Question From: S. Atkins - PENNSYLVANIA
Q: 11 days ago we bought 50 Thuja occidentalis plants. We put them in the ground the same day they arrived with us. Our plants look a little sad; slightly yellow colored and almost brown in some places. They are certainly not "light green and happy" and do not radiate as we expected. I'm wondering if they are dying? The weather has been 16-21 degrees Celcius (60-70F), the last 2 weeks. It has not rained (except on the day of planting), but we have watered them with a sprinkler every second day. We wonder what the reason is that they look so sad …. (Images attached) Too much water? Too little water? Too much direct sunlight? Or because we have sown grass next door? Or something completely different? We would be very grateful for a little advice on whether they 'just need to have time' or we should do something else to take care of them in the best possible way. Sincerely, Sutton Atkins
A: I think you have a water issue, The recommendation for watering is to water newly planted trees and shrubs daily for weeks and then twice weekly for the following three weeks. Water means wetting the root ball not using a sprinkler. I recommend using a watering wand that allows you to direct the water to that rootball. Best And Happy Yardening, Nancy.
