I watered every other day and yet they died. Anything I can do better for their replacements or is there a better option for privacy? Planted end of May so I’m hoping it was maybe just the heat?
I watered every other day and yet they died. Anything I can do better for their replacements or is there a better option for privacy? Planted end of May so I’m hoping it was maybe just the heat?
Probably better to plant in November. But you also need to mulch them and probably water a lot more than you did. If you pour a gallon of water on the soil there, it should percolate in pretty quickly if the soil is draining well and not bone dry.
Future-Jicama-1933
How long and using what to water?
Soil looks very very dry around the trees!
PoopKnaf
Mulch mulch mulch
Natural-Balance9120
The rule of thumb is 10 gallons per inch of trunk diameter per week.
More if heat stressed.
How much water did you give them?
mountainerding
Do you have a clay or sandy soil?
lionelrichiesclayhed
10 seconds every other day?! Is that a typo?
canyonmoon
Okay I get it!! Not enough water, cut me a break I’ve never planted anything before!
Will try end of summer, lots more water and mulch. In a side note, any other recommendations for privacy, or are these a good choice?
dontknowafunnyname2
Soaker hose. Turn it on at some point during the day and remember to turn it off any time hours later. Some times this will be when ur laying in bed. Do it 2-3 times a week for the first few weeks then taper off by doing it less times per week
Wcuprz1
Me too brother. Taking my dead ones and receipt back to Lowe’s end of August and trying again with better spacing and more water.
MagixTouch
Arborvitae’s LOVE water. Soaaaaak emmm
Betzjitomir
You need at least two inches of mulch trunk to drip line. that’s what I do mine are doing fine.
TheBobInSonoma
Plant something else. Those things suck.
monkey_trumpets
Arbor vitae are the most ironically named plant.
GP15202
I added a bag of good soil to each one I planted and watered daily. It really helps. Did you get them at Lowe’s? They have a year warranty.
OneImagination5381
Those sucker needs a ton of water every day. Buy some tree water meters, they are cheap on Amazon . Then you will know how deep and how much water they will need. I actually had to water mind twice a day, last summer and they were planted in the fall.
adams361
If I were you, I would feel really guilty returning these to Lowe’s. I’ve bought plants from them, they have instructions, I guarantee it didn’t say 10 seconds of water every other day!
jibaro1953
Emerald arborvitea drop fecking dead.
Present_Leek8897
They are a little bit too close to each other. Those get really big and their roots need plenty of space to spread.
prunealicious
Mulch is good for trees, keeps ther moisture in, (if you watered them well, sorry) and keeps the weeds down. You just have to keep the mulch away from the trunk so that critters don’t make a home in it and chomp at the trunk or something. Also no volcano mulching, which is making a huge mound and then it tapers down, (like a volcano).
Also grass is not good for trees, so keep a nice perimeter around the tree weeded and mulched. Just looking at the picture it looks as if you might not have dug the holes wide enough, they need a lot of room for the roots to spread out and grow away from the tree. In the pot they might grow round and round so next time be sure to dig a nice big deep, wide hole and spread the roots out when you plant them.
martin72095
When I planted mine I did the standard hole 2x the size of the root ball and back filled with tree/shrub mix plus natural soil. I then watered heavily the first day and then normal every day after for 2-3 weeks, then every other day for 2-3 weeks, then once every week except during long stretches of no rain during the summer. They are going on 3 years now without issue. Now I only water when they look distressed or we hit a drought.
dandet
We planted 3 on our hill late June. Gardener created mulch rings around them. We’ve watered about 2 gallons on each every other day. The heat has been tough and we’ve done some more than that more recently. They’re doing ok but wish we’d get more rain.
mikehill33
you didn’t water anywhere nearly enough.
