Question
I've had to have a Michelia Alba dug up.  Due to walls and sidewalks, the roots were pretty severely cut and although this just happened and the tree looks good, I'm afraid I'm going to loose it.  As I love this tree, are there steps I can take to help it live such as trimming, topping, ???


Answer
The roots should not be allowed to dry out. Plant the tree in a hole twice the size of the roots and fill with good top soil or potting soil. Mulch around the tree with not more than 3 inches deep of organic mulch not piled up on the trunk. Water every other day with 1 inch of water-place a pan under the tree and turn the sprinkler on and when the pan has 1 inch of water in it stop. Do this for a month then every fourth day. Do not fertilize or prune the tree back.