Transplanted cedar tree (Northwest) (grow, trees, yard, spring)

[ndcairngorm]

A neighbor gave us a 5 foot high cedar tree that was not wanted in her yard. Unfortunately they dug it up and brought it over in a bucket while we were out for the whole day. Also unfortunately, the bucket turned out to have a hole in the bottom, so most of the water in it had drained out by the time we could get it into the ground.

It has been 4 weeks of fairly hot (for the Northwest) weather and the tree is looking pretty peaky - light color and fairly droopy at the ends. We have been trying to keep it well watered but I'm wondering if it is a lost cause at this point.

Has anyone managed to pull a cedar back from the brink after it has already turned from a dark green to a fairly yellowish green? What, if anything, could we do to save it?

Thanks for any ideas.

[Hemlock140]

Bare root transplanting of conifers is problematic at best this time of year. It would have been better to take as much soil as possible and keep it around the roots with burlap. Now that it's too late for that, I would not over water it, since it could also die from root rot. Probably twice a week and keep fingers crossed. I don't give it a good chance. W get many, many volunteer cedars and firs in our yard from the big tree seeds falling, and I have transplanted many successfully to my parents' home on the Olympic Peninsula. I always do it in the late winter, like February/March and dig with some soil and put into pots for the trip. I'll bet I have at least a few 3-5' trees in the yard now that I haven't dug up. Hopefully your neighbor (or another) can supply another if this one doesn't make it.

[ndcairngorm]

That's what I was afraid of. The neighbors were pretty cavalier about how they dug it up and stored it. I have probably been giving it too much water. I'll cut back a bit.

We get lots of volunteers, too, but I jumped at the chance to get this fairly big one, which provides a good screen from our place over to the neighbor's.

[oldgardener]

It might live (I have doubts) but it will take time for it to get better. Just keep the soil moderately moist, not soggy, and wait until spring to see if it puts out new growth. I only transplant very small trees, not 5 feet tall ones.

[Diana Holbrook]

Yeah - good luck. Bad time of year to try to move a big one.

[Zoisite]

Originally Posted by ndcairngorm

....... What, if anything, could we do to save it?

Treat it for severe transplant shock. The feeder roots have been damaged and compromised and it will take a while for them to heal and grow new feeder roots back. In the mean time the roots can't supply the nutrients or the water from the soil that the tree needs. For now you need to keep the roots evenly moist at all times but not soaking wet, and in addition to that you need to feed it some sugar immediately, it will provide it with some energy, reduce the shock and help to speed up the recovery of the roots and foliage. The sugar won't hurt it and can only help, it's kind of like when you give electrolytes to drink to a person or animals suffering from heat stroke or shock and trauma, the sugar has a similar effect of reviving the plant and providing energy and reducing the shock. Half a cup of sugar to a gallon of water once a week for the next 4 to 6 weeks, or longer if you want.

Also, because the feeder roots have been damaged and transpiration has been interfered with the plant will draw more energy from the foliage to keep itself alive, but the roots can't provide enough water and nutrients to the foliage, so you need to compensate for that by foliar feeding any plant food to the tree two or 3 times a week with a sprayer or hand pumped spray bottle. Drench the foliage with the foliar feed each time. On the days in between foliar feedings you also need to spray cool water with a little bit of dissolved sugar in it onto the foliage which the leaves will suck up and transfer to the rest of the plant. Four tablespoons of sugar to one gallon of water for spraying onto the foliage. No more than that amount of sugar otherwise the sugar on the leaves may attract ants.

Some of the leaves and smaller branches will die but because it's a woody plant do not trim anything off it at this time since there's too great a risk of moisture or sap being lost through the cut tips and of bacteria getting into the cut tips. Wait until there are very visible signs that the tree is making a good recovery and is beginning to produce new foliage on the branches that are still alive before you start nipping at any dead stuff with the pruners.

.

[Ethereal]

Conifers, I've noticed it, are very finicky and sensitive. I transplanted an Araucaria into another, smaller pot (yeouch!) for a decorative reason. And within a week it started to die off, where its leaves started to go brown and then droop, from bottom to top. Took a fortnight for it to completely die. Really regret doing that, as it was thriving and looking so good in my house as a Christmas tree.

I'd say plants in the conifer/pine family are less forgiving than angiosperms (just from my experience really). As I have moved and transplanted many flowering plants and they rarely died on me.

As with your case, just don't overwater it. Just wait and see I guess. Time will tell. You can always hold on to your hope. I think a 5 foot high tree has a more chance of living than a 2 foot one (like mine). But I don't know.

[ndcairngorm]

It had such a hard start, with the roots drying out overnight (almost) before we got it into the ground. But I have done the sugar thing, in desperation. Not the foliar feeding though because I don't have a sprayer. So we'll see. Thanks for the suggestion, ziosite.