Question
Two weeks ago a landscaper put in a 12 foot beautifl crimson king maple.  It looked pretty good.  I had laid the  hose to it  a couple of time and then we had a couple of days of rain.  Two days after that I laid the hose to it and forgot about it.  

That was about a week ago.  Now it looks terrible.  The leaves are curling up and I am worried. some of the branches are split.  I did break a couple of smaller branches and saw green.

The yard is clay.  I went outside today and checked the ground around and it is wet. I took the mulch off.  It is suppose to rain,  first time in a week and I am tempted to cover the mound with plastic so that it doesn't get wetter.

I called the landscaper and they said not to worry yet it could be in shock.  I asked how to save the tree and they said to look on the internet!!!

Help.

Answer
The summer is the worst time to plant a tree--the heat and the lack of rain fall are the problems. Tree will go through a period of shock from the planting especially when planted in the summer and if the tree is large. Large trees do not have the root system to support the amount of foliage so the foliage is dropped by the tree until the roots can establish themselves.

The proper way to plant a tree is to dig the hole twice the size of the root ball and as deep and fill the hole with top soil or potting soil. Plant the root ball so that the top of the ball is at ground level--planting too deep can damage the roots. Caring for the tree during transportation and before it is planted is critical during hot weather. The roots can not be allowed to dry out. Mulching around the tree with not more than 3 inches deep of organic mulch will help hold moisture around the roots. Water the tree with 1 inch of water-place a pan under the tree and turn the sprinkler on an when the pan has 1 inch of water in it stop. Do this every fourth day fro the first couple of months that once a week IF it does not rain.

I would put the organic mulch back and not use the plastic (this will heat up the roots and kill the tree). Do not water until the soil is dry down about 2 to 3 inches deep. Most nurseries give a guarantee on their tree planted so I would ask about this and if the tree dies ask for a replacement.