Ten tips for taking the best care of your young street trees.
1. Water: Newly planted trees need about 20 gallons of water per week. Check for water by digging down into the tree pit, outside of the tree’s rootball, about 6 inches using a hand trowel. If the soil is wet, do not water your tree. Wait until the soil in the tree pit is dry. You can also purchase a moisture meter to help determine the wetness of the soil. A watering bag can help you water your tree properly.
2. Weed: Weeds make your tree compete for water and nutrients in the soil. Remove weeds by hand, pulling the root so they do not return. Electric and gas weed wackers can cut into the cambium (the layer right under the bark) which is the part of your tree that moves nutrients and water from the roots to the leaves. Do not use chemicals if at all avoidable, as they can harm the tree and pollute our waterways if used improperly or unnecessarily.
3. Mulch: Mulch helps your tree retain moisture, suppresses weed growth, and provides nutrients for your tree. Maintain a 2-inch high layer of mulch around your tree each spring and fall. Keep the mulch 2-3 inches away from the trunk of your tree. Mulch touching your tree can rot the trunk. No mulch volcanoes!
4. Clean: Remove trash, animal droppings, and debris from your tree pit. These things will block water from entering your tree pit.
5. Prune: Pruning trees when they are young helps foster a strong development. Trees that are pruned when they are young are more likely to grow up stronger. Pruning is a special skill and needs to be done properly to keep your tree healthy. We highly recommend attending a TreeKeepers workshop to learn how to prune trees and using our Young Tree Pruning document as a guide.
6. Avoid Girdling: It is easy to avoid girdling, where your tree starts to grow unhealthily over and around things on or near it. If you put decorations on your tree, including lights or birdhouses, be sure to remove them each year. Remove stakes and arbortie from your tree after it is growing strong again.
7. Protect: Be careful about parking next to your tree, try not to hit it with your car door. Do not nail or staple into the bark of your tree, which can cause it to girdle. Don’t carve into your tree or let other people carve into it as that injures the cambium.
8. Monitor: Keep an eye on your tree to see if there are any changes, if any cracks or bad signs are getting worse. Contact us or contact a Licensed Tree Expert if you notice something wrong with your tree.
9. Enjoy: Enjoy your tree! It provides cooling shade, blocks winter winds, and welcomes birds and other friends. If you are enjoying and caring for your tree you are more likely to notice anything wrong with it and take the appropriate steps to fix it before it gets worse.
10. Educate: Tell your neighbors and others what you know! It is up to all of us to take care of the urban forest so that it can take care of us.
For more information about these tips, check out our Resources page.
