How To Take Care of a Newly Planted Tree

Planting a new tree can be a beautiful experience. You may be planting it in memorial to a loved one, to help with shade on hot summer days, or perhaps it will provide privacy from the neighbours. No matter the reason for planting it, you will want to nurture it to make sure it becomes a thriving tree. 

Caring for a newly planted tree should be comprehensive, but it doesn’t need to be complicated. There are a few simple tricks that you can do to get your new tree off to a great start! Our tree service Waterloo specialists are dishing out their advice for watering, mulching, fertilizing, pruning, and inspecting young trees. Read on for more!

Watering Trees

Newly planted trees are under a lot of stress due to their change of environment. This means they will often need extra love and care! Proper watering is essential for new trees to bring moisture and oxygen into the tree roots.

During the first two weeks after planting a new tree, deeply water it every day. For the first year, water a new tree once a week while it still has leaves. Don’t forget to take rainfall into account before watering. This could easily lead to over-watering. On extremely hot summer days, you may need to water more frequently.  

Do You Need To Mulch?

Mulch is extremely useful for new trees as it uses it to retain moisture, control soil temperatures, and ward off weeds. Just be cautious not to use too much mulch as it can create a warm, damp environment that can attract fungi, pests, and diseases. All of these factors can easily stress out a new tree. 

Mulch your new tree right away after planting and use only the best organic mulch. Apply 2 to 4 inches around the tree’s drip zone, which is as far as the leaves go out from the tree. Use a rake to spread the mulch out from the tree trunk to provide proper air circulation. 

Fertilizing

Our tree service Waterloo experts at Martin’s Tree Service recommend fertilizing all your trees each year. In most people’s yards, the soil just doesn’t have the amount of nutrients that a tree requires to stay healthy. Fertilizers are designed to ensure that your tree has enough nutrients and minerals over time to keep growing. For help with fertilization, contact us today!

As your new tree begins to grow, it is important to trim away any minor branch defects that may become evident. However, you will want to stop there and hold off pruning your new tree until a least a year after it has been planted. Significantly trimming a tree in the middle of the growing season can limit its growth potential for the following year. 

Over time, you will just want to keep an eye on your new tree as it starts to grow. Make a habit of inspecting any new trees for red flags every couple of weeks. You should be looking for any irregular signs of leaf colour or dropping in the spring or summer. Take a close look at the bark of your tree for any dieback or peeling.

If your tree is showing any of these warning signs, contact Martin’s Tree Service today to discuss proper plant health care. We can help get your newly planted trees back to tip-top shape!