Transplant shock!

10 years ago

Hi there!

I need some help super fast! I just bought 3 English pyramidal oak trees from a tree farm. They are 12 feet or more each and I was so excited that I had fond them for such a reasonable price. My husband and I went to pick them up. The roots were wrapped in burlap and wire. We wrapped the trees up in some burlap and brought them home (about a 40 min drive).

When we got home, my husband and three other strong fellows tried to move them to the back yard, but they were way too heavy. We couldn't put them on any sort of tractor or other vehicle because the yard is fenced and the opening is about 3 feet wide at the door. So the only way back there was with a wheel barrow. Anyhow, to be able to even lift the trees, they opened up the root balls and washed away some of the soil.

I wasn't too pleased but I guess that was the only way the trees could be moved.

The trees were planted in proper sized holes and back filled ensuring there were no air pockets. Then then we unwrapped the trees, we noticed that the leaves had suffered from windburn. :(

It's been about 2 weeks, I've watered them with a transplant fertilizer, kept the soil moist and properly mulched them. Unfortunately, the leaves have all shrivelled up and turned brown. Some have even started to drop.

Have we killed the trees? I'm so upset...

I have about 5 bags of bio-sol soil that I'm thinking of putting at their base, but I'm not sure if that's something I should even bother doing at this point.

I would appreciate any help!

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Comments (10)

Embothrium
10 years ago
Keep them mulched and watered, watch for new leaves to come out later.

Here is a link that might be useful: Planting Fact Sheet

This post was edited by bboy on Sat, Jun 1, 13 at 17:00
Ruffles78
10 years ago
Well, planting trees this time of year is a bad idea, especially trees of that size, and washing away soil from the roots stressed them much further.

Water them deeply about twice a week and pray. That's all you can do. Do not fertilize. If they survive, they may put on leaves later in the summer, or wait until next spring.

This post was edited by Ruffles78 on Sat, Jun 1, 13 at 17:01
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With regard to strategies to protect a seedling from cold, you just need to invert a bucket/bottle over the plant at night. Most of the protection is from trapped warm air from the ground. Heat that has accumulated in the daytime, and also heat from organic decomposition in the soil. Any bucket will do that. But some of the protection is from the insulating capability of the bucket. For a given thickness, plastic, wood, and paper are roughly similar in insulation capability. Glass is worse per unit thickness, but any glass cover is going to be a lot thicker. Metal is a factor of 10-100 worse. You won't find any thick paper or wooden buckets, and most any glass cover will be small (trapping less heat from the ground) so I'd do plastic. If you're trying to protect a whole bed, then a plastic tarp weighted down at the periphery is the way to go. I just did that en masse in our recent horrific Texas freeze. I find it amusing when people try to protect small fruit trees from a freeze by wrapping them in a tarp. That doesn't work at all. When you put a blanket around yourself, it keeps you warm because you generate heat, and the blanket keeps it in. Trees and plants don't generate any heat.
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if i can subtract properly.. you planted in during the last weeks of august ... was your OH as bad as my MI them.. near hundred degrees.. and 70s at night??? severe stress ... even damaged leaves can process light into energy.. so dont go cutting them off ... they will fall off in a month or so anyway ... just insure you are watering deeply into the root mass planted... deep into fall ... and next time.. hold the potted plant until.. well.. about now.. as falling night temps are a relief period from whatever the day may hold ... just because you get your grubby mitts on a plant.. doesnt mean its planting time .... its good its deciduous.. so all the uglies will fall off in a few weeks ... and if properly planted and watered.. it should leaf out just fine next spring ... i like the primer below ... if you have that bad OH clay ... and are concerned about how you planted ti.. we could discuss it if you wish .. ken https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub ps: its kind of a big plant.. to be that close to the house ... if you have the cultivar name.. you could narrow this down a bit... scroll down and look at future potential .. https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=ninebark&iax=images&ia=images
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Thanks for the response, the nursery gave me Bio Ocean fertilizer which is a pebble type and not liquid they said to sprinkle around the tree and plants surrounding it, so I hope it doesn’t damage the tree now.. because it’s pebbles it hasn’t all been dissolved as yet so I could try remove some..
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Ruffles78
10 years ago
Next time, wait until the fall to plant them.

