Expert: Jim Hyland - 5/26/2011

Question
Two weeks ago I had 6 - 10 ft Leylands planted in the backyard and want them to grow nice and tall as a buffer. They were planted on new dirt about 1-2 ft higher than ground level. I added mulch on top

I was told to water them every other day. The 2nd week had 3 days of rain on and off. The problem is that the bottom of the shrubs are getting yellow or brown and i am trying to see why - too much watering or not enough.

I checked the soil 1-2 ft down and it is moist (sticking together)

I want to know what might be wrong and what i need to do to. Also any suggestions for continued rules to follow are appreciated

Thanks,

Answer
Entirely too much water. Too little water and too much water have similar signs--yellowing, drooping growth lower needles browning. I would not water until the soil around the tree gets dry. The mulch will hold moisture around the root. When the soil under the mulch is dry down to about 4-6 inches then water with 1 inch of water per week IF it does not rain . Place a pan under the tree and turn the sprinkler on and when the pan has 1 inch of water in it stop. Only water if it does not rain for a week.
Some of the browning could be shock from the planting as long as the top needles are green the tree will recover.