transplant survival

I'm trying to help a neighbor with a question about a tree he just moved and hope I can find some advice from you folks.

Sorry to be vague about the type of tree it is but he's not sure -- it was planted a couple of years ago. Now it's about 8 feet high, looks very healthy, has nine vertical branches (about 3/4" to 2" dia.) coming from the ground with a fairly smooth surface that is kind of a golden-pewter color. The leaves are ovalish with saw-toothed edges. It was just starting to green up when he moved it yesterday.

For the transplant he used potting soil, mature and compost. He had to cut a lot of root and left between 12 and 18 inches of root for the transplant.

In your experience: what is the survival prognosis and what, if any, special care should be taken to nurse it along?

We're finally getting some rain (Zone 3b/Mentral Minnesota) but we've been in drought mode so should this transplant be hose watered at certain intervals or just when the soil is dry?

And last, any special fertilizers or other additives? (The home is on a lake so the soil typically sandy -- tree is about 100 feet from the shore -- but as mentioned, amendments were added at transplant.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

If he lost a lot of the roots, he should also cut the top growth back too in order to make the amount of leaves proportional to the amount of roots (or just remove some of the leaves--without seeing a picture of the plant it's hard to tell whether it should actually be pruned or not, removing some of the leaves may be a better bet). A 12-18" root ball for an 8' tree sounds too small, unless this is one of those young trees with a tall really skinny trunk and not very much top growth. I would not fertilize the tree at all yet, but some people swear by using Super Thrive on their transplants so you could try that, it's a mix of vitamins/hormones (not a fertilizer).

I should clarify that the trunks (?) are more like branches - many of them growing vertically sort of like a lilac might grow, the leaves are quite small (maybe 1.5" long) and it doesn't seem top heavy in appearance. I'll post a pic if i can.

Ouch, an 8' established tree root system was reduced to a 12-18" root ball? Doesn't sound as if a sufficient portion of the root system was left intact. Probably an inappropriate time to move a tree given it was already leafed out. Not sounding all that promising to me in the least. Early spring right after the ground has thawed while the plant is still dormant and late fall after leaf drop are the best times to transplant most trees for me. I don't know that I'd spend any money on Super Thrive in favor of purchasing mulch for around the base of the tree right about now and then maybe just hope for the best.

Because a picture's worth a thousand words (and in my case, 10,000) I'm posting a couple of photos of the tree in question. Hope they help you help.

tree base and an injury

I suspected the root ball was way too small and now seeing the plant that confirms it. I agree with Equil, I don't know how good of a chance it has to survive with that small of a rootball. If roots and top were just a little out of proportion I would suggest pruning it back to make things more proportional, but in this case you'd have to prune off most of the plant to get things back in proportion, and I'm not sure if severe pruning like that on top of the already severe pruning of the rootball might be too much stress for the plant to take. Hopefully someone else will have some suggestions but I wouldn't be too optimistic. Sometimes plants will surprise you though. Is this the "after" picture? It also looks like the crown may be buried which is generally not a good thing either.

Yes, this is the after picture. Not sure what you mean by crown. And also still wondering if anyone knows what kind of tree this is.

Also, given it's delicate state, how critical is under/over watering. While it has had amendments added, the soil here is VERY sandy.

Thanks again and hoping to hear even more advice.

The crown is the base of the plant where the branches/trunks come up from--if this is buried it can rot and kill the plant. Was the plant buried this deeply in its old location too, or is it planted deeper now? If it's planted deeper now than it was before I would definitely fix that.

Watering is VERY critical, the problem you'll run into especially with the teensy rootball and huge plant is that the roots can't possibly take up enough water to satisfy the needs of the rest of the plant, then it'll wilt and you think it needs more water but since the roots can't take it up fast enough it'll end up sitting in water and rotting. This won't be as much of a problem in sandy soil but it's how many transplants in clay soil meet their death, and since I don't know exactly how sandy the soil is or how quickly it drains it's definitely something you should be aware of and be careful about. I would regularly check the moisture level by sticking your finger a few inches down--if it feels wet then don't water even if the plant looks like it needs it, but if it's getting dry then make sure you water it.

