Question
Hello,
my wife and I just transplanted some aborvites we were given by my bro-inlaw and planted them along our property line in early spring.They did just fine for a while ,new growth was apparent.I watered them weekly and added Miracle Grow to the water before I sprayed the trees.A friend said I might have burnt them up with the fertilizer because over half of them have turned brown.Might this be true? Should I wait till spring to dig them up and hope the roots are still alive?
Thanks

Tree Killer

Answer
Tim,

There are two things that I feel have lead to the decline of the Arbs. The first is transplant shock and the second is over fertilization. Miracle-gro fertilizer contains a high amount of soluble salts- this in high quntities can burn the leaf tissue and stress the plant. The arbs were also trying to acclimate to the new site and were actively involved in root production. The combination of too much fertilizer (They should only have been fertilized once every two to three months using a low nitrogen fertilizer) and the fact that their root systems were trying to develop,caused the plants to die back.

There is a possibility that the plants will recover in the spring, I would reseve judgement on ripping them out until then.

Good luck.
Ed Gulliksen