overall off color is not a good sign ...

take a hand trowel and dig a few 3 to 6 inch holes.. and find out if the rootball.. and the surrounding soil is wet or dry ..

be nice to know where you are .. though i can surmise somewhat based on planting time ...

i do NOT hold out much hope ...if you have a warranty.. talk to your seller ... i am not sure i would plant a replacement this time of year ... depending on location ...

ken

This is in the Houston area. I will go dig with the trowel now.

Ok it is wet. It is mulched, and we just got some rain Friday. We have very clayey soils. There is a chance my hole wasn't good enough...? Should I pull it up, expand the hole, and add sand to the back fill?

We we have other trees that were planted in January and are doing great. Not planted by me and from a different supplier.

No warranty... Bought from an "all sales final" place and planted myself.

sand plus clay is cement ... have you ever done a perk test .. dig a hole.. fill with water.. and find out what the drainage time is ... drainage is the key yo proper watering ....

see link... about clay soil ... for next time ...

when i see final sale comments.. i think the thing may have been abused all last summer ... into fall.. and sold with a hope and a dream ...

not sure i would bother digging it up.. in the heat of summer ... its already stressed enough.. if not dead ... but if you want to try.. see what the link says about it all

were the plants that are thriving ... also late season bargains ... or higher quality stock???

ken

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

Well, it's not mature, but this one was planted one month earlier in a different part of my yard.

Mystery no more. The hole simply did not drain well. The tree got no more water than any of my other trees or the grass. The picture below is 4 hours after a sprinkler session. Cut it down and dig it out. 4" of water. We have been very dry so the only water is my sprinklers.

I am going to plant a wax myrtle there this fall/winter. Or maybe a yaupon.

Any suggestions on things to do to improve the hole?

looks like you need to cut down on the sprinklers and plant something that likes standing water. what about weeping willow or swamp tupelo?

I had the exact same issue. Root rot due to slow/no drainage. Basically over watered without realizing that water is not draining well.