Question
Hi there - we planted a Manchurian Ash last August. Our yard had a drainage issue and the tree was quite over watered. It dropped its leaves early and went dormant. It came back this spring and was looking great. Typically I'm a hose junkie but we had a lot of spring rain at the end of May, we watered in new grass in June and the tree was getting a fair share of moisture through these channels. We've now gone through a month of very high heat and  humidity (I'm in SK so we typically have dry heat) and big thundershowers (we're having record tornado sightings). There is a lot of moisture in the air and alot of my perennials are stressed from nature's overwatering. This last week with three thundershowers was enough to send my Ash over the edge. The leaves have completely curled brown at the edges and the leaves are dropping. It went completely ugly in three days by the end of the week it will be bare and only the beginning of August. What if anything can/should I do here? I'm thinking its must be  oxygen deprived. In the spring should I try to dig it up and improve the drainage around it? It's in a location that gets sun for at least 10 hours a day.

Answer
Farrah:
Poorly drained soils can be an important issue.  They need to be able to drain.  Water-logged soils do create an oxygen deficit in the root zone, thus root rots can often occur. Often times these wet soils will have a sour or sewer-like smell.

The addition of sand to the soil or growing plants in raised beds can help with drainage.  If you intend to replace your tree, you can dig it up at any time.  In my part of the world, trees in containers can be planted anytime of the year, however they can get stressed when planted during the summer, so we usually plant container and bare-rooted trees in the fall, winter or early spring to insure best survival.  You may also consider visiting with your local garden center about what trees do best in your soils there.  There are some differences in trees and how much water they can tolerate in their root zones.

Regards
Steve