digging.. shipping. or planting stress.. probably all three ...

i presume its dormant.. not flushed out .... if so ...

life is in the buds ..

did you plant them outside????

water properly for a conifer/tree.. and wait for them to bud out...

more info... if you want more speculation.. a pic would sure help ... and but for telling us there is some browning.. you really havent told us what you have done with them since you got them...

ken

I received them and planted them in a pot in the garage in a mixture of soil and mulch until the ground thawed. They were not budded out (still aren't). I planted them outside once the ground was thawed and workable (last week-they looked very healthy at this point). I mulched around them and watered (it's rained a number of times since and been in the 50's and 60's). I will try and post pics tonight.

"...a mixture of soil and mulch..."

Define "soil" please and how long were they potted before planting out?

tj

Promix soil mixed with mulch and maybe a week or two.

Give them a chance to bud out - They ought to do fine. There are some really nice specimens in the Appalachian collection at the Morton Arboretum, so they ought to do alright up there.

I've switched to Canaan fir - They seem to take our climate better.

I see a seedling with some power to it!

Looks great. No sweat man.

Dax

UIdaho seedlings are definitely the way to go if you're needing straight species (not cultivars) - I've been impressed with the branching and bud set - Definitely superior to bare root.

Good luck with your frasers - I've never succeeded in growing them, but they are beautiful trees with the most delicious, piney aroma.

Here are better pictures (not sideways) of the three planted frasier firs.

Another photo.

And the final tree.

They look fine. No worries. If you haven't already done so, cage them from rabbits.

Dax

Thanks everyone for your reassurance. Jimbobfeeny....why do you think you weren't successful with the frasiers? Any theories?

A PS to help with web searches for info . . . no 'i' in Fraser ;-)

Resin

Fraser fir can't really handle the heat we get around here - Phytophthora (root rot) hits them in this part of the state, since our soils tend to be heavy and poorly drained. I've got some nice seedlings in rich, floodplain loam, which have done well.

Canaan fir (Abies balsamea var. phanerolepis) is thought to be a natural hybrid between Balsam Fir and Fraser Fir (It was once named Abies intermedia, still listed as such by some sites), but is more tolerant of heat and poor soil than either Balsam or Fraser fir. It has done really well in spots that Fraser fir has failed to grow - Most christmas tree growers around here have replaced their Fraser firs with Canaan fir. Frankly, I prefer Fraser fir for the color and aroma, but Canaan fir is definitely a close second.

Hope they do well for you!