Question
Okay,we bought this tree with intentions of seeing fast growth, however after 3 yrs. in the ground our 12'ft tree is still rather small and the leaves range from a few dark green to many lighter green and those have brown like they are burnt or dead. any suggestions? oh, and we live down in the Hill Country of Texas, if that's any help.

Answer
Dear Melody, As a matter of fact, knowing that you live in Texas is indeed helpful.  I also am from Texas, and we had the hottest driest summer ever last year.  Most trees were doing well if they simply survived the summer.  That being said, I wonder what type of tree you have purchased.  It sounds like you may have one of those advertisement trees where they make promises like "very fast growth" and "works well in any area".  I have actually seen some of these trees survive, but they rarely perform as promised.  Also, you don't necessarily want to look for trees that promise fast growth, as faster growing trees are usually much more susceptible to disease and pests than slower growing ones.  For example, ash is a very fast growing wood, but it is very susceptible to borers and splitting during high wind storms.  You will need to keep extra water on this tree because that is probably the reason that the tree has burnt leaves on it.  If you know the name of the tree, it would also be helpful to know if you have a tree that is acid loving, because since you are in an alkaline soil area then you would need to add mulch, or richer potting soil or humus to help the soil be more acid.  Since you already have the tree, there are three things that you can do to make the tree do better.  Water it very deeply #a half hour to an hour# once a week, give it a treatment of root stimulator #available in feed store or garden center# next time you water, and add some rich soil and/or mulch to the top of the soil.  #Careful, don't cover up the roots, just add a thin layer or mix in the top of the soil.#.  This should help the tree to catch up, although I expect another rough summer, so it may take a year or so to see significant growth.  I hope this information helps.  Melissa