when planted ... seed grown in location.. or transplants ...???

im thinking.. in tree time.. they will take care of themselves.. and perhaps there really isnt anything to fix ...

it seems like i might not be worrying about a 4 year old tree looking skimpy ...

ken

If the improved irrigation brings them back this will happen on its own, without painting the trees with anything being required.

Best advice would be to get the water delivery right, heavy mulch and a lot of patience while the tree recovers or not. Any "foreign" stimulation, even the addition of fertiliser, is a big no-no. The tree is a living thing that need time to recouperate. Tree time not human time.

Good luck.

Fof

What you are experiencing is called a 'setback'. This will take some time for the roots to recover. After that the tree will send out new growth. Depending on how much damage was done, will determine how robust the return of new shoots will be. Keep it watered as needed this season and next season, early spring, you can use some fertilizer on the ground around it. Many times I've found this to enhance the bud formation of new branches for that year.

as noted.. the history is a bit confusing ...

i really dont understand.. why a tree would need irrigation at all ...

proper watering after transplant may be required for a year or two.. but after that ... i dont get it????

and does his name imply joel in british columbia ... and is that a desert that requires tree irrigation???

ken

To clarify: I'm uncertain, but I believe the tree that was most affected was three years old, coming from the nursery ball-rooted. It was planted carefully, in a sunny spot. It had been situated in that spot for over a year, when the 2018 summer drought occurred. Hence my estimate, in the opening post, of four years old.

I do appreciate the consideration & advice from you who have responded. Customarily, being an organic gardener of more than 30 years experience, I would simply provide the best irrigation I could to the trees in question... just good organic practice.

I must say, though, that I'm still ignorant concerning whether there is an auxin (or some chemical) that will encourage dormant branch buds to develop. Does anyone reading this know? Actually, this was my initial inquiry. Thanks.

Some tree species have a tendency to back bud; others not so much or not at all. And this is usually triggered by pruning.

AFAIK, most auxins work on meristems and actually inhibit the development of lateral branching.............

I always think of auxin for producing roots and if everything isn't 'just right' it doesn't always help for that.

Yes, meristem = roots and shoots. Not lateral branching.