Emerald green arborvitaes browning..............

[Skillz]

Hello everyone,
This is my first post here, so forgive me if I'm asking a dumb question. The beginning of September I planted 25 emerald green 4' trees along the edge of my yard. Just this week I've notice the inside of EVERY tree is turning brown. Is the something i should worry about? I have mulch around every tree with a soaker hose. I try to water them at least once a week. I would hate for all these trees to die. They were very expensive and lots of work to plant......
Thank You

Here are a few pictures of the trees.

http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=TsDIZli

http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=TsDJdj9

[JONA878]

One thing that I would check straight away is that the Ph is okay for your trees.
Most firs require a Ph between 5.5-5.8. Higher figures could cause difficulties for the trees.
Best check before worrying about pest or desease problems if there is no sign of aphid or other even smaller pests which can affect firs.

Jona.
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AN APPLE A DAY...KEEPS ME IN WORK

[bullthistle]

Any plant planted should have the soil that is backfilled tamped down, no matter whether if it's a rainy season or not. Air can get at the roots and dry the plant even in a hurricane. No one should take shortcuts because it will come back to haunt, although I am not saying that's your problem.

[Kaye]

If you aren't getting rain they'll need more water. If you have soil like I think you do, its a cobo of rock and clay, and not much dirt?
Did you soak them in a bucket of water before planting, and made sure the hole was at least twice the width of the pot?
I learned that soak trick the hard way.
Also, if its not too late, go buy some top soil, or garden soil. I find the cheap white bags of it at lowes work fine, and I don't spend money on the name brand. Dig out that backfill some and mix the soil into it. That will help get water to the roots. Good idea with the soakers, but make sure you are leaving them on long enough so the roots get a really good watering.
It's not uncommon here to see some browning, but if it keeps up, cut some of the branches that are damaged, and some that are healthy, and take them to your local nursery (not the lowes or home depot) and ask the guys there to give you advice. I have found this to be very helpful. And usually there is no cost involved....except of course you will see a plant that you just HAVE to have!

[Skillz]

Thanks for all the replies...........

When they were planted we didn't soak them ahead of time...

But we dug the holes with a 16" auger about twice as deep as we needed and then filled the bottom half of the hole with a mix of the original soil and a bag of planting soil just for evergreens we bought at Lowes. After they were all planted we soaked the roots extensively to try to keep them from drying out.

And how would i go about checking the PH...Is there a kit i can buy?

Also could this be the problem I'm having? Just normal browning?
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/conif/msg1014002225900.html?30

Thank you!

[Kaye]

Oh, don't worry about the soaking too much...after all, they are still alive! I was glad to learn that soaking trick from a landscaper though. It really has helped my transplants!
The pH kit, you can go to Lowes. They are usually in the garden section. Sometimes because they are small, you can find them in the area where they have pots and indoor soil. If you can't find it, just ask a red vest.
Well, sounds like the holes are deep enough and you were wise to use filler soil.
It may indeed just be normal browning, I know they do that when they get shocky. If they aren't getting browner, just keep em watered and fed, and they should be ok

[The Helpful Gardener]

Spent a whole day once cutting bagworm out of Thuja shipped from, wait for it...NC. Keep an eye out for these guys... definitely an issue for your area...

HG
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Scott Reil
The Helpful Gardener