Apple Trees

[Nats]

We have been having a drought here this year and the heat and lack of water are REAL hard on everything. I planted a new Sweet 16 apple tree earlier this year. It was doing fine and then the leaves started turning yellow. So I called the local nursery. He said to give it more water and Root Stimulator. So I gave it all the TLC I could. The leaves continued to turn yellow, then brown and fell off. There are now three leaves left on the poor thing. The branches and trunk are still very flexible and show no signs of drying up. So I am not sure if it will come back or not.??? I called the local nursery again and he said to bring in the receipt near the end of August and pick up another tree. So, here is my question. Is late August a good time to plant a new apple tree here in Northern Colorado??? Or should I continue to water the one I have and give it root stimulator to bring it back?? Need some advice here. Thanks.

Stan

 

[geofore]

apple tree

The apple is a tree I would plant in early sping or early fall. If you are going to plant it in August it may be too hot and dry. September is better but before the ground freezes. A trick in the summer is to shade the tree from direct sunlight between 10:00am and 2:00 pm. Green cloth the greenhouses use, to make a tent over it for shade the first summer if there is a drought. If there is no drought there is no need for the shade. If the tree is dead the bark will shrivel up but it may take till spring to show. I'd get the new tree in late August and plant it in Septemper. Dig the hole before you get the tree, fill it with water and let the water soak in. Get the tree and when you get back with the tree fill the hole with water again and plant the tree, water it, then wait three days and water it again.