Young Tree Care
The first five years are critical to the development of your young tree. Follow these guidelines to ensure a healthy tree and to minimize future costs and hazards.
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Spring and Summer Care
- Water, water, water! Newly planted trees need water in the summer. During the hot, dry season, usually May through September, you should give your young trees 15-20 gallons of water twice a week. Water should be given within a foot of the trunk and allow to soak deep into the soil so that the water reaches the tree’s roots.
- The best ways to water:
- Using a 15 or 20-gallon sized watering bag, place a hose directly into the bag and run until the bag is full. Bag should empty within 4-8 hours.
- Drill small holes using a ¼ inch drill bit into the bottom of three or four 5-gallon plastic buckets. Set the buckets in a ring around the base of the tree. Place a hose directly into the buckets and fill them.
- The best ways to water:
- Mulch. Mulch is your tree's best friend. Mulch helps keep the weeds away, conserves water, provides nutrients, cools the soil, and protects the trunk from lawnmower damage. Apply a 3-4" thick layer of wood chip mulch in a doughnut shape around the tree . Mulch should not be touching the tree truck, and should be kept a hands-distance away. Check out this video for further mulching instructions.
- Weed. Remove any competing plants, such as grass, within at least 2 feet of the tree's trunk. These plants compete with the tree for water and nutrients.
Fall and Winter Care
- Prune young deciduous (drop their leaves in the winter) trees to create a strong structure and to remove dead, damaged, diseased, and branches that rub against each other. This will reduce pruning needs when your tree is mature. Poor pruning techniques, such as topping, can seriously damage your tree so consider hiring a certified arborist. If you plan to prune yourself, check out the resources below to learn how to prune properly. Groups such as UW's Center for Urban Horticulture, Plant Amnesty, Seattle Tilth, and City Fruit provide tree pruning workshops. Pruning street tree branches larger than 2" in diameter requires a permit from SDOT.
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Only stake a tree if necessary to hold it upright. Be sure stakes do not rub against the trunk or branches, causing wounds which can lead to infection and tree death. Remove stakes after 1-2 years. You can test if stakes are ready to be removed by grasping the tree at the bottom of the trunk and gently shaking it. If the soil around the tree does not move, the tree’s roots have moved into the surrounding soil, stabilizing the tree. The stakes can then be removed. Reevaluate if the tree still needs stakes at least once per year and readjust straps if necessary. Tip: if the trunk is thicker than the stakes, the stakes should be removed!