Posts Tagged "Taking care of newly installed trees"
If you take care of your lawn, why not your trees?
Hundreds of dollars are spent every year by homeowners ensuring their grass is green and growing. Lawn treatment companies plan multiple visits each year to spray, aerate, and seed the lawn. So, why is there so much focus on lawn maintenance but none on tree maintenance? Let’s start with a simple drawing.
Trees need 16 elements to grow and survive. These elements come from the air, water, and the soil. Air and water provide Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), and Oxygen (O). The other 13 elements come from within the soil and can be broken down into macro and micro nutrients. As the picture displays:
Micro-Nutrients: Boron (B), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Chloride (Cl), Manganese (Mn), Molybdenum (Mo), and Zinc (Zn). These nutrients are only needed in small quantities (hence the name “Micro”)
Macro-Nutrients: Macro-nutrients can be broken down into primary and secondary nutrients.
- Secondary Nutrients: There is usually enough of Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), and Sulfer (S) within the soil. We run into problems when it comes to Primary Nutrients.
- Primary Nutrients: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K) are the three primary nutrients. Basic suburban homes most often lack one or all of these nutrients.
- Nitrogen: Responsible for the green pigment essential for photosynthesis. It also aids in tree growth.
- Phosphorus: Also an essential part of photosynthesis, aids in growth, and encourages root growth.
- Potassium: Helps reduce disease and aids in photosynthesis
How do you know if your soil is deficient?
Soil tests will provide accurate answers, however it is common to use basic granular fertilizer’s for a “just-in-case” basis
When do I fertilize?
Good times to fertilizer include fall (after the leaves have fallen off) and early spring (right before the buds start breaking and the tree begins to leaf out). These extra nutrients in fertilizer will help top growth of the tree and the overall look. Newly transplanted trees should not be fertilized for at least 6-8 weeks.
How do I take care of newly installed trees?
Root Grow/Stimulator is great for newly installed trees. This will help ease any transplant shock as well as promote root growth. Root growth is important to establish the tree to live a long and healthy life. After root growth comes top growth, so the tree must be established before you see any top growth!
What else can I do to take care of my trees?
Aside from building proper watering techniques, fertilizing, and root growth, a treatment we highly recommend is systemic injections. Tree injections are similar to human IV’s. The liquid can be injected directly into the tree’s vascular system to help boost a tree’s “immune system”. More information about systemic injections can be found at www.mauget.com
New Tree Care
The most important factor in caring for your newly planted tree(s) is watering. All trees need watering especially newly planted ones that have not yet had a chance to develop the root structures to gather water. Trees will benefit more from infrequent deep watering as opposed to frequent light watering. It is important to note that sprinkler systems are not sufficient for watering trees, they are only meant for lawns. Another very important note is that watering too frequently or watering with too much water is as injurious as under-watering.
So, how do you water your tree(s)? The first thing to do is check how moist the soil is around the root ball. Pull away some mulch and dig down into the soil 4-6″ alongside the root ball. If the soil is wet or moist, do not water. If the soil feels cool to the touch but not yet dry, it’s time to water. If you wait until the soil is dry and crumbly, the soil will have a hard time absorbing the water you apply and your tree(s) might have already started to become stressed. By following this method, your tree(s) might stay moist for up to 2 weeks. Sandy or well drained soils, periods of warm weather, or other factors might increase the need to water. By checking your soil frequently in the beginning, you will be able to determine the watering schedule that works best for your tree(s). In winter months, the natural rainfall should be sufficient for even newly installed trees.
Visit our ‘Tree Care’ page on our website at www.affordabletrees.com/treecare for photos and step-by-step instructions.
Happy watering!