Keep it in the garage or something until after this cold snap unless it has no budding activity whatsoever. If it is entirely dormant it still probably be safer to wait until after the cold snap...as you shouldn't plant anything when the ground is frozen. In the meantime...just water it a little (if it is cold it will not require much, perhaps once every two days).

It is not dormant, it has many leaves. So, plant it?

I assume it was not shipped in a pot .... and thats your dilema ...it most likely will be fine for a few days as you can ship stuff semi bare root and in cooler weather it will be fine for 10-12 days or more... if you are worried I'd pot it up keep it inside and then plant it out LTR especially if it is totally bare root which I doubt ...if it is already in a pot I'd also wait...Any leafed out plant should not be put out in this weather and depending on where you are maybe not for another 3 weeks or so..
It helps to put your EXACT location down and also give a better explantion of how the plant was shippped I am just guessing for the most part but this advise is most likely good ...David

Alright, now I really need some help. Woke up this morning and three days into having my first JM I'm pretty sure I'm killing it. I received it from Sooner Plant Farm on Wednesday, and it looked great - 4 ft tall, fully leafed, no obvious damage from transit. It was shipped potted in a 1-2 gallon burlap bag with plastic around it...Upon receiving it I watered it (may have over watered it) and put it in my garage. Yesterday I stuck it outside during the midday so it could get some sun - b/c the soil was still moist I did not water it. I kept it in the house last night as it was too cold here to be kept in the garage. When I woke up this morning nearly all of the leaves on it are curled up - it does not look good. I stuck my finger in the soil, which was a little bit dry, so I gave it about a coffee cup of water...With this weather, I am still about three days out from being able to plant it...Please give me some advice on how to save it!!! Thanks!!

P.S. David - I live in zone 5 near Iowa City, IA

The damage was probably due to the sun..although it is a bit weird since balled and burlaped trees are field grow outside...but it may have been dug last fall put in cold storage for winter and then placed in greenhouse with heavey shade cloth this spring ( a guess) I have had several trees grown in GH's under shade cloth do this when exposed to bright hot sun and being heavily watered... ALL have shot out new leaves or otherwise done ok after planting some have had the original wilted leaves primp up ... you will probably know more once you take it out of the burlap ( don't leave in on when you plant it out bit I'd not screw with it til planting either) If when you take the burlap off the roots are heavily exposed or drastically cut I'd give the boys at Sooners a call ...if it is well earthed just plant it out and see what happens chances are it will be fine . Remember balled and bulapped trees can stay that way for moths no problem usually nuseries cover the ball with mulch and leave 'em ... DON'T over water...and good luck. David

Thanks David.

You know, I thought I was done asking questions but looking at this poor little thing that was so proud a day ago is prompting more. Based on David's explanation, which makes a lot of sense, I'm guessing that I overwatered it (definitely wasn't the heat of the sun, and it wasn't exposed to it for that long). So, how do I reverse it and make the thing perk up again? Let it dry out for a couple of days? A day? Anything specific would be helpful to this rookie. Thanks guys.

If it's not in direct sunlight depending on how much dirt is in the ball ???? I would water once a week max til you plant it out vis a vis DO NOT water again...I am not sure overwatering would do it though...I was more certain of the sun unless you possitivly drenched it and it was sitting in a pond ;>) usually B&B's drain quite nicely...I am at a loss and would expect you will know more when you take off the burlap to plant it and inspect the roots...something sounds amiss maybe someone else has other thoughts ...but I had trees in the sun for three or four hours only that did this but if you say it wasn't in the sun but barely ...I am stumped and not at all hopeful may be something systemic...David

It could be due to humidity differences, sun intensity, wind, etc. Many of my trees that I get in the mail get shocked when I put them outside.
A small 'shin deshojo' dropped all of its leaves about 3 days after I recieved it (and it was in mostly shade). It isn't dead but quite stressed. A small 'filigree' also has suffered a little, but hasn't lost its leaves yet (knock on wood). I would just be patient and follow david's instructions.

Thanks for the follow ups. I did get in touch with Brian at Sooner Plant Farm, who I really cannot say enough about. For being an extremly little fish for these guys the level of customer service has been absolutely incredible; I've talked to him three times, two of them he called to check on the situation....As of right now, the thing looks like history. He (Brian) doesn't suspect that it is due to overwatering, but from bringing the plant inside and exposing it to dry air conditions. Further, he believes that it is still very much alive. His recommendation was to gently rake off all of the leaves (with my hand) leaving only the stem; he thinks that new leaves should take the place of those lost fairly quickly. While he is confident in the tree's root system and therefore it's recovery, he said he's willing to work with me - really couldn't ask for a better experience. So anyway, at this point, that's what I'm going to do. A)strip off the dead dryed out leaves, B)stop watering it C) stick it in the ground on Monday when nighttime temps are suppose to be above freezing. Sound good JM experts?

sounds good to me although his explanation is a bit odd but who knows maybe but his advise is good just make sure the leaves are "history" before you give it a balding ...David

Two last questions. First, when I do get this thing in the ground, how much (quantity) and how often should I be watering? And second, now that I have leaf-less stem, when should I expect to see new leaves?... Again, thanks for all of the help, this forum is great.

If the root ball is wet you may want to LIGHTLY water the sorounding area ONLY when you plant it but NOT the ball then it really depends on the weather ...genreally speaking JM's like to dry a bit between waterings...but can take damp but not WET soils.I never watered mine except in extreme dry or heat conditions and at planting ( yours being wet is differnt though) and have found overwatering is easy to do and deadly!!!..also plant at base of current dirt level or keep it a bit above to keep it from getting crown rot... mulch with a few inches of bark mulch keep it a bit away from the trunk ...I like cedar since it's bug resitant...but that is your choice... cage it if Elmers "wittle" friends are present. REMEMBER only water as needed and DON'T fertilize NOW at all since it is stressed and you might deep six it totally...Good luck david

Any thoughts as to how long I will have to wait to see new leaf growth?

If the weather is warm you should see new stuff within a couple of weeks ...if in a month you don't I'd give your buddies a ring...and not a wedding or engagement one ;>) David

On a ten point scale, I'm giving you a ten for your insight and a...well...5 for the wit, sorry. Seriously though, you're a valuable resource, thanks a lot.