Thuja Green Giant Help

3 years ago

I’m new here and new to Thuja Green Giants, so my apologies if I ask some dumb questions.

I purchased ten 6’-7’ Green Giants from a nursery who came and planted them for me. They were planted in the original soil along with some manure mixed in. They are in a staggered line 8’ apart going North/South along a property line. They all get the same amount of sun throughout the day. I have them on a drip line as I was told to keep the ground moist. I have had them for about four weeks, watering about every day or every other day via the drip line .

Eight of the ten are significantly yellow and brittle. The weird part is the one that is the worst off is immediately next to the healthiest one.

I just got a moisture meter because I’m scared I’m drowning them (causing root rot), and I’m seeing they are on the high end of moist.

Questions:

Do the pictures appear to be overwatering or something else?
Do these trees recover from this extreme yellowing? Or do I pull them and try again?
Any suggestions on how I can save these trees?
Why would the healthiest and sickest trees be right next to each other?

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Comments (6)

tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
3 years ago
Two things I have little trust in are drip irrigation and moisture meters. Dig a 4-6 inch deep hole into the rootball and feel…if it is moist, don’t water. When you do water make sure it is a long, deep soak. Was all the burlap removed?

tj
Kenny Hallenbeck
Original Author
3 years ago
Not all the burlap was removed. I saw some under the topsoil. No clue how much was left on there.
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
3 years ago
Assuming these were B&B, was the rootball fully hydrated before planting? If not, it is almost impossible to water sufficiently as the irrigation water will never fully penetrate the dry soil of the rootball and just soak the surrounding soil. And this could certainly cause some plants to show drought stress while others look fine.

Drip irrigation is typically an excellent method of watering, provided it emits water for a long enough period of time to water the rootball and surrounding soil fully. Rarely ever does this need to be done on a daily basis but rather once every 5-7 days (weather permitting) as long as it is run for a long enough period.

Water meters are generally an expensive waste of time so manually testing the soil moisture IS advised. But never into the rootball itself but immediately adjacent to it and to the full depth of the rootball, not just 4-6 inches.
Kenny Hallenbeck
Original Author
3 years ago
Just checked the soil and it feels soggy rather than moist. It’s been days since water. I’ll hold off on watering for a while. Any suggestions on how to save these trees?
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
3 years ago
first pic.. the left one is dead... i dont see any green on it.. and you shouldnt have to look that hard ...

NEVER amend a planting hole ...

review this link and see what else they did wrong: https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

i would expect replacement in the next proper planting season.. which would be fall.. by which time you will know what is really dead ... its section one in the link above ...

perc your soil.. and it will help you understand how your soil drains.. which is a giant part of how and when you should water ..

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=perc++soil&t=ffab&iar=videos&iax=videos&ia=videos

ken
rusty_blackhaw
3 years ago
It's best not to rely on rigid watering schedules or imperfect tools like moisture meters to determine soil moisture. They don't take into account local soil and weather conditions. Digging down at least several inches into the soil adjacent to the root ball is the only reliable method for determining soil moisture.

I'd always remove all burlap from B&B trees when planting. Even if the seller claims the burlap will degrade naturally, it will potentially inhibit rooting and interfere with moisture takeup. If trees are rootbound (they shouldn't be sold this way), some slicing into the rootball is advised.

https://www.weekand.com/home-garden/article/plant-rootbound-trees-18058349.php

Some authorities do recommend adding organic amendments to the planting hole to a limited extent, in the event that the planting area features really bad soil like thick gumbo clay, in order to give the tree a better chance to establish itself (better though to avoid such an area altogether).