Congratulations on Planting Your New Tree!
Proper care in the first 18 months after planting is crucial to ensure healthy growth and long-term vitality. This guide will help you understand how to care for your newly transplanted tree and avoid common mistakes.
The Goal:
- Expect stress and take notes: Your tree may experience some stress after planting, which is normal.
- Know when and how to water: Watering correctly is key to tree establishment.
- Consider important variables in your watering schedule.
- Plan for fertilization and pruning.
- Know when to contact your arborist for assistance.
What to Expect: Transplant Shock
- Curling or wilting leaves
- Leaf scorch
- Brown leaf tips
- Premature fall color
- Late budding or leafing in spring
- Stunted growth
Note: These symptoms are usually not caused by water stress but are signs of the tree adapting to its new environment.
Watering Guidelines
- Water frequently but avoid over-watering. The goal is to keep the soil damp, not soaked.
- General watering rule: Water once per week (about 1 gallon of water per inch of tree trunk diameter). Adjust based on rainfall or soil conditions.
- Check soil moisture: Regularly test the soil to avoid both overwatering and underwatering.
- Cold Weather Care: Do not water if temperatures are below freezing, as the water will freeze and could damage the roots.
Staking & Guying Your Tree
- Purpose of staking: The stakes are used to prevent the tree from uprooting or falling during strong weather events. They do not hold the tree in place but act as a fail-safe.
- How to stake: Use t-posts and rope, keeping the rope tight but allowing slight movement of the tree trunk and root ball. This flexibility helps the tree strengthen naturally.
- Duration of staking: Most trees do not need to be staked for more than 3–6 months. After this period, check if the tree is secure by gently applying force to the trunk in different directions. If the soil around the base doesn’t move, the tree is stable.
- Adjustment: If you leave the stakes in place longer than 3 months, adjust the rope on the tree's main stem every 3-6 inches to prevent it from girdling the trunk.
- Need help? If you’re unsure about when to remove the stakes or if they’re still needed, give us a call 979-773-3242.
First 3 Months After Planting: Fall & Winter Care
- Watering Frequency: Water your tree at least once per week, especially if there’s no rainfall. Use about 1 gallon of water per inch of trunk diameter.
- Soil moisture: Always check the soil regularly to ensure it’s damp but not soaked. Avoid watering when temperatures are below freezing.
- Temperature and conditions: In colder months, the tree’s water needs may decrease, but continue monitoring the soil for moisture and avoid overwatering.
- Adjustment: If you leave the stakes in place longer than 3 months, adjust the rope on the tree's main stem every 3-6 inches to prevent it from girdling the trunk.
- Need help? If you’re unsure about when to remove the stakes or if they’re still needed, give us a call 979-773-3242.
When to Contact Your Arborist
- Assess the tree’s health and care needs.
- Adjust staking, fertilization, or watering schedules.
- Monitor for pests or diseases.
Final Thoughts:
As the seasons transition, your tree’s needs may shift. Here’s how to care for it during the warmer months:
3–6 Months After Planting: Spring & Summer Care
Caring for your newly planted tree requires patience, observation, and consistency. Remember, the first 18 months are critical for establishing strong roots and healthygrowth. By following these guidelines and staying in contact with your arborist, you’re setting your tree up for long-term success!
- Watering: You may need to water up to 10 gallons per inch of trunk diameter per week. In hotter or drought-like conditions, increase watering to 2–3 times per week.
- Soil moisture: Let the soil dry out between waterings, but don’t let it get too dry. Check the soil 1-2 inches beneath the surface—there should still be some moisture present. The natural swelling and shrinking of the soil encourages root growth.
Fertilization
- Avoid fertilization immediately after planting as it can harm the roots. Fall & Winter plantings should be fertilized the following Spring.
- Fertilizer Type: Never use high-salt, quick-release fertilizers. These can burn the roots and hinder tree establishment.
- Recommended Service: We offer deep root fertilization services that promote robust root development and healthy foliage. We recommend a 3-year care plan that includes 6 applications—one in Spring and one in Fall each year.
- Additional Techniques: Vertical and radial mulching are effective practices for improving soil structure. Thesemethods help break up dense, clayey soils, balance nutrient levels, and support long-term root growth.
Pruning
- Avoid pruning immediately after planting—the tree needs its leaves to produce energy for root establishment.
- When to Prune: Wait until the next Fall season to begin pruning. During this time, you may want to prune for the following reasons:
○ Remove dead, diseased, or broken branches
○ Establish permanent scaffolding limbs for strong structure
○ Remove co-dominant stems
○ Eliminate crossing or conflicting limbs
○ Raise the canopy to provide more clearance
Why Pruning Matters:
Conclusion
This guide offers general guidelines for the care of your newly planted tree. However, the best care depends on your tree’s unique environment, soil conditions, and your local climate. For tailored advice, Certified Arborist Colby Lee is available to help ensure your tree receives the best possible care.
Contact Us Today!
For personalized tree care or to schedule an appointment, call: 📞(979) 773-3242 We look forward to helping your tree thrive!
Arborist disclosure statement
Arborists are tree specialists who use their education, knowledge, training, and experience to examine trees,recommend measures to enhance the beauty and health of trees, and attempt to reduce the risk of living near trees. Clients may choose to accept or disregard the recommendations of the arborist, or to seek additional advice. Arborists cannot detect every condition that could possibly lead to the structural failure of a tree. Trees are complex living organisms that fail in ways we do not fully understand. Conditions are often hidden within trees and below ground. Arborists cannot guarantee that a tree will be healthy or safe under all circumstances, or for a specified period of time. Likewise, remedial treatments, like any medicine, cannot be guaranteed. The arborist will provide a diagnosis on the health and condition of specified trees and soil using his education and experience. Trees are complex organisms and all tree problems cannot be seen or foreseen upon inspection or the outside visible parts of the tree. Many problems can exist inside a tree or in the root system without any external symptoms showing. It is possible for an arborist to not “see” a problem that exists in a tree and for that problem to manifest itself after an arborist’s visit. Therefore, it is incumbent upon a client to take an active role in the care of their trees and soils and to call the arborist as soon as any noticeable changes occur in a tree.