Question
My husband just planted four 7-feet-tall Emerald Green Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) that he purchased cheaply at The Home Depot. They are getting brown in some parts and we fear they'll die (he did the same thing with another one from the same store last summer...he didn't learn from that one :-) He planted them quite close to a fence on the north side of our yard, where they get full sun. I think our soil is very alkaline (Omaha, NE). I didn't see him plant them but he says the soil inside the pots was rock hard when he took them out for planting. He is watering them daily and we put Osmocote on the ground. Is there anything we can do to help them live? Thanks a lot!!! I appreciate your help

Answer
Teresa,

Keep watering every day through the summer months. Use a soaker hose and leave it on for a few hours to allow the water to penetrate deeply into the soil. The Osmocote will help with their overall health, but you may need to fertilize again in the fall.

Mulch the area under the plants to help water retention, take soil samples and have them analyzed for the Ph level and organic matter content at your local cooperative extension service and finally, try only to plant in the spring and fall.

Good luck,
Ed Gulliksen