A worried homeowner got some much-needed reassurance and useful pointers regarding the health of their tree.
Posting to the r/Tree subreddit, the Redditor shared photos of the month-old tree, along with their concerns.
They titled the post "Transplant shock or death?" and indicated that they were open to a rally from the previously "beautiful full-foliage tree" as it adapted to its new home. In follow-ups, they revealed the tree was a native Lionetti live oak planted in Central Texas.
The original poster revealed that they've had plenty of rain, so they haven't had to water much, adding that most of the leaves have dropped.
A possible silver lining was that "the branches are flexible and when I cut into one it's green and alive," per the Redditor. To close out the post, they asked if there were leaf buds at the ends of the branches and noted that they'd reached out to their tree service.
Fortunately for the homeowner, the community identified several reasons for optimism. As a Redditor pointed out, it's "pretty normal for trees to lose their leaves this time of year" and "it's called fall for a reason."
"Those are healthy looking buds, it's definitely not dead," they added. Another user, who identified as an arborist, claimed they were "once told by a fellow colleague that live oaks do this." The positive news continued, with a Redditor asserting that the situation "looks like transplant shock" and that the OP would know in the spring after seeing if the tree survived the winter.
There was one possible piece of bad news. A user did worry that the Redditor had fallen prey to a common landscaping mistake.
"Hopefully, your tree was planted with the root flare exposed," the poster declared. Their concern was that it was "planted too deeply." The poster's worry makes sense, as mulch volcanoes and other obstructions such as rocks can spell doom for tree roots, blocking oxygen that the tree needs to survive.
🗣️ What's the hardest thing about taking care of your yard?
🔘 Mowing the lawn 🏡
🔘 Controlling weeds 🌿
🔘 Keeping pests at bay 🐿️
🔘 I don't have a yard 🤷
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
The poster had a directive for the OP to tackle immediately: "The mulch needs to be pulled away from the trunk asap." While we won't know the outcome for the tree until the spring, Redditors seem to have lifted the spirits of the poster and gotten the tree's health back on track.
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