Thanks, everyone! I think we had an internet miracle. This morning I went out to run the sprinklers and discovered a light haze of green everywhere :) It's not mold or pollen, it's tiny little hairs of grass. Even better news, it's raining this morning! re: Bag instructions ... The bag said that with the special coating you can even miss a day of watering and it will germinate. Not that I believe that. The main reason we picked this kind of seed was that apparently birds don't like to eat it. So far that has been true, I have not seen any birds snacking on seed. re: Straw, no straw, mulch pellets ... I looked at the straw mats they sell at the big box stores, they are super expensive if you're covering 1/2 acre. The mulch pellets were at least as much as another round of seed and I was concerned the dog would try to eat them, so I went with raking the seed in lightly (using the back of the rake) and hoped for the best. But - we want to start a fresh lawn in the front yard this fall (you know, at the right time to plant) and will use the mulch then. The dog isn't usually in the front yard. And when he is, he's too busy terrorizing the chipmunks that live near some bushes to think about eating mulch. re: timers - I couldn't find a timer that would run 6 hoses in sequence. Our water pressure only handles 2 impact sprinklers in series and we have 10 sprinklers (2 are on their own hoses b/c of where they are). We bought a ton of the super-cheap 50' hoses for this year (and next). I figure after 2 years they will fall apart but we needed 15 of them to have enough hose to reach everything. Thank you for your responses, I am definitely doing the front yard the smart way. If it weren't for the dog (and the mud in the fall/winter) I would have waited for the backyard as well. Last note - DH convinced me to buy an electric tiller from Lowes as part of the project & that thing is awesome! I wouldn't have expected it to do much of anything but it really can churn through soil & make it nice & fluffy, even where the bulldozer tracks were. A rented tiller is faster, but if anyone is ever looking for a way to till an area over several nights or weekends then this thing might do the trick (under $200, too). It can also slice hoses like butter.

They look very healthy! And, it looks like they get some shade, hopefully in the afternoon. Both the abies and the pungens can go full range, but I think that they, as well as ALL plants, appreciate a little shade, especially in the afternoon. If you really don't trust yourself with the watering, I would call the installer/arborist and see what he suggests now since they've been in the ground for just over a month. I would think that four to five gallons of water on each one, once a week, would be sufficient. Of course you would need to cut this amount back based on how much rain you might get, and how much your drip system puts out. I think that one deep soaking, just once a week, would be best for proper root development. Since you have the drip set up, I would turn it for three to four hours once a week. Of course, this is again dependant on how much water your system puts out?? Afterwards, stick a wooden dowel rod in the ground at least a foot for a few minutes and see how wet it is. It should be wet from top to bottom. Don't kill them with to much love. Good luck Conon

Watering newly planted material at any time of year is dependent on your climate. The soil should remain moist but not wet and should not be allowed to dry out. Root growth will continue as long as soil temperatures remain above 40F, but will be far slower in winter than earlier in the season. Moisture evaporation from the soil is much slower in winter with colder temperatures and in many parts of the country, rainfall increases so watering in winter is usually not needed as often. In my climate where one can plant virtually all year long (soil doesn't freeze to any significant extent), plants are given a thorough soaking at planting and only again if the weather remains extraordinarily dry - not all that common here in winter :-)) It is most important to make sure plants are well-hydrated before a hard freeze or prolonged cold spell, as very cold weather tends to be dry and can dessicate plant tissue, specially evergreens that are not yet well-established or have not been properly hardened off. Mulching will help to conserve soil moisture and prevent soil temperature extremes. The short answer is you're going to have be the judge, based on your weather and your soil conditions.

I guess there is no definitive answer. There are just too many variables--soil type, kind of tree (tap roots/surface roots), sun and wind exposure, high/low ground, mulched or not. . . I would think 3-year-old trees are pretty much established; however, a tree or shrub with a shallow root system will dry out quicker. The usual answer is an inch per week, but if your soil is sandy, that would not be enough; if heavy, it would probably be a waste. Probably a better answer is that, if a day after you water, the soil still feels wet below the surface--but isn't muddy-- you probably watered it correctly. Sometimes, by the time a tree is showing stress--leaves curling and feeling dry, it is hard to get them back up to speed, on the other hand, some shrubs respond almost immediately. You basically have to use your intuition and not beat yourself up for any mistakes. Hardy trees have amazing resilience--non-native plants will suffer first. Hopefully you received some of yesterday's rain. Guess they got seven inches in some parts of Wisconsin. My yard got 3 tenths. Sigh. . . a.