I bought a Pin Oak from Home Depot.

[Jughead]

About 1 month ago I bought a 7ft potted Pin Oak from HD. Planted it the same day and have been watering it daily.

About a week later all the new growth branch shoots and the crown (I think thats what its called) shrivelled up and died. The rest of the tree still looks alive and the leaves aren't turning brown or falling off.

Is this normal or will this tree eventually die?

I love oaks.

 

[Gumneck]

Watering it daily sounds excessive. I would hold back on the water first.

Two cents worth.

 

[Jughead]

It's been dry as a bone here and 80-90 deg since I planted it.

 

[Mike Barcaskey]

yep, but if you planted it in the clay/rock soil that is prevalent in sw pa, it is sitting in a "pot" of water

 

[forestryworks]

the best way to water anything is deeply, once or twice a week

there is a rule of thumb for watering trees based on trunk diameter
but i forget what it is

if it's dry, give it a good bath

if it's wet, go on about your day

 

[Dadatwins]

Did you check the root system before planting? Many home depot and big box stores sell trees that are so root bound from growing in containers they look like a ball of string. Pull it out of the ground, wash off the root ball, uncurl the roots and try to replant it bare root, remember to never let the roots dry out while you are unraveling them. Post a pictue if you can of the root ball and that will help determine if it will survive at all. Good luck.

 

[BayouTree]

It is also a bit hard on a tree planting that time of year. The tree probably had a lot of tender growth on it. It wouldn't take much to stress it out. Better to plant when the tree is dormant.

 

[Jughead]

Well, it's going on 3 months and the tree still has it's leaves. I cut down the watering to once a week but really haven't had to do any watering since it has rained almost every other day in the last month.

 

[crashagn]

I would imagine if the tree was buried in clay or hard ground and that much water you might be looking at root rot... watering to often and giving the tree enough time to soak the water up. We have 90 or lilac trees we transplantedd along with 10 maples..only watering at most everyother day even if its been really hot. Even though there is cracks in the ground you wouldnt want to fall into due to the lack of rain.

 

[acipitor]

I had a similar problem with a Catalpa

I planted a Catalpa a couple weeks ago in a neighbors yard and had a similar problem, only from the bottom up, not the top down as you've had. The leaves wilted and subsequently dried up and fell off, primarily from the bottom up. The new leaves at the branch tips are coming out normal, so hopefully the tree will be OK.

When I planted the tree I tore the root ball apart. Also, it may have been watered too much by the homeowner. The 85-95 degree temps we've had since planting don't help.

Either way, I think the tree will survive. I think my problem was caused by transplant shock.