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{{gwi:747764}}

Time to do a soil test. Contact your local county extension agent. They will usually come out to access you plant problems for free.
You should dig a dead one up and see how they were planted. I am suspect of the whole thing considering he wanted to mix 400 pound of lime into you soil with out a soil test.

Dave

Dave gives good advice.

I'm also wondering about the watering schedule. Every day sounds excessive, though you should be watering deeply when you do water, which I'm thinking should be more like a couple of times a week (very deeply) when there's no rain.

Also, another watering issue that's tough to deal with is that this is a steep slope. It is very difficult to water a steep slope and prevent the water from just running off down the hill without actually getting absorbed into the soil. On these slopes, it's better to terrace at least a little around each plant, or build a trench to catch the water. Alternately, an irrigation system that slowly drips water (treegator, drip system, etc) will absorb better than water full force from a hose.

Deep watering does absolutely no good for recently planted woodies.

Instead, the procedure is this:
1. Dig large wide hole, same depth as root ball.
2. fill hole with water, let drain.
3. repeat step 2.
4. Follow-up irrigations during the next several months will put water onto the existing rootball, thereby moistening the existing root system because that's what dries out most rapidly.
These early irrigations may be needed as often as daily.
5. Irrigate surrounding soil only as needed. That may be only once every several months. (Check the soil now and then to determine if you need to water.)

Bottom line: For recently planted trees/shrubs, the existing rootball is the critical area to water early on.

Sorry about those brown arborvitae; they're goners.

I neglected to mention -- If the shrubs are watered by sprinklers, the water is being shed beyond the existing root ball. To be certain, check the soil.

"Dig a large wide hole, same depth as root ball".

How you going to do that on a terrace with a 30-45 degree grade. Good advice for level ground but absolutely no good in this case.

The roots and surrounding soil need water and you can get it there quickly with a slow trickle from a root feeder.

Dave

"Deep watering does absolutely no good for recently planted woodies."

I've never heard that before, and, while I am not an expert, I have been working in the field for several years, and now work at an arboretum.

I'd love to hear/see confirmation of this, so, if need be, so I can change my personal practices and my recommendations to the public.

dcsteg,

You wrote:
""Dig a large wide hole, same depth as root ball".
How you going to do that on a terrace with a 30-45 degree grade. Good advice for level ground but absolutely no good in this case."

Overall, one does what is suited to the site.

On a steep slope, you can dig wide. The width there, as anywhere else, depends upon the space available. Then you can "build" a sort of basin which helps retain the water you apply. (The appearance from the side is somewhat of a modified stair step.)

Or you can terrace the area. Costly, of course. But it is another choice.

carrieb,

You wrote:
""Deep watering does absolutely no good for recently planted woodies."
I've never heard that before, and, while I am not an expert, I have been working in the field for several years, and now work at an arboretum."

Please re-read what I wrote previously.

-- You moisten the surrounding soil thoroughly before planting.
-- As soon as the plant is in place, and you refill the hole with the native soil, you water to settle the soil around the roots.
-- Early on, follow-up irrigations must reach the roots. The roots aren't deep at this early stage. Instead, the roots are still within the original rootball. If every irrigation at this stage is "deep," you will waste a lot of water.

jean001 Your advice is admirable and will work especially on level ground. The amount of work involved to build catch basins on a steep grade for 22 conifers not many people would not entertain doing. It just makes no sense when other simpler resources are at hand to achieve the same goal.

In reality I don't think lack of water is the problem as they are being watered daily. There are other underlying issues here that need to be resolved. They have enough advice on what to do, if they act upon it, they will be able to resolve the issues at had.

Enough said,

Dave

You wrote:

"I don't think lack of water is the problem as they are being watered daily"

To be certain, check the moisture content of the original rootballs.

You wrote:

"The amount of work involved to build catch basins on a steep grade for 22 conifers not many people would not entertain doing. It just makes no sense when other simpler resources are at hand to achieve the same goal."

First, please understand that I am trying to be helpful. In all cases, advice for whatever problem at hand has limitations according to the specifics of the problem.

The methods I mentioned (basins or terraces) are just two I'm familiar with.

Another is to install a drip system with drippers directly on top of each rootball. If that's what you have done, perhaps the system isn't running long enough.

If not, I'd like to know what "simpler resources" you know about and/or have used.

I don't understand why this thread is continuing??

The answer came about in the first two posts really...

Dax