HELP! Tree in distress. No idea what to do

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KarlsHorst

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I have this 25' transplanted oak tree. Yes, very expensive
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Transplanted about 1.5 years ago, done fine until now.

See attached photo. As you can see, leaves are gone with the exception of interior of canopy.

I cannot determine whether she's being over or under-watered! Seems to be getting plenty of water.

This all seems to have started when I dumped a whole bag of fertilizer on it with the best of intentions. Could this be the problem and how can I resolve?
 

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You probably killed it, but try a few things first. Check the outer limbs and see if they are dry and dead. Scratch the bark and see if it has any green under the bark. If it dies then it may just be in shock. If there dead, cut it back till you get to green wood. Are the leaves dry and crunchy or soft and moist? Dry and crunchy generally means it needs more water, soft and spongy means it's getting too much water.
Depending on those results, You may want to remove some of the inner sucker growth that is sucking up all the energy and not producing any food for the tree. How was it transplanted? It it flush with the ground or is it sitting high or low in relation to the surrounding ground level. Did you mulch around the trunk and if so how much mulch did you use. If you mulched it should be no more then an inch deep at most. From the size it should have been pruned back at least 50%. Remember you now have a 100% tree growing on 50% of the roots.
Where are you located? I would have to inspect it in person to figure whats going on. I drove a tree spade for 30 years and I have seen it all when it comes to transplanted trees. Never fertilize a newly transplanted tree.It will burn the cut ends of the roots. During the first year your gole is simply to keep it alive till the roots heal. Your not trying to make it grow. After it heals then you can star fertilizing it, but a little goes a long way.
 
How was it transplanted? It it flush with the ground or is it sitting high or low in relation to the surrounding ground level. Did you mulch around the trunk and if so how much mulch did you use. If you mulched it should be no more then an inch deep at most. From the size it should have been pruned back at least 50%. Remember you now have a 100% tree growing on 50% of the roots.
Where are you located? I would have to inspect it in person to figure whats going on. I drove a tree spade for 30 years and I have seen it all when it comes to transplanted trees.

Hi I messaged you privately on my location.

The tree was grown in a 72" box and planted with a crane. It's flush with the ground. Mulch was minimual.
 
That whole bag of fert probably burned your tree pretty bad. Not sure there's anything you can do to reverse such damage. Just wait and see if it recovers over the next year or two. Won't be pretty for a long time, but it might recover. And might not.
 
Thanks! Whats a good watering regimen for a tree this size and given these circumstances? I am in the south, so we're at around 40 degrees at night and 70s in the day.
 
I agree it was probably the fertilizer. Not so much the nutrients themselves, per say, but the salt index. With that, I'd approach it as a salt-remediation project, which isn't easy or guaranteed, short-term, but I'd try if it were my tree. Before you start, get a soil test. Here is where I am coming from with the recommendations...

I did an appraisal for some clients where the township highway garage allowed road salt to wash into their woods. I searched for some options to help them. I noticed on a product called Root Magic that I had for other uses it said something about salt damage remediation. I called the manufacturer. They asked where I bought my product - I buy it at PSP Enterprises...the manufacture and suggested D'Wight at PSP as he was probably the best resources. Not the best website...but D'Wight is very helpful and knows his stuff: http://pspenterprises.us/

I also called a very well-respected soil scientist in this area and he referred me to Don Burgess at A&L Great Lakes Laboratories: https://algreatlakes.com/ Use them for the soil test and then ask talk with Don about your results....actually call first and ask what he wants you to test. I'm guessing 2-3 different areas and at least 2 different tests.

Here was D'Wight's recommendation to me:
1. gypsum helps tie up the salt, depending on depth of salt penetration into the soil enhances leaching process
2. irrigation will help with the leaching process.
3. organics (Root Magic ) humic and fulvic acid ) help restore the beneficial soil microbes and promote healthy root and plant growth.
4. Bio-Remedy helps detoxify soil and create a healthy soil ecosystem providing all kinds of benefits to soil, plant and other microbes.

Suggestions:
Spread gypsum,
treat with 2.5 gallons of Root Magic + 2 lbs of Bio-Remedy per Acre Spring, 4 weeks later and then again in the fall ( 2 seasons) Your cost-in-use is $338.00 per treatment
if possible, irrigate when needed to maintain leaching process of Sodium,
When replanting use a true organic fertilizer (low sodium or salt index, Assure 5-5-5 with microbes )
 
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