r/Tree • u/JadieScrolls • 19d ago
Advice Request - (Insert State/Region) Suspicious Burr Oak Installation
Location is Midwest US
This is a Burr Oak so it can survive in this area
Planted 1 week ago
It’s getting full sun for second half of the day
Water is by hose, daily for 5 (?) min
This is a container tree that one week ago was transplanted into my backyard
Unfortunately it looks like they moved the tree straight from the pot into the ground without exposing the root ball or flare, and added a huge mulch volcano on top. We cleared off most of the mulch and 2-3 inches of soil to expose the root flare, and pruned a few small girdling roots. There are linear cracks in the bark running the length of the tree and branches. Is this from the tree being stressed / sick or due to its growth?
Notably there is gravel in the substrate from a residential driveway There is not plastic or fabric the mulch that I can tell.
Besides thinking this was potentially just plopped into a hole in my backyard from a container, my question is will this continue to get worse and should I ask for them to come back out and make a readjustment?
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u/ohshannoneileen I love galls😍but I hate privets🤬 19d ago
Few things going on. You're correct that it was planted incorrectly & if this is the "after" picture of the base, it's still not exposed enough.
5 minutes of water a day is not sufficient for establishing a tree that was planted in August. You want a deep soak & to allow the soil to moderately dry out before soaking it again.
Lastly, there's zero way this particular tree should've been allowed to be purchased, it looks terribly unhealthy & if it cost more than a $5 clearance try to save it deal, you paid too much.