Ok...a few weeks ago I posted about recently having a landscaper plant
some Leyland Cypress trees in our backyard. Now about 3 weeks
later...I think they're dying but am not sure. I live in NJ in case
that matters...the 12' Leylands were planted in our backyard...5 of
them about 10' apart in a half sun/half shaded area. Since then, 4 of
the trees are turning light green/almost yellow from the bottom of the
tree working it's way up. Some spots have turned brown and have
fallen off the tree. Is this over watering? Under watering? Shock?
Other explanation?

Now one other thing to note...when the trees were planted, I was told
that the burlap around the root ball was to stay tied and I was to cut
them open in about a year. Is this normal?? Everything I've read
says to loosen the burlap upon planting. But even if it's not normal,
could this cause the tree to start dying so soon after only 3 weeks in
the ground?

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated...really don't want to
lose these trees if it's not too late. Thanks in advance.

On Tue, 11 May 2004 15:56:01 -0400, Mike wrote:

Ok...a few weeks ago I posted about recently having a landscaper plant
some Leyland Cypress trees in our backyard. Now about 3 weeks
later...I think they're dying but am not sure. I live in NJ in case
that matters...the 12' Leylands were planted in our backyard...5 of
them about 10' apart in a half sun/half shaded area. Since then, 4 of
the trees are turning light green/almost yellow from the bottom of the
tree working it's way up. Some spots have turned brown and have
fallen off the tree. Is this over watering? Under watering? Shock?
Other explanation?

Now one other thing to note...when the trees were planted, I was told
that the burlap around the root ball was to stay tied and I was to cut
them open in about a year. Is this normal?? Everything I've read
says to loosen the burlap upon planting. But even if it's not normal,
could this cause the tree to start dying so soon after only 3 weeks in
the ground?

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated...really don't want to
lose these trees if it's not too late. Thanks in advance.


The burlap will decompose and not harm the tree. Leaving it in place
reduces the chance of root damage. Where the trees planted at the
proper ground height? The trees could be shock. New transplants often
suffer from not enough water. Give them a slow soaking treatment once
or twice a week. There's a vitamin product called "UpStart" that is
formulated for transplanted trees. Don't expect results too quickly.

On Tue, 11 May 2004 21:09:00 GMT, Phisherman wrote:


The burlap will decompose and not harm the tree. Leaving it in place
reduces the chance of root damage. Where the trees planted at the
proper ground height? The trees could be shock. New transplants often
suffer from not enough water. Give them a slow soaking treatment once
or twice a week. There's a vitamin product called "UpStart" that is
formulated for transplanted trees. Don't expect results too quickly.

Um, what? Are the trolls just trying to get my goat these days?

_Maybe_ the burlap would decompose if it's natural burlap, but these
days it's likely to be some kind of man-made fiber that will never
decompose.

I do not know much specifically about Leyland Cypress, so maybe I'm
missing something, but every reputable authority on tree planting I've
encountered says to remove the burlap at planting. To leave it means
inhibiting the roots' ability to spread from the original root ball
into the native soil. To leave it tied means also leaving a noose
around the main root crown. And if the root ball is all tied up in
burlap, it's likely that any water in the area is going into the
native soil and missing the tree's root ball entirely. If the burlap
is tied with man-made string, it's likely that any roots that make it
out of the burlap will eventually be girdled by the cord later.

Whether these issues are causing the current problems is debatable.
It is likely that transplant shock is at work, and also that the trees
are not getting watered effectively because of the burlap. Or it may
be something else entirely--again, I don't know much about this
species.

I say start by digging out the soil from around the root ball. If you
see roots coming out of the burlap and into the surrounding soil, mea
culpa (I'd still slash open the burlap at several points around the
root ball). If not, excavate as much soil as possible and remove all
twine and burlap that you can (if some stays underneath the root ball,
that's ok). backfill with native soil and water regularly until the
trees can become established. Don't hire the same guy for future
plantings.

For a full description of correct tree transplantation, visit
www.treesaregood.com

Good luck,
Keith Babberney
ISA Certified Arborist


For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please visit http://www.isa-arbor.com/home.asp.
For consumer info about tree care, visit http://www.treesaregood.com/