Home Landscaping
(Page 9 of 10)
August/September 1999
By Mort Mather
5. The First Soaking. When soil is dry, watering the tree as soon as possible after planting is critical for its survival. Use water also for the final settling of the soil. If additional settling occurs, add more soil, but don't step on the wet soil around the tree.
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6. Mulch. Mulching the surface of the soil around your newly planted trees two to four inches deep does help them by controlling competition and gradually releasing nutrients. In nature, trees mulch themselves every fall. By keeping weeds away, retaining water and moderating the soil temperature, mulch improves the chances of survival for your tree. But never let mulch pile up against the trunk. After mulching the planting pit, brush back the mulch that is in contact with the trunk.
7. Avoid Staking. Natural flexing is necessary for the plant to develop a normally strong trunk and roots. Use staking only if needed to hold the tree up until the roots have become established (usually within a year). To stake, use one or two wooden stakes (pipe or rebar are too hard to pull out), which have been pounded firmly into undisturbed soil. Place the tieabout a third of the way up the tree in order to allow maximum trunk movement. Use soft, flat tie material (inner tube, flat soaker garden hose, commercial products). Never use straight twine or electric or any other type of wire against a trunk. Remove stakes and ties as soon as possible. Trees are frequently girdled by ties that people forgot to take off.
8. Prune. But do not prune the tree top to "compensate for root loss." That's a myth. You may prune to take off broken, rubbing and weak branches, but try not to remove more than 1/5 of the branches.
9. Dirt Dam Build a circular dirtdam to create a basin effect around the outer edge of your tree planting area to retain water. Trees need water that soaks in deeply to establish good root systems. Water trees at the first year or two and during a drought. Let the root zone dry out between waterings unless your tree is a swamp variety. Five to 15 gallons a week is typical.
10. Care After Planting. Young trees benefit if they are irrigated, fertilized and weeded, being a crop like any other. Water them at least twice a week. Regularly rescue them from weed and grass competitors. Or, easier and better yet, mulch around them so thoroughly the competition doesn't get through. If your trees don't grow well and aren't an obviously healthy green color, they need fertilizer. Spread some manure from your barnyard. However, there's such a thing as too much nitrogen, so spread it in reasonable amounts.
Trees to Reject
- Any tree that can't stand up without support.
- Any tree with bark wounds on its trunk. (Look under the tree wraps.) Such a tree has a much lower chance of survival.
- Any big tree in a small pot. An eight-foot tree with a trunk that's one inch in diameter needs a rootball about one and a half feet in diameter to be healthy.
- A tree with kinked or girdling roots. However, it's hard to detect these because they are often deep within the rootball.
- Species known to cause problems by dropping limbs, raising sidewalks, getting pests and diseases, or perishing from climate extremes.
- Look out for varieties that are merely ornamentals — such as "flowering almonds" or "flowering plums, quince, pears, etc." They grow flowers, but not necessarily nuts or fruit
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