I have a RobinâÂÂs nest in a bush next to my house. The eggs hatched and I was observing the mom (or in the case of Robins it may be the dad. IâÂÂm not sure) feeding the chicks. He or she is constantly here bringing worms to the nest. A few days ago we had some unusually cold weather followed by very bad rain storms. I peeked into the bush a few days ago, careful not to get closer than 5 ft and noticed the 3 chicks in the nest but looking barely alive. I left them alone and waited to see if the mom or dad came back. Sure enough they did and they have kept coming back every few minutes throughout the day with worms in their beaks. They would fly into the bush and presumably feed the chicks. I was encouraged that they may survive. I peeked in again yesterday and two of the chicks are obviously dead. One was still alive but barely moving and itâÂÂs head was down. This morning all three looked dead. I was very sad but then a few minutes later the mom or dad returned again with food. I watched them fly into the nest with worms and fly away again. Is there any chance the Robins could be flying to another nest in the bush that I havenâÂÂt noticed? I donâÂÂt hear any chirping at all. Does anyone know if the parent bird would keep returning if the chicks were dead or how long before they would give up? ItâÂÂs makes me very sad to watch them keep returning to their dead chicks...

Sorry, no: are you saying you put rocks down the pot under the mix? If so that's unfortunately a problem as it doesn't help & can actually impede drainage further. I believe the rocks were meant to be put ON TOP of the mix to help hold the plant in place til it settles. Soil too wet? Why wet, did you water it in when planted? One doesn't usually do that for succulents, potting them up DRY & waiting a few days to a wk to water. Allows any cut roots time to heal over a bit before watering.

Thank you to all, especially Sara Malone, Embothrium, and Alley Cat. We’ve been more vigilant about watering deeply with a hose at the base and will continue to do that until Thanksgiving and for the next 2-3 years. Our soil tends to clay which may have a finer texture than what was in the original potting soil. The tree was planted in the Spring and gets 7-8 hours of sun mostly from the east. Some of the roots were cut to promote growth before placing the tree in the planting hole. So will hope for the best and be patient. My concern had been that cutting off the leader – even a dead one – would lessen the chance for a new leader to grow. Other than being unsightly, would leaving the dead leader on for a while longer be a detriment? A source for insects?

Um, I don't think a Schef can take Sacramento sun in summer! Especially if it's not been acclimated. But I would think the other very soft looking growth would also be fried. Another thing that can cause burn like that is watering with a hot hose. Hose water sitting in the sun can be boiling hot unless you run the water until cool.