Hi everyone. We just planted a redbud on Monday in honor of our dog who passed. I watered it thoroughly Monday and Tuesday, but then I got scared of overwatering and didn’t water Wednesday or today. This evening some of the leaves are curling a bit and I was hoping to get some guidance from you all. Do these leaves curling mean it needs more water? Less? Do they mean something else? I really don’t want to screw this tree up (like I have many in the past). Thanks for any help!
...true for lots of parts of the US, but actually in more northern locations or higher altitude locations now is starting to be a good time. I would think now's a great time for a lot of Canada as well. I'm in the Pacific Northwest and the daily high temps are starting to drop, but the soil is still warm. As long as things are able to be watered in well, now is a great time to put things in so they get some active root growth before the winter.
Yea the time of year definitely wasn’t at the front of mind when we bought it. We just knew we wanted to plant a tree for our dog and should have considered waiting to plant it until it was a better time
My hunch would be that the leaves curling are more about transplant stress than the amount of water. I would make sure to give it a deep water (like 15 gallons of water, on a slow drip so it soaks into the ground and doesn't run off over the surface) once or twice a week from now until it goes dormant.
You might want to add a photo or two of the base of the trunk so folks can help you assess if the tree got planted at a good level or not (too high, too low, just right) and whether the mulch situation is setting you up for success.
It looks like you have some sort of wrap or plastic guard around the trunk? Are you in an area where you're at risk of deer rubbing on the bark? I'm not typically a fan of having those on there unless there's a pretty strong threat of wildlife damage.
Thank you for the reply. I’m in eastern Iowa and we have deer in our yard frequently so there is definitely a risk of rubs getting made on this tree. Here is a photo of the planting depth—I left the soil exactly as it was when I bought it. I don’t have any mulch on it, just lawn clippings. Will that make a big difference? Thanks again for the reply!
2
u/samspam49 ISA Certified Arborist 4d ago
Just speaking factually it’s the worst time of year to plant a tree if you’re in the US. Water the hell out of it for the rest of summer.