Pick up know-how for tackling diseases, pests and weeds.
Farm bill, farm marketing, agribusiness webinars, & farm policy.
Find tactics for healthy livestock and sound forages.
Scheduling and methods of irrigation.
Explore our Extension locations around the state.
Commercial row crop production in Arkansas.
Agriculture weed management resources.
Use virtual and real tools to improve critical calculations for farms and ranches.
Learn to ID forages and more.
Explore our research locations around the state.
Get the latest research results from our county agents.
Our programs include aquaculture, diagnostics, and energy conservation.
Keep our food, fiber and fuel supplies safe from disaster.
Private, Commercial & Non-commercial training and education.
Specialty crops including turfgrass, vegetables, fruits, and ornamentals.
Find educational resources and get youth engaged in agriculture.
Gaining garden smarts and sharing skills.
Timely tips for the Arkansas home gardener.
Creating beauty in and around the home.
Maintenance calendar, and best practices.
Coaxing the best produce from asparagus to zucchini.
What’s wrong with my plants? The clinic can help.
Featured trees, vines, shrubs and flowers.
Ask our experts plant, animal, or insect questions.
Enjoying the sweet fruits of your labor.
Herbs, native plants, & reference desk QA.
Growing together from youth to maturity.
Crapemyrtles, hydrangeas, hort glossary, and weed ID databases.
Get beekeeping, honey production, and class information.
Grow a pollinator-friendly garden.
Schedule these timely events on your gardening calendar.
Equipping individuals to lead organizations, communities, and regions.
Guiding communities and regions toward vibrant and sustainable futures.
Guiding entrepreneurs from concept to profit.
Position your business to compete for government contracts.
Find trends, opportunities and impacts.
Providing unbiased information to enable educated votes on critical issues.
Increase your knowledge of public issues & get involved.
Research-based connection to government and policy issues.
Support Arkansas local food initiatives.
Read about our efforts.
Preparing for and recovering from disasters.
Licensing for forestry and wildlife professionals.
Preserving water quality and quantity.
Cleaner air for healthier living.
Firewood & bioenergy resources.
Managing a complex forest ecosystem.
Read about nature across Arkansas and the U.S.
Learn to manage wildlife on your land.
Soil quality and its use here in Arkansas.
Learn to ID unwanted plant and animal visitors.
Timely updates from our specialists.
Eating right and staying healthy.
Ensuring safe meals.
Take charge of your well-being.
Cooking with Arkansas foods.
Making the most of your money.
Making sound choices for families and ourselves.
Nurturing our future.
Get tips for food, fitness, finance, and more!
Understanding aging and its effects.
Giving back to the community.
Managing safely when disaster strikes.
Listen to our latest episode!
January 2010
In the spring of 2007, I planted fourteen arborvitae trees around an air-conditioning tower as a screen. The soil is mostly clay. I dug planting holes twice as deep as the root ball, and added quite a bit of compost both under, around, and on top. That first summer I watered them religiously and they did fine. The next summer, 2008 was fairly wet and so I was not regular in watering them. One after another they began dying. I was surprised when I pulled up one of those that had died to find that the roots had not grown at all, out from the original root ball. Three have survived until now. Is there some secret to growing these trees? Is our area not suited to them? Does one have to pamper them for several years? Why didn't the roots show any growth? I do not want to try replanting around the AC unit unless I could hope for better success.
I think there may be several factors at work here. First of all arborvitae plants are fairly drought tolerant once they are established--too much water would be worse than dry conditions. While they like water, the soil needs to drain well. Clay soil is not known for its friability. It holds water far better than most soils, so this could be a factor. Was the soil gray in color or have a sour smell when you dug them up? The fact that your roots didn't spread at all tells me a few things. Root rot could be a factor from too much water, but if the root ball was not disturbed at planting and the plants were root-bound, then they stayed that way in the ground--and were not able to take up nutrients and water any further away than there were roots. Planting too deep can also hurt them--we normally want the crown at the soil level, or the plants can smother. Amending the soil is fine, as long as the compost or amendments are mixed in with existing soil and the amending is two to three times as WIDE not Deep as the planting hole. Roots don't typically grow down very far, but they should spread far and wide, that is why we want to amend in a distance away from the plants. If you can't amend a wide area, then don't amend at all. Otherwise, you are basically containerizing the plants in the ground.
All links to external sites open in a new window. You may return to the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture web site by closing this window when you are finished. We do not guarantee the accuracy of the information, or the accessibility for people with disabilities listed at any external site.
Links to commercial sites are provided for information and convenience only. Inclusion of sites does not imply University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's approval of their product or service to the exclusion of others that may be similar, nor does it guarantee or warrant the standard of the products or service offered.
The mention of any commercial product in this web site does not imply its endorsement by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture over other products not named, nor does the omission imply that they are not satisfactory.