Tree Care Tips

​When choosing the right tree for your space you will need to think about what the tree will look like at full maturity. A tree's shape, height, and width at maturity will determine the best tree to plant in a particular location.

Minimize stress to your trees

Protect your trees well during transport, using a tarp or sheet gently wrap the branches up and secure with twine. This will ensure no wind damage will be done to the leaves. Plant as soon as possible once home. If planting is not possible right away, store the tree in a cool, shaded area and water as needed to keep the roots and soil moist.

Prepare the planting spot

Dig a hole and loosen up the soil two times wider than the container. The hole should be no deeper than the size of the root ball. Mix in a full bag of compost into your existing loosened up soil. This will give you a mixture of your existing soil and new compost.

Plant your tree with care
If the tree was grown in one of our root maker pots or grow bags the tree is ready to plant. If the tree is in a solid pot you will need to gently pull away some of the roots and lay outwards in the hole. The root flare (where the roots join the main trunk) should be 2" above the ground level. Fill the hole in and around the root ball with the mixture of your existing soil and compost. Do not return any grasses or sod to the hole. Gently pack the soil to the root flare so your tree will be on a bit of a mound. This will allow water to flow away from the trunk of the tree down to the roots.

Staking your tree

We recommend staking your tree for the first year. One stake on the west side of the tree attached with a piece of old garden hose or rubber works best and will give your tree the support it needs without damaging the trunk.

Mulch

Mulch is beneficial for your trees, it can balance the soil temperature and help retain moisture. Apply an even layer 2-3" thick around the tree being sure to keep the mulch at least 1" away from the trunk, having mulch directly touching the trunk of the tree can cause rot and promote fungal growth.

Watering

Water slowly and deeply immediately after planting. We recommend turning your hose on low and leave for 20-30 minutes. You only need to water your trees once a week this way (more often during dry conditions to keep the soil moist). Over watering can cause just as much damage as under watering so take your soil conditions and climate into consideration.

Fertilizer

The compost you added when planting is enough nutrients for the first year. On the following years we recommend one handful of 90% slow release fertilizer 18-4-6 for deciduous trees. We also carry fertilizer specifically for evergreens, blueberries and fruiting trees and bushes.

Trunk Protection

With fruit trees, nut trees, and flowering trees we recommend painting the bottom 5-6" with indoor latex paint. This will stop fruit bores from digging a hole in the bottom of the tree and laying their eggs that will eventually kill the tree. A product such as tanglefoot should be applied if you find you have ant problems.

Pruning Fruit Trees

Please watch our video on pruning your fruit trees on our website under the resources tab.