I had a two-year old dogwood that succumbed to the drought. I yanked it out, and am ready to put a Japanese Maple sapling volunteer from a neighbor in there.
Is there any reason why the exist soil would have bad biological (or spiritual) karma from having died? Or can I just plant a sapling in place?
Most varieties of dogwood trees are very drought resistant and prefer partially-protected areas (like next to the edge of a wooded area). Maples grow best in full sun. Do a soil test. When planting a tree, think about hole preparation, peat moss and compost. Water it well immediately after planting, water it well again the following day, then water it every week for a couple months.
I'm concerned you've got a mismatch between soil and light and species that was either made or is in the making. Make sure your conditions match what Japanese maples like.
Are you sure it was just drought stress that killed the dogwood? Not a fungal pathogen that could still be in the soil?
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