I agree, 2.5 hours sounds way too high, but as Ken said, you need to check. Stick your finger in the ground up to the second knuckle and check for moisture. If dry, water, otherwise leave it alone.

Also, this poor tree needs some time to regain it's composure. It is a 12ft tall transplant! That is HUGE. I hope the rootball was at least 3ft in diameter or they may have also chopped off a lot of the root system, that too will take time to recover.

Good Luck!
Shawn

Agree with what the previous posters said. You are probably overwaterring, not underwatering. Also agree that any 12' high freshly dug B&B transplant is going to pose challenges but should be fine if taken care of in the long run.

Thanks all for responding with good advice and assurance. The root ball was very large so I'm hoping this tree will recover with proper care. Here is a pic before planting.

This may not be pertinent, I don't know, but I certainly hope as much of that burlap and twine as possible were removed at planting, especially where it's tied off at the trunk. Every B&B tree I've ever dealt with was tied off 6 inches or more above any root flare with lots of soil packed in, too. I always cut twine, peel back and remove as much burlap as possible, and scrape soil away from the trunk til I get to some roots. If overwatering is a possibility, having burlap encased roots only makes it worse, in my opinion. Also, I hope the mulch is well back from the trunk.

This post was edited by nearpass on Fri, Jun 6, 14 at 22:04

i suggest a hand trowel.. another a finger ...

with that size root ball.. you need to learn.. a little deeper than a fingers depth ...

once you learn.. then your finger will tell you ...

so do both ... and learn.. learn.. learn ...

one thing for sure.. that wasnt sticking out the back of your yugo ... lol

ken