Tree Care and Maintenance

Tree Care and Maintenance

Watering:

-Water your tree religiously for at least one year using the following guidelines, and subsequent years during the hottest months or if we experience high heat or drought conditions. It can take approximately 1 year per inch caliper of the tree for the tree to fully establish. Careful monitoring of watering during this time will ensure a healthy tree. 

-At the time of planting the tree needs to be deeply watered. Two days after planting the tree needs to be deeply watered again.  You can do this by turning on the hose and laying it inside the mulch reservoir, about six inches from the trunk, running it at a steady stream for about thirty minutes. If the reservoir does not fill up evenly, move the hose to the other side and repeat watering. If hand-watering, fill the entire reservoir enough times so that the entire depth of the root ball receives water. If you see bubbles, you are displacing pockets of dry soil and should continue to add water until there are no bubbles. If you have planted a larger tree, we recommend using a small sprinkler. Be sure to apply enough water to saturate the entire root ball, to the bottom, and the soil area about one foot beyond.

-Make sure you are saturating the entire root ball and the soil area up to on foot beyond. Be sure to water deeply and DO NOT RELY ON RAIN OR SPRINKLER IRRIGATION! Please note that this is just a general watering guideline. If you have heavy clay soils, it is very easy to overwater a tree and kill it.

Guidelines for Watering Your Tree for the First Year- Check the soil with your finger to determine if soil has dried down 2″-3″ before watering. These are “guidelines” only. Wind, type of soil and other conditions will ultimately determine frequency of watering. RAIN DOES NOT COUNT!

-Clay and other poorly draining soils may not require as frequent watering as indicated above. Overwatering or trees staying too wet can be as damaging as trees being too dry. The best way to check for soil moisture is to dig down under the mulch 3 or 4 inches and feel if the soil is moist. Be sure to check the root ball and the surrounding soil for moisture.

Fertilization:

-We recommend an organic program for the long-term health of your trees. Trees need to be fertilized each spring and fall with an organic tree and shrub fertilizer such as Microlife Ultimate 8-4-6. We also recommend applying Microlife Humates Plus twice a year in addition to fertilization. Do not use tree fertilizer spikes, as they do not give a uniform application of fertilizer.

-1/8” topdressing of premium compost may be applied once a year in the spring or fall around the drip line of your tree.

-Chemical fertilizers may be used if desired. Follow package directions or ask us for application advice. Do not apply chemical forms of nitrogen to dry soil. Water the day before application, then water the fertilizer in after applying to avoid fertilizer burn of the root system.

–Be sure to spread all fertilizers uniformly around the entire drip line of the tree. Do not concentrate the fertilizer around the trunk or inside the mulch reservoir. 

Mulching:

–Annual reapplication of mulch is recommended to maintain a 2-3” layer of mulch. We recommend a double grind shredded native hardwood mulch that has been aged for a minimum of a year. Keep mulch pulled back 3” to 6” from the trunk to avoid damage to vascular system and prevent insects and disease from entering the softened bark.

Weed Control:

-NEVER USE WEED AND FEED TYPE FERTILIZERS OR BROADLEAF HERBICIDES in any areas near trees, as they will damage tree roots. You may apply pre-emergent herbicides to prevent weeds from germinating, as they will not harm the tree. Read all labels before application and do not apply to edibles such as fruit or nut trees.

Staking and Deer Caging:

– It is the customer’s responsibility to keep the tree staked until rooted well. You may remove the staking when you can give the trunk of the tree a good shake and you do not see the ground around it move or jiggle at all, usually after one year. Remove the nursery bamboo stake at the time of planting to avoid girdling of the stem by green tye tape.

-If you have deer, be sure to put a cage around your tree trunk to keep them from rubbing on the trunks. The “rut” generally runs from about September through February in Central Texas.