Zone 7. Washington DC. I planted this picea or Firefly two weeks ago. roots were great, site has drainage and well watered. Anyone on why the branches are drooping? It gets about 5 - 6 hours morning sun then filtered light from an old maple.

its not the branches.. its the new growth ...

rig up a shade tent.. and get it out of sun ... hopefully it can get turgid.. during cooler evenings .... [full of water ... the opposite of flaccid .... if you get my drift....;)

for next time ... do not plant a conifer that it freshly budding out ... you just cant interrupt the roots pumping water at that critical moment...

either ...

get it sooner.. so you can plant it.. a few weeks prior ...

or.. hold it over until after the new growth starts to harden....

or even.. just sink it pot and all.. and plant it in fall.. when the weather is more conducive ... presuming your soil will allow pot drainage ....

just keep in mind.. just because you get your grubby mitts on it.. doesnt mean.. its the best planting time ...

ken

Thank you so much Ken. I will do that

I see that happen to conifers that are getting too much water

I agree with whass and Ken. It possibly looks like a case of soggy feet and or planting when the new growth is fresh and still pushing out. It's best to plant early spring before the buds push new growth or in the fall. Finger test the soil and make sure it doesn't stay too wet. You want it to have periods a moist soil with time to dry out. Good drainage is key and don't over water. Figuring out what that happy medium is depend on your soil type in that location. I still struggle with it sometimes as my soil varies greatly in my yard. If you did plant it while the growth was new, cross your fingers and hope it hangs in there. Wishing you the best.

Update

Firefly was planted in late April and planted in morning sun and afternoon shade afforded by a tall 65 year old maple tree. It was adequately watered when planted. After meeting with the knowledgeable people at the ACS conference I returned home to find firefly in bad condition. I pulled the conifer up and discovered it was bone dry. The soil it was potted in appeared to be ground wood mulch and looked like dry peat. I soaked the rootball and repotted in Promix with granite grit and placed in shade. I have had several large specimens expire and found similar soil conditions. Firefly is recovering and I am smoking lots of hopium for its Rehabilitation.

i am trying to submit photo.

Does anyone have any comments on the soil used by the big conifer growers?

Thank you !

I only plant conifers when they are dormant and I try to bare-root them from that woody medium. That way I can also untangle the roots and generally get rid of the 'soil' that is above the crown. The bark becomes hydrophobic if not watered daily. it's awful but it makes sense given how growers operate. lighter pots are easier to move around and cheaper to truck. And using a medium that can be watered every day means no guesswork on the part of the staff.

Sara thank you. I was the man reading the conifer book on bus when we were in southern Oregon in the Siskyiyous. I will remember to pay attention to the root system as I do with my bonsai tho not to that degree of course. I find that many container conifers are planted too deeply in pots and try to remove the soil as much as possible. I was lazy on this one. :-)

I didn't recognize the 'handle'! Good luck with this one, it's a beauty.