

You will still need to water well on planting and as required during the winter if the weather is dry. And hopefully, now you know to pay very close attention to watering during the primary growing season and specifically throughout the summer :-)

insert finger to second knuckle to decide when it is necessary ...

watering is an art. .not a science .... so 'schedules' are not proper

ken

I disagree with that first sentence. Watering too frequently can result in overwatering. The frequency and amount of water work together to supply the plant with the right moisture levels.

soil structure is THE ABSOLUTELY MOST IMPORTANT part of the watering equation .... its all about how the water provided ... MOVES THROUGH your SOIL ... WHICH IS THE VARIABLE WE CAN not ADDRESS ... ON THE www ....

so actually .. gal is RIGHT .... its HOW YOU DEAL WITH THE SOIL STRUCTURE IN REGARD TO THE WATER YOU PUT IN AND ON IT ...

BUT THEN.. YOU ARE RIGHT .... but you left out soil ...

the equation is.. spigot.. hose.. water.. soil .. and type of plant ....

and for sure ... trees and conifers ... SOME DAMPNESS is requisite .... but they can NOT be flooded .... like most perennials and annuals who love water ...

your soil structure .... defines how often and how DEEPLY you can or should water ... and ONLY your finger can tell you how your soil is holding the water you put on the plant ....

ken

Were not really talking about the physics behind water movement in the soil. We're addressing the issue of when and how the plant is watered. Multiple variables figure in to soil moisture. Soil structure is just one among many.

When you go out to water, you don't adjust your soil or any of the other generally fixed variable, you consider the frequency, duration, and amount of water. Understanding drainage can help you make informed decisions about when and how to water but the understanding is not a variable itself.

And Brandon, I'm going to have to agree with Ken on the importance of soil structure as a variable. Sandy soils that do not retain moisture require watering at much closer intervals than say a heavier clay soil. Understanding your soil and how water moves through it will go a long way in determining if you are providing enough, too much or not enough water.

You are simply incorrect about too much watering being a non-issue. When trees die from it (and they certain do), it's an issue! It is the case that more landscape trees die from underwatering than from overwatering, but that doesn't mean the more water the better. I frequently see people on Gardenweb say they are sure to water their new trees every day. In most cases, this is not proper!

So far as the soil being a variable, of course it's a variable that determines how much and when water will be required. That's why I wrote, "Multiple variables figure in to soil moisture. Soil structure is just one among many." But, soil structure is not something to adjust when watering. If you frequently test your soil as Ken suggested, you really don't have to understand much about soil structure. As I wrote earlier, "Understanding drainage can help you make informed decisions about when and how to water...", but it's not a necessity and the vast majority of homeowners will never really start understand the true nature of the process.

First, I never said the more water the better. What I said was the watering interval is dependent on the watering method. We have already established that new trees and shrubs need consistent, even watering to become established in the landscape but how often one needs to provide water depends on the method one uses to deliver that water and how the water moves through the soil.

Ideally, water should be delivered slowly throughout the root zone until it percolates down to a depth equal to the depth of the rootball or slightly below. This is best accomplished with a soaker hose or drip irrigation, not with a sprinkler, automatic pop-up irrigation or with a hose (although if carefully done and with minimal output, a hose can accomplish this). How often one needs to do this depends on the weather and the soil - more frequently if hot, dry weather and very sandy soil, less often if you have cool temperatures, natural rainfall or heavy soils.

It is not that the when is not important at all, only that it is dependent on other factors - you cannot water to a schedule and expect it to be 100% successful if you are not delivering the water thoroughly and correctly for your conditions. And watering on any kind of a predetermined schedule - rather than when soil conditions and weather dictate - can lead just as easily to underwatering as to overwatering. If the rootball has been allowed to dry out, because of soil interface issues you can water every day, even twice a day, and still not be able to rehydrate the rootball and provide adequate moisture. Or if you turn on your irrigation system for 10 minutes every morning and evening, you are probably not coming anywhere close to delivering enough water to penetrate sufficiently down to the proper level.

Having worked in the nursery industry for many years, I can count on the fingers of one hand plants that have been returned because they were overwatered (poor siting/drainage issues aside) but the number that get returned each season simply because they were not watered properly or adequately is staggering.

Many homeowners tend to underwater because: a) they underestimate the amount of water a plant needs to become established or how long that period of establishment tends to be; b) they try to rely on a schedule rather than observing and physically testing conditions; and c) they use inefficient delivery systems that most often do not get the water down to where it needs to be to do the plant any good - throughout the entire root zone.

Does that make it any clearer?