stress on new trees

chainsawaddict · Apr 28, 2008

Ive planted about 90 bare root eastern red cedars within the last month here around my yard for a wind break. I am seeing a substantial amount of stress on them, I have been watering regularly, i think i did a good job of getting the air out from around the roots. How much stress is normal on a bare root seedling?

PB · Apr 28, 2008

chainsawaddict said:
Ive planted about 90 bare root eastern red cedars within the last month here around my yard for a wind break. I am seeing a substantial amount of stress on them, I have been watering regularly, i think i did a good job of getting the air out from around the roots. How much stress is normal on a bare root seedling?

What type of soil? How often do you water? Any soil additives? How long were they out of soil? Were they in water before planting?

Sorry for the questions, just trying to get a grasp to better help you.

chainsawaddict · Apr 28, 2008

PlantBiologist said:
What type of soil? How often do you water? Any soil additives? How long were they out of soil? Were they in water before planting?

Sorry for the questions, just trying to get a grasp to better help you.

soil around here is pretty poor, but a lot of cedars in tree rows make it. A lot of clay, a little sand, no additives.

Ive been watering about every three days, or when the soil around the tree is dried (top 1" or so). I dont know how long they were out of soil, but I got them from the Natural Resource district and they were stored in their tree cooler, im guessing they were out at least a few days. I kept them soaked in a bundle of aspen chips while planting. They have been exposed to some dry south winds out here, so ive really put the water to them the last week.

hope that helps

PB · Apr 28, 2008

What is the soil moisture like a few inches down? Sounds like you might be watering too much. Clay doesn't drain very well and over watering is easy. You might want to lightly aerate the soil above the trees to promote O2 exchange. You can do this with a rake or if the roots are still contained you can use a pitch fork to poke holes in the soil. Just make sure that you don't damage the roots. Watering every 3 days in April is a lot, especially for small trees. They don't need the water that a more mature plant would.

chainsawaddict · Apr 28, 2008

PlantBiologist said:
What is the soil moisture like a few inches down? Sounds like you might be watering too much. Clay doesn't drain very well and over watering is easy. You might want to lightly aerate the soil above the trees to promote O2 exchange. You can do this with a rake or if the roots are still contained you can use a pitch fork to poke holes in the soil. Just make sure that you don't damage the roots. Watering every 3 days in April is a lot, especially for small trees. They don't need the water that a more mature plant would.

its damp a few inches down, i wondered if i was over watering, i was just afraid the wind was zapping the moisture out of them. weve already had a couple days mid 70s, with dry 40 mph south winds and about 15% humidity. Im afraid the little buggers cant get enough water throught the roots right now. is that a legit concern? or am i just too worried. the soil seems to drain fairly well so it may have more sand in it.

PB · Apr 28, 2008

chainsawaddict said:
its damp a few inches down, i wondered if i was over watering, i was just afraid the wind was zapping the moisture out of them. weve already had a couple days mid 70s, with dry 40 mph south winds and about 15% humidity. Im afraid the little buggers cant get enough water throught the roots right now. is that a legit concern? or am i just too worried. the soil seems to drain fairly well so it may have more sand in it.

They can get too much water, and it sounds like that is the case. I would hold off watering for a while or you will actually drown the tree. They have enough to get them going and worry about watering more in the later months. They are able to withstand the dry winter months up here, and they should be fine with the warmer dry winds.

I have been there before and learned the hard way back when i first became interested in plants. I over watered many seedlings. If the soil is damp, they are getting all the moisture they can handle. They won't take up H2O as fast or in large quantities like larger trees.