Transplant shock on its way to dying. Dont transplant this time of year. Transplanting is diging the plant out of the ground, moving it and putting it else where. On oaks best tie for this is before the buds start appearing. Depending in which region of Texas you are in around Jan - early March. Potted plants can be done at anytime, but perferrably around same time as transplanting. Everything that can go wrong will probably go wrong. If you can put it back in the bucket (if you just transplanted it) and out of direct heat. Water it but dont keep it wet. Let the top part of the soil dry an inch or so before you water it again. Soak it but dont keep it soaked. Every other day or so should be alright if it hasnt rained. Hope this helps. Good luck and keep us informed.

It sounds like your tree is in a state of shock.
First I would make absolutely sure that you indeed have a pin oak, and that pin oaks will do well in your soil. Pin oaks hate alkaline soil. They are notorious for being planted in alkaline soil, and then doing poorly, and always looking light green/chlorotic. Does the "mother" pin oak in your friend's yard look healthy? I believe pin oaks only do well in the eastern portion of Texas where soil is sandy and more acidic.

Second - trash the Miracle Grow. The tree doesn't need it.

Third - plant the tree the proper way after the scorching summer heat has subsided. October/November is usually the best. This way, you give the tree the longest period of time to establish roots in the ground before next summer's scorching heat wave begins.

Read and follow Howard Garrett's recommended planting method - it works.

If it does not rain, water the tree with your hose, but deep and infrequent watering is best until the tree is established, which should be in 2 - 3 years. Over watering kills trees more often than under watering does. I often drive by several young new shumard oak trees in a median strip that were recently planted by the city. During a dry spell in June, several of them started turning brown and losing leaves. But it has rained some since then and the trees have sprouted new growth. Get a moisture meter if you have to. Don't over water.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Plant Trees Properly

Thank you for the responses. I just read Howard Garrett's planting method, and it sounds like we did everything just the wrong way, unfortunately. It seems there is a lot of bad advice out there for new tree planters, as I followed the advice of others. I'll keep giving it lots of TLC and try to protect it from the heat, like you guys suggested. If it lives, wonderful. If it dies, then I'll plant an oak in the fall, the right way. I just want to make sure I give it a chance first - I don't want to end up ripping it out of the ground if it's just in shock and will ultimately recover given time, water, etc.

I will attach a picture of one of its leaves soon, when I can figure out how to do so through this form. Maybe someone can help me figure out if it is actually a pin oak.

Most of Howard Garrett's recommendations are very good. I do have a little problem with his recommendation against a watering moat, which is very helpful for getting trees established in some conditions and has no downside if applied correctly. I also feel he overlooked many aspects of planting. One aspect he covered, but incompletely, was staking. While staking is best avoided when possible, it is absolutely necessary in some circumstances. Saying not to stake at all is just plain wrong and shows a lack of understanding. Below is a link to instructions that I believe are a little more complete and hopefully more well thought out. If you find a problem with them, I'd truly appreciate an email.

So far as whether to plant the oak sapling out or leave it in the pot...The damage to the root system has been done. Planting it out now, if it survives, will allow the tree to develop a better root structure than if it were kept in a pot. Also, aftercare should be reduced because daily or multiple daily waterings will not be required. The only downfall to planting it out now (except for the wasted effort if it were to die) would be the possible exposure that might be reduced if it were kept in a pot and placed in partial shade. Of course, temporary partial shade could be created at its new planting site with shadecloth, etc.

Here is a link that might be useful: Planting a Tree or Shrub

Thank you, brandon7. I had already planted the sapling out in my yard before I posted on the forum. The leaves had started to curl and turn brown, so my original question was whether it was in transplant shock, or if it was dying already, and if there was anything I could do to save it.

How would I go about creating partial shade with shadecloth? I've never tried that before. Do you think it would help? Temps are forecasted to be in the triple digits over the next week, so I am being very, very diligent about watering it. I leave the water hose on a slow, steady drizzle for at least 30-45 minutes in the morning. Should this be done daily? Every other day?