Sorry I can't help on the ID--you might try posting it on the ID forum, I'm sure someone there will know what it is (any info you can provide on flowers if it ever had any will be helpful). I would definitely try to get it ID'd, seeing where the plant is now it looks like it is very close to the house which could become problematic if it does manage to survive and continues to grow. If you can figure out what it is then you'll be able to see how big it might get and decide if the current location is appropriate or not.

The other thing I would do to reduce stress as much as possible is rig up some shade cloth over the plant if it gets any direct sun (especially in the PM when temps are warmer), having hot sun beat down on a plant that already has a seriously inadequate root system will further decrease your chance of the plant surviving.

ecrane
As ALWAYS, your information is very helpful and I thank you again. I will post it to ID forum so my neighbor can consider options, if it survives.

As for the soil, as I mentioned, it's lakeshore and very sandy, very course. Two years ago i went to do a drainage test. dug down a foot, filled the hole with water, checked my watch, and if i remember correctly, it was completely drained in under 10 minutes!

About the crown, would adjusting this involve digging it up or removing some of the soil and replacing that soil with mulch?

You would want to dig it up, shake the dirt off that top part where the crown is, then fill in a little dirt in the bottom of the hole to make the hole slightly shallower, then put the plant back in. If you get some of the dirt off from around the base you should be able to see where all the trunks are coming out of, just make sure that part's not buried in dirt. Then once you replant it at the proper depth, I would put mulch all around it, but make sure it's not piled over the crown or right up against the base of the plant.

Could it be a Hibiscus ?
What if any , do the flowers look like ?

I doubt if it's a Hibiscus--I think Hibiscus syriacus is the hardiest one and even it won't be hardy in MN (it was mentioned in another thread that this is zone 3b). To me the leaves don't look right for hibiscus either.

I'm posting a few more "after" pics because the tree looks a bit sadder now, four days after transplant. Leaves are getting wilty.

Regarding ecrane's helpful advice: It's a neighbors tree (I'm just trying to help him out and he is actually gone for the next three weeks). So I'm not about to dig it up to expose the crown but do you think (looking at the pic0 it might help if I at least remove the soil and stones that are on top of the crown.

Ecrane mentioned trimming back a lot of the top branches. At this point to you think cutting it back so that about 80% (or more) remains would at least help with the roots/water intake issue?

Also, any more guesses on tha this is? The foks at ID are not having much luck.

crown

The problem is that you really need to cut it back so that the top growth is proportional to the rootball, and in this case that would mean probably chopping the plant down to about a foot tall or so and I'm concerned that much chopping might create even more stress on the poor plant and that wouldn't be good either. I'm not sure if just trimming a little bit like you would normally do for a transplant is really going to make a difference. Honestly I've never had to deal with a situation like this where the rootball is so small relative to the rest of the plant, so I'm really not sure the right way to approach this situation (besides finding a way to travel back in time and rescue more of the poor plant's roots!) I would try to remove some of the rocks and soil from the crown if you can, but unless you raise the level of the plant in the hole, water can still collect over the crown and cause it to rot. I would also take Equil's suggestion from a yesterday and get some mulch around the base of the plant (but not covering the crown!), that's your best chance for holding in moisture. I would also check the moisture level in the soil at least a couple times daily and water if necessary. But I would definitely prepare your neighbor for the fact that the plant may not make it.

As far as ID--you might try bumping up your thread in the ID forum, there have been a lot of posts on there lately and if yours has drifted down toward the bottom of the page people may not be noticing it.

Ecrane - you are always so helpful. Thanks a treeload.

You're welcome! I will keep my fingers crossed for this poor plant that it manages to pull through!

From the last picture, it looks like the shrub is planted too deep. It should be planted so the place where the roots first come off of the stems is right at, or slightly above, ground level (due to the fact that the plant can settle slightly after planting.)

Good advise above, too.
Good luck,
Mike

It's been about two weeks since the first posting about this tree (also the same time span for its transplant) and I'm hoping to get more opinions about what to do at this point now that a couple of weeks have gone by.

I watered it every day -- to the point where I began to worry that I might be overwatering it, although it's in a place where it's receiving a lot of wind - not necessarily strong wind but constant.

