Question
Hi,

I live in Wisconsin.  I brought back an Eastern Redbud back from MI.  It was in my brother's forest area.  He thought it was about 2-3 years old.  It is about 6-8 tall.  We dug it out and it was bare root.  We tried to keep the roots wet, wrapped the leaves and strapped it on the top of the SUV for our 4 1/2 hour drive.  
As soon as we got home, we unwrapped it and put it in a garbage can with water and root stimulator.
The next am we planted the tree.  Our soil is more clay than sand.  I am not sure we dug the hole correctly, we may have planted it too deep or the hole may not be wide enough.
That was on Sun.  Today is Thurs.  I have watered the tree every day on a trickle for about 30"-1 each day.  We are lacking rain where I live.  The leaves are turning brown and drying.
I've heard transplanted trees go into "shock".  
Is it too early to give up on the tree?  Should we re-plant the tree?  I don't know what to do at this point.
Thanks.

Answer
Sounds like several mistakes here--digging the tree when the leaves are on it makes the survival rate go way down. Putting tithe tree on top of a SUV for four hours and not covering the leaves will make the tree get wind burn and dry out from the evaporation off the leaves. Digging a large rootball with the tree. and digging a proper hole.
Here is the proper way to transplant a tree.

Some species may survive transplanting any time during the year when the ground is not frozen, but woody plants are preferably moved in the spring after the ground thaws and before the buds on the tree or shrub begin to swell. They may also be moved in the fall after leaf drop but before the ground freezes. Fall transplant success may be increased by transplanting hardy plants into sites with good soil moisture and wind protection. Woody plants that are transplanted in late spring and early summer, when shoot growth is at its peak, tend to show the greatest transplant injury.

Deciduous trees with a stem diameter of less than 1 inch and small deciduous shrubs may be dug either bare root or with a soil ball. Larger plants should only be dug with soil attached. Bare root transplanting should only be done in the spring and care must be taken to prevent damage to roots when removing the soil. Most shrub species require a root ball diameter of about two-thirds of the branch spread. The soil ball for trees should be a minimum of 12 inches for each 1 inch of trunk diameter.
For deciduous trees and shrubs the soil ball should be:

Width = 9-12 in. in diameter/every 1 in. of tree diameter
Depth = 6 in./every 1 in. of tree diameter

For example: A tree trunk 2 inches wide would need a soil ball of 18-24 inches wide and 12 inches deep.


Trees and shrubs that have been dug for transplanting should be planted as soon as possible. Cover a root ball with damp material which will retain moisture (burlap, peat moss, canvas, plastic, etc.) until planting. Plastic should only be used in shaded areas for less than a day or heat injury and/or root suffocation may occur. When a tree or shrub is stored, it should be protected from direct sunlight, winds, and temperature extremes. If any woody plants cannot be planted for more than a week, their roots should be covered with a mulch or moist soil and the plants should be placed in a shaded area. In all cases root systems should not be allowed to dry out. Dry roots can severely decrease the potential for transplant success.

Trees and shrubs must be protected when transporting to a planting site. Covered trucks and vans are best, but if a pickup truck is used, a tarp must be in place to protect the plant canopies and roots from drying winds in transit.

The new hole should be twice the size of the rootball and mulch the area around the tree with not more than 3 inches of mulch and water.

What to do now--I would mulch around the tree with not more than 3 inches deep of mulch and water with 1 inch of water every third day. You can place a pan under the tree and turn the sprinkler on and when the pan has 1 inch of water in it stop.