I hope this works, but this is how the piece looked earlier this fall. Notice the fullness compared to now.
Thanks again.
jcw

It has been dry this fall, but I've watered some and other pieces nearby are fine.

==>> drought..

i suspect your watering protocol is not good enough ..

and every plant.. based on its root structure is different.. i have had plants die.. .. one in the middle of a dozen .. and upon digging it up.. found the root system was circling.. struggling.. choking the plant.. etc ...

did you plant these.. can you give us any history ... etc ...

we water.. when they need water .... and when we do so.. we water deeply and completely thru the whole root system ... until the plant is fully established ... and when you say you watered 'some' .. i start to wonder ..

i see a very nice lawn.. and am guessing you have an inground sprinkler for the lawn.. and often.. that is insufficient for large conifers.. especially if they are not fully established.. due to recent transplant.. totally speculating here..

and boy.. do you swear the two pix are the same plant.. either that thing shrank 5 feet in height.. or that is some tricky camera angling ..

the pungens .. looks like it will recover..

my CAP.. which is marginal in MI ... looked like yours for 2 years.. before i finally put it out of my misery ... i do NOT hold out high hope for recovery to its former glory ...

was it a large transplant... more facts please....

ken

I was hoping you'd reply Dr. Ken (I offer that with subtle brown nosing because you do seem to know your stuff)

I purchased from a reputable nursery locally (witness protection prohibits me disclose official location)
in a 15g pot but it was b&b with dirt around the ball.

Maybe my logic is flawed, but my rule of thumb is I'll water regularly the 1st year, then they are on there own. Maybe because of the investment I should rethink on some of my favorite pieces.

Honestly, I've done some deep watering this fall but only a couple of times. No inground sprinkler, but recent rain and some lime and solid aereating in the fall makes green the lawn.

Not meant to confuse, but yes it is the same plant just different camera angle which again speaks to my technology challenge.

Where it is positioned it gets am sun then an afternoon repreive as the eaves of the house shade through the dead of the day, then early evening additional sun.

I apologize in advace for the book. Also, no witness protection - Hickory, NC which is north of Charlotte about an hour and an hour east of Ashville right at the foot of the blue ridge mountains. This is by way of northern MI so I'll be rooting for UM against USC in the "how fortunate we are to have a new yrs day bowl"....

Thanks again folks