Question
QUESTION: Jim,

My name is Tim in Kingman, KS (zone 6a).  I transplanted a 6 foot potted Chinese Pistache tree with a 3/4 inch caliper Monday evening.  I accidentally covered the top of the root ball with 2 inches of soil, so i dug it up and repositioned it so the top of the potting soil it was growing in is level with the ground.  I also watered it well, but didn't flood it.  The leaves are wilted and drooping and a few leaves have died.  Is this normal or should I be concerned?  If it is normal, do you know how long it normally takes a tree to recover from the shock of being transplanted?  I would appreciate any help and advice you could offer me.

Thank you,
Tim

ANSWER: Since I do not know how this trees were handled during planting I am making an assumption--Normally when a tree that is potted is planted the root system with the potting soil is genitally removed form the pot and the whole mass is planted in a hole twice the size of the pot and as deep filled with good top soil or potting soil. I sounds like you may have done this except for planting too deep. When it was dug up I assume you moved the entire root mass with potting soil to plant even with the ground surface and not damage any roots.

A couple of things could have happened--The tree could have dried out some when it was transported--especially if the tree was in an open trunk not covered--this would account for some droop leaves.

The roots dried out somewhat when you dug up the tree or there were air spaces left under the rootball and could have damaged the roots. This could cause some of the droop leaves.

Too much water can also cause leaves to droop. Normally you would place organic mulch around the tree not more than 3 inches deep and not piled up on the trunk and water and then wait a couple of days to water again. When you water trees water about 1 inch of water per week--place a pan under the tree and turn the sprinkler on and when the pan has 1 inch of water in it stop. The mulch will hold the moisture around the roots.

In any case the trees should recover  if you do not over water--may lose a few leaves and some growth for this year but I would expect the tree to be ok. Let it be as is now.  IF not I would call the nursery and ask for a replacement.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The nursery owner said it was alright to cover the top of the root ball with up to 1 inch of soil besides the soil in the pot, but no more than that.  Is that true?

Answer
I disagree. The problem comes in the type of soil--heavy clay soil is a definite NO but you might get away with potting soil. But planting at ground level is best for the health of the tree. When you add 1 inch of soil then add 3 inches of organic mulch you tend to put too much weight on the young root system. I always plant at ground level for hardwood trees.