Is this (pic) transplant shock, help!

[danielsan]

After the leaves on the 7' holly that was recently transplanted immediately went 100% brown and the stems were beginning to go black on the ends I cut it back to see if I can get any regrowth.

 

[pdqdl]

I think the heavy pruning was ill-advised. That wasn't just a bit of structural pruning, you whacked all the foliage off. Damaged foliage is better than none.

If we summarize the probable condition of the plant, it has a severely damaged root system caused by transplanting and mishandling, and a canopy that was suffering a bit as a consequence. Please remember that the roots are the principle consumer of the plant's energy, and they feed the water and soil nutrients to the canopy. That being said, the canopy is the source of energy for the whole plant. When you cut off all the canopy off a tree that just got nearly all its roots cut off, pretty much all that is left is a partly buried stump. You took away the only source of energy for the plant to regenerate its root system.

While there is no need to hurry up, I think chasing a suitable replacement plant would be wiser than hoping it will regrow. At this point, even if it does survive, it will always be a mismatch for the other plants nearby.

 

[danielsan]

I don't disagree. However, I could not risk a fungus spread from this sick one (above) to the other (9) new hollies, which are doing quite well. That is just a matter of my own analytical capacity and tolerance for risk. The older hollies next to the house, despite my efforts over the years, got away from me and I recently hard pruned them. You can see the growth emerging.

 

[danielsan]

...Also, I am not good with plants.