This post was edited by Ruffles78 on Sat, Jun 1, 13 at 17:02
corkball
10 years ago
We BUTCHERED a white oak one time when transplanting. And of course all the leaves fell off and it looked like a goner. But the cambium was always green (scratch part of the trunk to see), so I knew it was alive.
About 2 months later, it sprouted a few small leaves (this was around August). Each subsequent year it got stronger, and this year, it looks completely normal and totally healthy.
Moral of the story, white oaks are TOUGH, and if you are patient and the trunk stays alive, they WILL come back. You may lose growth opportunity though.
PS: I have OTHER white oaks that were cut to the ground by wildlife (stems about the size of a pencil) and they have always resprouted.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
10 years ago
I'm not sure that anything you describe would end in a result other than what you have. A difficult time of year for planting large trees, disruption of the rootball and windburn from open transport....... transplant shock was inevitable.

The best you can do is keep the trees fully hydrated. Forget fertilizer, additional soils, whatever else you think mihgt be helpful (it won't). Just water, water, water!

Oaks are tough. I would be surprised if you didn't see them push out a new flush of foliage. When that happens, you're golden.

Just keep watering.
sos23
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you all for the tips. I've been told they are hardy trees, so here's hoping. :)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
what they said... and forget about the biosoil.. whatever that it ...

INSURE ... moisture to a depth of the whole rootball planted ...

take a hand trowel.. and FIND OUT ... and then let near dry before you water deep again ...

i dont know your soil type ... and drainage is imperative .... but in any soil.. that drains properly[not bad clay] ... you might put a hose on a trickle.. and let it run for an hour ... perhaps moving it around the planting area ...

and then dig those holes.. and find out.. how the moisture went down ...

and then.. i bet you might not have to water again.. for 2 or 3 weeks ... until another hole tells you.. its drying out down there ... w./o sun.. and air heat.. soil down low.. doesnt dry that fast ...

and dont be confused about the first inch or two ... that is not where the roots are ... so if it dries .. so what... and that is why you dig a 3 to 6 inch hole ...

and.. if you tried to drown it at planting.. getting rid of air pockets.. you might not need to water it again.. for weeks ... dig hole .. see the theme ....

and NO MORE FERT.. trees dont need fert.. and you should NEVER feed a stressed plant ... if a child is having a nervous breakdown ... you dont stuff his face .... lol .. you water him properly.. lol ... [i should have thought of that earlier today with my daughter .. lol]

do you have any warranty on these????

i am surprised the seller didnt caution you ...

also.. should you think of tree planting again ... you 'tag' the trees this time of year.. pay a deposit of the whole.. and take delivery in fall ... at leaf color change time ....which is also a great time to choose a tree that has good fall color ....

and i think you just learned why i NEVER BUY A TREE BIGGER THAN 6 FEET ... lol .. you only make this mistake one time .... been there.. done that ...

good luck

ken
katob Z6ish, NE Pa
10 years ago
Everything has already been said.... Just wanted to add that the dropping leaves are actually a "good" sign. Shocked trees going into dormancy will drop leaves, shocked trees that die just shrivel up and die, leaves still attached.
sos23
Original Author
10 years ago
@ken_adrian: That is amazing info, thank you so very much. I've been an avid gardener since I was a tot but until now, I haven't dabbled at all with trees, so this is all new to me.

@ kato_b: You have no idea how happy that makes me!
Embothrium
10 years ago
Trees may and often do need fertilizer, just the same as with shrubs, perennials and so on.

Transplant shock!

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Embothrium

Ruffles78

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