WHY the heck did you dig 7 ft deep???

shove your hand down into soil by root ball ,,is it wet?
rain and sprinkling aside,,big trees like that need trickle watering once a week,,,get root ball wet
you have to replant in fall,,dig it out,,,rock it over with 2x4 fill,,,rock it back,,,repeat till 6 in. or more above grade,,,that is going to sink a lot more
ron

You have to pull the dirt back to expose the crown of the root ball until you can lift it up in the fall. You need to get that grass pulled back too and mulch around the tree.

Check for moisture. Insert finger to second knuckle. If the sprinkler is hitting the tree, you are asking for fungus trouble, mites, ect. Slow drip water at the base

As has been said, no need for 7 feet deep.

But if you prefer to do so, refill the hole with the removed soil, watering as you go. Continue to water well for a while to settle the soil *before* you plant.

what they said ...

but i dont know how they could dig a tree that large.. without some way injuring the lowest branches..

the root mass .. the root ball.. was smaller than the diameter of those lowest branches.. wasnt it??

if so.. it is simply damage to those branches.. caused by such ...

do you now if the BB was hand dug or machine dug???

and i would assume that.. due to the rest of the tree looking rather OK ...

if that is a current pic.. i wonder why it is so later.. flushing out ..

i think i would see if i could alter the grade.. rather than try to lift that monster ... but i note you say the root ball is 6 inches deep ... rather than saying the root flare is ...

watering the first inch of soil.. for grass.. has absolutely nothing to do .. with watering the huge conifer you planted.. see link ... especially about watering.. and mulching...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: lin