Did you get a look at the root ball before it was planted?

the roots havent done anything in one month ... its a tree not a perennial/annual ...

why can you see teh soil drying.. whats your mulch???

whats you base soil type.. does it drain ....

you water a tree... when it needs water .. and i doubt even a transplant needs water ALMOST DAILY ...

see link for watering and mulching ...

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

dig a hole... next to the root mass planted.. AND FIND OUT at 6 to 6 inches.. the amount of water that is down there... there really arent any roots on the surface.. so it really doesnt matter if the surface dries ...

this is a classic example.. of why i quit planting huge transplants... the digging alone.. removed 95% of the root mass ... and now you have a tree going all gang busters... and a significantly reduced root mass ...

in the mean time.. talk with your seller ...

review the link.. also in regards to amending a clay hole ...

i wish you luck

ken

Dried out field soil root ball surrounded by amended planting hole back fill. Perfect combination for a watering headache. You will have to really soak the root ball, there is probably an outer layer you are getting wet with the rest of it remaining dry - think of a malted milk ball, with the chocolate coating being the part that is moistened each time.

Next time do not

Buy such a big tree
Plant it at the beginning of summer - the worst possible time
Amend the planting hole back fill
Plant it without mulching afterward - if that is the case this time

Thanks for the advice. I suspect this is a root ball that is like that proverbial malt ball. I'll dig down next to it and see how wet/dry it is and then soak the smithereens out of it. The root ball seemed fine and undamaged but it had grown up in one of those huge black pots so the roots were compressed in that space.

The soil around the root ball is a type of clay that stays pretty moist but is quite water permeable---water soaks through pretty readily.

And while I wouldn't have expected much root growth in a month, I guess what I was wondering is whether it would've even begun yet at this point.

I also wondered whether anyone had any tips on anything I might do to encourage root growth???

Anyway, good suggestions and yes, next time I'll get a smaller tree.

Thanks again!!! Much appreciated!

John

Time of year is wrong for good root growth. If you can get it to stop wilting and stabilize there should then be some over the course of the summer. But nothing dramatic should be expected until after the top stops growing and sets winter buds later this summer or fall.

When the planting hole back fill has a greater attraction for water than the original soil ball then the roots are constantly having water migrate away from them, until they root into the planting hole. For a tree or shrub to root out strongly and establish well it needs to be in good condition, as long as your linden is struggling it will not make any progress above a certain minimal level.