Does anyone have opinions on whether this tree looks like it's dying or maybe just working on its own to recover and just not looking too good. Because the roots where probably cut too short when it was removed for transplant someone suggested, as a last resort, trimming it way down. If I was to do that about how much would you suggest taking, and would I take it all off the top or thin it, so to speak, by removing several of the branches coming from the gorund in their entirety? It's really a beatuiful tree (or was) -- it would be a shame to lose it.

(The detail photo of the leaves has cardboard behind it to make the detail easier to see).

I pretty much always plant everything 2-3" above ground in part due to reasons mentioned by treelover3. Watering it every day might not have been the best thing to do because you literally can drown a tree due to oxygen depletion and then there's the increased risk of root rots and root decay. A 3" layer of mulch with deep and less frequent watering would have been preferable. I personally wouldn't prune that particular plant for a multitude of reasons but I don't think you have much to lose either way right about now because the root system looks as if it has definitely failed to me. Really sorry about the tree, we've probably all done the same darn thing at one time or another though. It's part of the learning curve so try not to feel too bad if the tree dies.

Thanks to all for input, advice and encouragement. I believe someone asked that I keep you posted on this tree's progress. Remarkably, it SEEMS like it's doing better. The leaves that didn't die but were badly wilted seem to be springing back and I'm hoping this is a sign of recoery.

I did use proxide, as was suggested, the last time I watered it but I backed off watering it entirely after that because we've had a lot of rain.

Again, thanks for always helpful DG responses.

Yay! Great that you tried the Hydrogen Peroxide. You're definitely not out of the woods yet but leaves springing back is a good sign of hope!

That's really great news, I will keep my fingers crossed for you that it continues to come back!

I was under the impression that you didn't prune a newly transplanted tree. The reason being the tree needs all the leaves it can get to photosynthesize and make energy to grow new feeder roots. The tree will naturally shed what leaves it can't support. If branch die back occurs then the root mass was most likely insufficient for successful transplant. Has this thinking changed?

Several schools of thought on this, that's all. To add to your thoughts above regarding photosynthesis and natural shedding of leaves, it takes an incredible amount of energy for a plant to enter the phase of "rapid growth of multiple shoots below each cut" and then there would be the risk of leaving the plant vulnerable to disease and insect infestations at a time when it is already stressed. I'm not generally a proponent of pruning a plant that has been recently transplanted but I could see where a situation might exist dictating a plant be pruned back to a size consistent with the rootball- less above ground vegetation to support at a time when a plant desperately needs energy redirected to the roots. The plant above was in rough shape so he didn't have much to lose experimenting with a few different approaches. I might have tried it too combined with a more appropriate watering regime and possibly Schultz Root Stimulator or regular old Hydrogen Peroxide to oxygenate the soil.

I've used H2o2 a plenty in ponds and aquariums to either kill algae or neutralize potassium permanganate. I have a grasp (barely) of the extra oxygen molecule. But to oxygenate soil? Wow. Learn something new every day. Figured you be the one who knew it. Are there application rates, formulas, when to's and not to's? Or just pour and hope? I don't see an application here with the extremely sandy soil but..............

Yes, I use it in ponds also. I still think unltraviolet sterilizers are best but some of my ponds are tiny, particularly the ones I use to lend a helping hand to frog and toad eggs that were rescued from vernal ponds and transferred to my property.

The rationale behind the hydrogen peroxide for this particular situation will be in your d-mail.

Why nnot post the rationale here because now I'm surious, too. And now I wonder if this is also a good practice for annuals. I do mostly container gardening and some of my soil mixes were not so good (didn;t drain well). If an annual has suffered from poor drainage - yellowing leaves -- would some proxide be a good idea on the subsequent watering and, of so, at what rate?

Nothing more than what you already know.

From what I've seen, annuals are by far one of the hardest crops for a professional grower. The problems they face make my head spin. Yellowing leaves on an annual could be a result of a lot more than poor drainage but if it was as a result of overwatering and poor drainage, maybe it would work combined with backing off on watering as well as re-potting the plant into a medium that drains better? I only grow a few species from seed that are annuals (3 carnivorous plants and about 3 native plants) and if I started having problems with those few that I do grow, I'd go run for help from members here who grow them for a living. Annuals can be tricky. I don't know enough about annuals to comment other than that they can be very challenging.