Throw away the moisture meter and dig a 4-6 inch hole into (not around) the rootball and feel with your finger to check for moisture. Soil around the rootball may be moist while the rootball itself is dry.

tj

Thank you TJ for your response. I guess I wasn't clear when I said I was checking around the rootball because I am going directly into the rootball 4"-6" with the moisture meter in multiple places across the entirety of the rootball. However, I'm going to try your recommendation without the moisture meter.

and you said you had it planted ,,,,hopefully it is not planted too deeply

a photo of the base of the trunk with mulch pulled away slightly would help us see

ron

and how big is that plant ?

Thanks for your response. I don't think it's planted to deep because I had an arborist take a look at it and he said the root flare was just above ground level where it should be but he wasn't familiar with the type of tree to diagnose the needle browning . Since I posted this request I have located a soil test lab at the University of Michigan so I plan to send a soil packet to be analyzed. It will take about 4 weeks. I'll keep you posted.

surprised you couldnt find the soil service as osu ... go figure on that ... and i would have expected the service from the MI ag college.. msu.. rather than um ... double go figure on that ....

heavy clay .. how was it planted ??? ... hole amended??? ... slightly above grade for flare is proper in clay ...

can you see any viable buds on the leader? ...

lawn look irrigated .... i hope you are not relying on lawn sprinklers for tree watering ...

have you ever perked you soil?

if you had it installed ... what does your seller/installer have to say about it???

ken

Hi Ken - The soil testing service is offered through the OSU extension office of Butler County. The soil was amended with organic compost and was planted just slightly above grade. I see what looks like new growth but the browning is happening more aggressively than the new growth. The tree has 2 equally sized trunks coming up from the main trunk. The landscaping company who planted it asked the nursery about this and they said it is normal for an Umbrella Pine. Although I have a sprinkler system I've been using a hose with a spray nozzle on the soaker setting. Lately we've had so much rain I haven't had to water it. I'm not sure what "perking" the soil is but the installer did come back to look at it and added more organic compost. The color is greener but the browning is still occurring and always in the same area so I'm hopeful the soil test will identify some nutrient deficiency that can be addressed. JT Benitez at the OSU Butler County Extension also told me to give him a call when I got the soil test results. Everyone is rooting for this tree to pull through. I'll keep you posted. Let me know if want to see additional pictures.

Thanks again

Umbrella Pine Update - the tree continues to decline and the Nursery has agreed to replace it. The Soil Test results identified a pH of 7.8 which is far to alkaline for the tree to do well or survive. This tree likes soil below 7 pH. I have a local arborist scheduled to do soil amendments with Sulfur once the new tree is planted. I've learned it's not a one & done process as the soil will tend to return to the original pH over time so I'm committed to treat the soil for life or as I long as I continue to live here.

will they only replace it with another umbrella... wont offer you something that will actually thrive without annual soil amendments ...

and i will be interested to know how you amend the soil as the trees root mass extends for yards in every direction from the planting hole in the future ...

ken

It takes a while to load but here is a very detailed map of national soil pH.

http://www.bonap.org/2008_Soil/pH20110321.png