I am not familiar with your weather, but does a yew that has been in the ground 9 months really need weekly watering where you are? Nobody can tell you if it is 'definitely going to die'. But it seems highly unlikely, especially if you stop soaking it.

That was my initial reaction too.

Well we’ve been under drought for the third time already this year so I wanted to make sure they get at least an inch rain worth a week. They were burlaped too in sand and the surface of the rootball dries out so fast. Not sure if that means the entire rootball is dry and that it needs to be watered. But I thought it takes 3 seasons for trees to establish, especially trees of that size? So doesn’t it need weekly watering until then?

take a tablespoon..; and dig a 3 to 4 inch hole about 6 inches from the trunk.. AND FIND OUT IF IT NEEDS ANY WATER AT ROOT DEPTH ... even better if you could hit the root ball planted without damaging it... to see if that is moist ...

hand trowel if you have one...

i would be highly surprised of any substantial drought at root level in may ... but then i never gardened in z7 .. nor in nj

ken

#1

#2

Heruga, watering is the least of your problems. #2 is the T. cuspidata capitata that I posted about here 4 years ago. Notice the size of it? #1 is the same tree, notice the naturally flaking bark? Take a deep breath, seek out dwarf and pigmy plants for your small property, Your plant has had nine months to root in right? It's had plenty of time to root in, yews are tough plants in our area that's why they are so popular.

I know that they are naturally flaking but mine turned black and mushy. So thats a sign of rot or crown rot? I watered it again yesterday and thats how I noticed. As soon as I noticed though I shut the water off but the hose ran for 5 min. So if my yew is already established after 9 months I don’t need to give it any supplemental water? Might be too late to save this tree then as I have been watering it every week when it doesn’t rain and drowning it. It really sucks because I drove 3.5 hours roundtrip to get this tree because no where else carries this outdated tree anymore

Kenichi, I'm surprised, no shocked, that as long as you've been at this, you still don't check the soil to see if your plant really needs water, before you soak it down. That's gardening 101.

Are you sure that the black mushy stuff is not moss or algae growth, caused by the excess watering?

The bark you show in your picture looks fine. Is it actually the outer bark and cambium layer underneath that is mushy? Or just the black stuff on top of the bark.

I wouldn't panic. Let the area dry out for a while. Taxus is a very durable plant.

From what I understand, you have a clay or clay loam soil? Once the roots of that tree get out from the root ball and get started into your native soil, I don't think you would have to water for weeks, even during a dry spell. By the way, a drought and a dry spell are two different things entirely (look it up).

Let us know in a few weeks how it looks. ;-)

bill

The surface of the rootball where mulch isn’t covering it gets dry so fast because its exposed and the sun dries it out. So then it proceeds to dry out the rest of the rootball while the native soil around it is still moist. But I can’t tell if the roots from the rootball actually made it into the native soil in just after 9 months especially when people say it takes 3 years for trees to establish. So I just watered it anyway to keep the rootball and native soil evenly moist. And since bigger trees take longer to establish(this one was 6 ft B&B in sand), I assumed that there has barely been any root activity yet. The soil where I planted this is more loam and no clay, thats another section of my yard. I’ve had enough potted plants that I plant in the ground drying out their peat/bark based rootball first while the native soil is still moist and having to water the plant only for it to runoff the surface and not absorb any of the water and the rootball of the plant stays dry while the soil around it becomes a swamp. It’s somewhat easier on my taxus because of its sandy rootball but it does dry out super fast. But I guess my taxus does not like the weekly watering so I’ll cut off on the watering, if it actually survives. The internet makes it sound like this plant is the most fragile plant when it comes to even the slightest wet spell.

The black was definitely part of the bark and not something that was growing on it. I peeled it off and the bark you see on the base is the second layer. It hasn’t rained 1.5 weeks and no precipitation in the forecast for another 1.5 weeks. And the last rain we got was the first rain after 2 weeks of no rain. So I try to water stuff before the ground dries out because once it dries, its very hard to get it thouroughly wet. Especially under 2-3 inches of mulch. I know this from last summers drought.

I see.

In my opinion, and everybody has them. Once I saw the root ball was a different soil type and the tree was dormant or at least not actively growing, I would've bare rooted the tree, inspected the roots and corrected any root issues, then planted the tree in the native soil of the planting site.

It would've been better to dig enough soil, away from the planting spot but in the same general area, to use for the backfill when planting the tree, and use the sand to fill that hole (where it would be covered in mulch only, no plants). Two soil types are not a good combination when planting a tree so best to have same soils in both the root ball and surrounding area.

You would have to stake the tree until the roots took hold, at least for a season, but nbd.

If the tree survives the summer, you could fix and replant next Fall once the tree stops growing.

Barerooting a tree especially a large one is not as easy as it sounds. Its full of fibrous root mass and there’s barely any potting mix/burlap soil to remove. If you still try to you end up removing a good portion of its roots, even the main roots can be snapped off. With burlaped trees its even harder. They usually come dry and when you mess with it it crumbles apart in chunks and that removes alot of roots. You might be able to bareroot it easier if you soak it first but to soak it youwould have to somehow lift it and somehow find a container that will fit the giant ball to soak in. Trying to hose the ball thats bone dry doesn't work as they don't get absorbed in the ball. Small b&b trees are workable but big ones like mine becomes a challenge. Definitely not something I would risk for a 300$+ tree that I spent 3 hours driving to get.

Heruga, your root ball was bone dry when you got it? That's doesn't sound good.

I would think if it was sandy soil like you say, it would come off the roots pretty easy with a hose, there's not much binder in sand, so generally, it just falls apart when hit with water.

But it is what it is and it's your tree and your call.

I would imagine the tree would be fine once the feeder roots reach out into the surrounding soil, and after 9 months, with considerable root elongation last Fall and new roots growing this spring, the tree is probably fending for itself better than you imagine, albeit not fully established.

Good to hear from you again and don't forget that picture tour, once you get things growing good. ;-)