As of this evening, not much has changed. I'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing. I'm hoping it's good in that the browning/curling hasn't seemed to have progressed anymore. The limbs are still green under the bark. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I somehow got thrown off track about the fact that you had already planted it out. I think it was dogwind's comment about trashing the Miracle Grow, somehow (or maybe just another one of my defective brain cells). Ideally, you should not have amended your soil, but now that you have, it's probably not advisable to dig it up and replant. The benefit may not be worth the extra trauma for the tree and the extra effort required to change out the already mixed soil. The longer your tree has been planted and the lighter you amended your soil, the less need there is to consider replanting. If you used less than about 50% amendment (the Miracle Grow stuff), I wouldn't even consider redoing it at all.

One fairly inexpensive way to make a wind-stable shade for smaller trees is with a PVC frame. Bamboo poles could also be tied together and used if you happen to have some extras laying around. Only use shadecloth above and maybe on the western side of your tree to provide some shade during the hottest hours of the day. I didn't try it, but you might try a search of this forum for shadecloth or similar terms and see what turns up. I know there have been a number of discussions about the topic.

The tree is not dead at this point. It is experiencing transplant shock which, depending on the severity and length, may eventually lead to the death of the tree. For now, I'd just keep a close eye (actually finger) out on soil moisture, consider adding a partial shade, and hope the tree pulls through. The mistakes that were made have been made, and there's no reason to worry about them now. Just do your part and hope the tree comes through. It very well may.

red oaks do not tolerate being transplanted in the hottest part of summer. But if the tree's root ball had been dug in a manner that did not distrub the tree's root system, and then was put in a bucket or pot, the best thing for you have done would be for you to create good drainage holes in the pot or bucket, and then for you to have dug a hole large enough for the tree; pot and all. You could have planted the tree pail or pot and all keeping it watered properly, and then the tree pots and all could have easily enough been dug out in the late fall for a safer planting into it's permanant location. This would have avoided the shock that your tree is now suffering from.

At the very least your could have simply moved the potted tree very close the east side of a bulding where it would get enough morning light, and even better, early enough afternoon shade for the sapling to maintain and establish a stronger root system, during the milder upcoming fall that is if you had kept it watered properly all summer long and up to the point in late fall when the tree would have been strong enough and near enoough to going dormant that you could then easily remove the tree from it's pot or pail. That best time would probably have been mid or late November of this year.

Now though since you failed to consider the tree's tendancy to shock and fail if transplanted in the hottest part of summer, and since before the tree ever showed signs of shock, you did not then, when first transplanting the sapling, provide tree protection from drying winds or excessive mid-day to early evening heat stress your tree is more like to die.

Even better for that Oak saplings which had grown from acorns you could sunk it pot and all just a few inches into the ground under a tree that would give it a full day of dappled shade. Even then you would still need to keep it well watered, especially during this time of summer.

If those needs of your sapling or whip have not been respected, then there is very little chance for your young oak tree to survive now.

Well, regardless of the mistakes that were made with this little tree, it has not gone into further shock so far. It's hanging in there for now. It's receiving plenty of water in the evenings and is well drained, and I mulched around the planting hole to try and protect the roots from the extreme heat. There is a large tree that provides some partial shade nearby, and I'm looking into the suggestion of shadecloth. For the record, I am well aware that the dead of summer isn't the best time to plant a tree, but I thought it had a better chance in the ground than in the pot. I did not just cram the thing into the ground and walk away...I was given some bad advice to begin with. As I mentioned, this is my first time planting any sort of tree.

Thank you to those of you who have provided helpful advice for how to recognize transplant shock vs a dead tree, and for the things I can do now to help increase its chances of survival. After doing some research, I'm pretty sure it's not a pin oak. I know it's not a red oak. I'll keep searching!