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It’s great to be able to plant a new tree in your garden.  A tree can make your outdoor space beautiful, create privacy and also be a great place for wildlife.  Unfortunately, many newly planted trees don’t survive past a year or two.  This is why it’s so important to learn how to properly care for a newly planted tree in terms of watering, fertilizing and frost.

Watering

When caring for a newly planted tree, you need to ensure you are providing enough water.  Generally speaking, an inch of water per week is good.  However, ultimately, you should be monitoring the moisture levels of the soil to make sure you are giving the correct amount of water.

A lot of people are choosing to buy a product called the Tree Gator which deals a lot with the effort of watering your tree.  It’s essentially a big bag that you fill with water and the water is then slowly released into the soil for the root system.  One of the benefits of the system is that there is no evaporation so this is ideal if you live in a hot and sunny climate.

Mulch

2 to 4 inches of mulch should be laid out around the tree on top of the soil to help prevent water evaporation and also to prevent grass from growing.  Grass can actually be competition with a new tree as the grass roots can use up the soil that should be for the tree.  You can buy mulch of all different types including tree bark, recycled rubber, cocoa shells and cedar.  What type you choose really depends on what appearance you want for your garden.  However, please note, you shouldn’t place the mulch too close to the tree trunk because this can cause problems with root rot, fungal cankers, rodents and insect.  Instead you should have the mulch about 6 inches away from the trunk.

Fertilization

Generally speaking it isn’t really necessary for you to fertilize the soil, unless it is particularly devoid of nutrients.  You might notice that the tree isn’t growing as well as you’d hoped after a couple of years, so using a fertilizer can be a very good idea.

Pruning and Staking

Newly planted trees shouldn’t be pruned unless absolutely necessary, for instance it has suffered from some damage and has broken branches.

Most newly planted trees don’t require staking however it might be needed in some circumstances.  If you have a top-heavy tree and/or you live in an area with a lot of winds then staking is a good idea.  However generally speaking, a tree that is allowed to sway ends up being a lot stronger because of it.

For those in a windy area, you should look buying a windbreak which is 50% permeable which will allow the wind to get through but at a much reduced rate.  You can also buy covers to protect your tree from the frost.