Anyone here still planting

Im wondering if Ive screwed up and would like to change my behavior if so.

Ive planted several pretty good sized trees ( mulberry/apple/pear ect ) these last couple of weekends, we had a sudden frost out of no where and the 2 mulberries have lost all their leaves and frankly look dead. Im guessing that they are not dead, they are only doing what deciduous trees do when it gets cold but should I continue watering these trees on the weekends when I am near them or should I just let them be until springtime?

Well draining sand and the sand remains moist since the weather isnt hot.  

I know these trees should be watered in but Im guessing that dosent apply when the soil remains damp?

Eric was a big help on this thread. https://permies.com/t/150037/Watering-requirements

Just trying to confirm that the advice given stands for such newly planted trees.

Thank you for your time

I think you should use the soil moisture as your guide.  As in, don't let the soil get totally dry even while tree is dormant.

You are probably right about the leaf drop, b/c that is how mulberries behave here in Illinois.  They just suddenly drop all their leaves if there is a sudden cold snap, even if the leaves have not turned color.

Mk Neal wrote:I think you should use the soil moisture as your guide.  As in, don't let the soil get totally dry even while tree is dormant.

You are probably right about the leaf drop, b/c that is how mulberries behave here in Illinois.  They just suddenly drop all their leaves if there is a sudden cold snap, even if the leaves have not turned color.

Thank you for your input, I do feel better

Offhand, I would say that a newly-planted tree hasn't bonded with the surrounding soil yet. So it's relying on you to add enough moisture to prevent its root ball from drying out. Just because the leaves dropped doesn't mean it's fully dormant.

Can you contact the seller? They can give you local wisdom, which is always best.

It's actually less stressful for deciduous trees to be transplanted while dormant or just as they are going into dormancy. So it sounds like your planting timing was right on. Even while dormant the roots have to stay moist (but not sopping wet) so if nature isn't taking care of that, you'd need to water until the ground freezes.

Andrea Locke wrote:It's actually less stressful for deciduous trees to be transplanted while dormant or just as they are going into dormancy. So it sounds like your planting timing was right on. Even while dormant the roots have to stay moist (but not sopping wet) so if nature isn't taking care of that, you'd need to water until the ground freezes.

Thank you, my ground never freezes 9A