AnnatoniaMac
When the nursery planted mine, they were planted up out of the ground more. Also,and very important, they used a bag each tree of compost and a bag of good quality mulch. They recommended watering thoroughly, meaning water and the let the hose trickle for an hour when first planted, repeat every week for 40 min unless you get a lot of rain during the summer. They told me they need to be watered but also not overwatered. Mine were planted last summer and I followed this regiment. During the winter, if no rain or snow for a while, and I get a nice day, I watered. They are beautiful.
brellhell
What was the soil like when you dug them? If it’s heavy clay you’re kinda doomed. Some of my most successful arb plantings have been planted on the gravel backfill of walls. They are not a big fan of standing water. Hope that helps
25 Comments
What zone you in dawg
Probably better to plant in November. But you also need to mulch them and probably water a lot more than you did. If you pour a gallon of water on the soil there, it should percolate in pretty quickly if the soil is draining well and not bone dry.
How long and using what to water?
Soil looks very very dry around the trees!
Mulch mulch mulch
The rule of thumb is 10 gallons per inch of trunk diameter per week.
More if heat stressed.
How much water did you give them?
Do you have a clay or sandy soil?
10 seconds every other day?! Is that a typo?
Okay I get it!! Not enough water, cut me a break I’ve never planted anything before!
Will try end of summer, lots more water and mulch. In a side note, any other recommendations for privacy, or are these a good choice?
Soaker hose. Turn it on at some point during the day and remember to turn it off any time hours later. Some times this will be when ur laying in bed. Do it 2-3 times a week for the first few weeks then taper off by doing it less times per week
Me too brother. Taking my dead ones and receipt back to Lowe’s end of August and trying again with better spacing and more water.
Arborvitae’s LOVE water. Soaaaaak emmm
You need at least two inches of mulch trunk to drip line. that’s what I do mine are doing fine.
Plant something else. Those things suck.
Arbor vitae are the most ironically named plant.
I added a bag of good soil to each one I planted and watered daily. It really helps. Did you get them at Lowe’s? They have a year warranty.
Those sucker needs a ton of water every day. Buy some tree water meters, they are cheap on Amazon . Then you will know how deep and how much water they will need. I actually had to water mind twice a day, last summer and they were planted in the fall.
If I were you, I would feel really guilty returning these to Lowe’s. I’ve bought plants from them, they have instructions, I guarantee it didn’t say 10 seconds of water every other day!
Emerald arborvitea drop fecking dead.
They are a little bit too close to each other. Those get really big and their roots need plenty of space to spread.
Mulch is good for trees, keeps ther moisture in, (if you watered them well, sorry) and keeps the weeds down. You just have to keep the mulch away from the trunk so that critters don’t make a home in it and chomp at the trunk or something. Also no volcano mulching, which is making a huge mound and then it tapers down, (like a volcano).
Also grass is not good for trees, so keep a nice perimeter around the tree weeded and mulched. Just looking at the picture it looks as if you might not have dug the holes wide enough, they need a lot of room for the roots to spread out and grow away from the tree. In the pot they might grow round and round so next time be sure to dig a nice big deep, wide hole and spread the roots out when you plant them.
When I planted mine I did the standard hole 2x the size of the root ball and back filled with tree/shrub mix plus natural soil. I then watered heavily the first day and then normal every day after for 2-3 weeks, then every other day for 2-3 weeks, then once every week except during long stretches of no rain during the summer. They are going on 3 years now without issue. Now I only water when they look distressed or we hit a drought.
We planted 3 on our hill late June. Gardener created mulch rings around them. We’ve watered about 2 gallons on each every other day. The heat has been tough and we’ve done some more than that more recently. They’re doing ok but wish we’d get more rain.
you didn’t water anywhere nearly enough.
When the nursery planted mine, they were planted up out of the ground more. Also,and very important, they used a bag each tree of compost and a bag of good quality mulch. They recommended watering thoroughly, meaning water and the let the hose trickle for an hour when first planted, repeat every week for 40 min unless you get a lot of rain during the summer. They told me they need to be watered but also not overwatered. Mine were planted last summer and I followed this regiment. During the winter, if no rain or snow for a while, and I get a nice day, I watered. They are beautiful.
What was the soil like when you dug them? If it’s heavy clay you’re kinda doomed. Some of my most successful arb plantings have been planted on the gravel backfill of walls. They are not a big fan of standing water. Hope that helps