YIKES! Newly planted myrtle wilting

HI, Just planted a 3 foot tall Natchez late afternoon. Watered in well with slow trickle for 30 minutes. Amended soil with compost and good layer of mulch. and root ball above soil line.
This morning it is WILTED big time.
What do I need to check? If it is tooo much water..now what?

Why is the root ball above the soil line?

Can you post a picture? If too much of the root ball is above the soil line that's not going to be good for the plant. It's usually best to plant things to the same depth they were planted in the container, if you plant them higher then roots will be sticking out in the air, and if you plant them lower then you can end up with rot at the base of the plant. It's OK to have the base of the plant raised a little above the soil level, but when you talk about the root ball being above the soil level it makes it sound like there may be too much of the root ball sticking out.

If it is actually planted at the correct depth, then my guess is it's just transplant shock, the middle of the summer is pretty much the worst time of year to plant anything, you'll have to spend lots of extra time babying it, and even then some things won't make it. There are a couple reasons it could be wilting--one is that it actually doesn't have enough water in which case you just need to water some more, but the other possibility is that there is enough water there but the roots aren't able to take it up fast enough to keep the top part of the plant from wilting in the brutal heat of the sun. If this is what's happening, you don't want to add any more water, there may be plenty already there in the soil and if you add more then you will be overwatering. The best thing to do if you can is rig up some shade over the plant to protect it from the heat of the sun while it gets established. And check the soil regularly by sticking your finger down several inches to see if it needs water, I'd check at least once a day although depending on what type of soil you have you may not need to water that often.

I would give it a little bit of a haircut...as well....take it back to the older leaves.....sometimes if a plant is sheltered before you buy it and then put out into the full sun it can scorch off and get a nasty shock.....if you must plant in high Summer try to choose a milder day (prefereably a bit of rain around)....I only buy plants growing in exposed (full sun) places....then you know they are heat toughened.
If you can't resist a plant that has been in a sheltered aspect you have to put it in shade and move a little more into the sun each day until it is in full light...then plant as it will be toughened up buy then.
A bit of temporary shade while settling in would be a very good idea.

Even if you've properly adjusted it to being in full sun, you should still provide it some shade if you can until it gets established. Exposing it to more and more sun gradually is definitely a good suggestion and will prevent the leaves from becoming sunburned, but it won't help with the part about the roots not being able to take up water fast enough to keep the top from wilting when the sun's beating down on it.

Funny--I did the same exact thing that you did, Gator. I planted a big Natchez a few weeks ago (about 7 feet tall). I know, I know, this isn't the time of year to plant trees in the south. But I had to use that coupon from my local nursery that was about to expire, so the big tree came home to live with me. Mine did the same thing--the leaves got all crispy and brown, and I thought "Great. I have killed this beautiful thing." But I kept pouring the water to it at a slow trickle and it perked up. It has green leaves again! So don't give up! However, I do think someone misguided you with advice to plant the rootball above the soil line. I have always been told that the root ball should be about level with the soil line. You may want to mulch with a heavy layer of pine straw and keep the roots cool. Also, make a small scratch with your fingernail in the bark and see it it's still green under there. If it is, keep nursing it. And keep us posted!

The real question is how far is it above the soil line. It's generally a good idea to raise it up just a tiny bit, maybe an inch or two, that will prevent water from collecting around the base of the tree and causing it to rot. But it shouldn't be raised up significantly more than that or else too many roots are going to be hanging out and I don't think the plant would survive very long under those conditions.

I bought and planted 3 white crespes and initially they started to look droopy too. We have had an unusual amount of rain in our areas and if it hadnt been for that Im sure they would have died. We got so much rain that we started to have floods and springs that hadnt had running water in years started to flow again. It was so unusual but I was glad cuz it did wonders for all my plants. This was just last month and the 3 crepes are now flowering just like the old ones I have. These are along the very long frong gate of my yard and with all that white they look very pretty. I think maybe just giving it a large abundance of water will save your crepe.

I would sink the plant deeper into the soil, there should be a mark on the stems to show you how deep the soil was when it was growing in the pot, that is the depth it should be planted in the earth, I'd also add a whole lot of compost to the soil within the planting hole as you are in a hot area right now, then flood the planting area with water, test the soil with your finger to make sure the soil around the roots has got the actual water as really dry soil takes ages to get wet enough to cool the roots and offer enough water to the roots, some dry soils are so arid that the water you pour onto it just runs off the surface, so you need to check, if you lift the plant out to replant it deeper, sink the rootball in a bucket of water for half an hour to really wet the roots before you replant it, you should see the water level go down as the plant takes up the water. as Ecrane said, you should try not to plant at this time of the year as the soil and sun is far too hot for any new plant to cope with, best wait till end of season or early spring before the hot sun starts to heat everything up, plants suffer from dehydration just like we do. good luck. WeeNel.