When you plant a tree, you cross your fingers, right? You hope it lives, thrives, and grows big enough to offer cool shade and maybe support a fun tire swing.
But not all new trees make it that far.
“The biggest reason new trees die is not enough water,” says Scott Long, director of maintenance operations at Outback Landscape, a partner company to Lawn Buddies.
Another reason? Planting a tree too deep or not deep enough, he says.
Long is our tree guy for the next little bit, sharing his impressive tree expertise and a few valuable pro tips.
Before you worry about watering, staking or mulching a new tree, you have to plant it correctly first if you want it to survive, Long says.
“If they’re planted too low, the dirt suffocates them,” he says. Roots need oxygen to survive. Deep in the soil, oxygen levels are too low for the roots to breathe properly.
But if you plant a tree too shallow, the root ball is exposed, and the tree will die.
Here’s a good rule of thumb:
“A lot of people plant a new tree and think the water from their lawn irrigation will be enough,” Long says.
It isn’t.
A new tree needs 2-3 gallons of water a day for the first couple of years, he says.
His solution for watering newly planted trees?
“We put in a drip irrigation line to water the new tree separately,” Long says.
“If the customer doesn't want that, we tell them they’ll need to hand water it,” he says.
The problem is, most people won’t.
“It’s like New Year’s resolutions,” Long says. “They start out good at first, but…”
You might read that staking a new tree isn’t always needed, but here in windy Eastern Idaho, Long recommends it.
You’ll need three wooden stakes and wide, flexible tree straps, like nylon webbing. Don’t use thin wire or rope that can cut into the bark.
Long recommends using three stakes so the tree is supported no matter which direction the wind comes from.
“Many people just use one stake,” Long says. “But we get a lot of wind here. What if the wind is coming from a different direction?”
Drive the stakes into the soil outside the root ball, spaced equally around the tree.
Attach the flexible straps about one-third to two-thirds up the trunk. Tie them loosely, so your new tree can still move slightly in the wind.
Affix the stakes halfway up the trunk for a typical 6-10 foot tree, he says.
Leave the stakes on for 3-4 years, Long says, but they’ll need some attention along the way.
“You should re-do the stakes each spring,” Long says. The wood stakes rot over time while they're under the dirt, he says, and as your tree grows, the trunk gets bigger in diameter.
“You don’t want the straps to get too tight and leave marks on the trunk, or get grown over by the bark,” he says.
If a new tree isn’t staked, it can start to lean, Long says.
“If you dig it up to re-level it, the tree will almost always die,” he says.
How much mulch should go around a new tree, and how close to the trunk?
Add a 2- to 4-inch layer of mulch around a new tree, keeping it 2-3 inches away from the trunk.
Mulch is great stuff. It helps the soil around your new tree retain moisture, keeps weeds from sprouting, and moderates the soil temperature. Plus, a rich brown mulch coating just plain looks great.
But there’s such a thing as too much mulch.
Maybe you’ve seen trees surrounded by tall piles of mulch that look like volcanoes. That’s bad.
Too much mulch piled around your tree's base traps moisture against the trunk, which can cause rot.
And when mulch is too deep, it prevents your tree's roots from getting the oxygen they need.
Should you fertilize a newly planted tree?
No, Long says.
“Don’t fertilize a new tree for the first 12 months, he says.
It’s tempting, he knows. Babies need nourishment, right? Not tree babies.
Fertilizer encourages growth, and you don’t want to encourage too much growth before the tree is established.
Newly planted trees can’t absorb fertilizer nutrients until they develop a strong root system.
But here’s one thing you can do: give your new tree a root stimulant product to help it take root, establish a healthy root system, and increase soil fertility.
These products have low actual fertilizer content. The ingredients focus more on root promotion than top growth.
Once your new tree or shrub has had a year to settle in, fertilize it. It’s important now.
At Lawn Buddies, we use a 16-16-16 fertilizer, a good all-purpose formula. It’s a balanced mix of 16% nitrogen, 16% phosphorus and 16% potassium that supports photosynthesis and leafy green growth, stimulates blooming, builds strong roots and improves overall plant hardiness.
What causes sunscald, and which trees are most at risk?
Winter in Eastern Idaho still has plenty of sunny days that can dry out and burn bark, causing permanent, visible damage. Young trees' bark is especially susceptible to sunscald.
Water can also freeze under the bark at night and thaw in direct sunlight the next day, splitting the bark.
Sunscald can weaken trees and make them more susceptible to pests and disease. The damage can also create entry points for insects.
Young trees with thin bark, such as honey locust, linden, sugar and red maples, beech and flowering crabapples, are most susceptible to sunscald. Use protective tree wrap for winter.
Wrap the trunks of these young trees with paper tree wrap.
This also protects against frost cracks, which happen when dark bark heats up in the sun and then quickly cools in the night's chill.
At Lawn Buddies, we don’t offer tree wrapping, but Long says homeowners can easily handle it.
He also suggests homeowners protect vulnerable arborvitae and other evergreens from freezing wind.
Evergreens in Eastern Idaho are susceptible to winter burn. They lose moisture faster than their roots can replace it from the frozen ground.
Wrapping them in burlap in winter can keep their needles healthy. This winter protection also helps shield them from damage caused by road salt sprayed by passing plows.
If you have evergreens in windy, exposed areas, consider building a windbreak to protect them from drying winter wind.
Should you wrap new trees to protect them from hungry critters like rabbits and voles?
That’s not a big problem in Idaho Falls, Long says.
Choose spring or fall.
Spring planting here typically happens between March and May so new trees have plenty of time to root before a summer heat wave.
Fall planting is best in September, but definitely before the first frost, which is usually around late October here in Eastern Idaho. Plant early enough in the fall to water and fertilize trees before the ground freezes.
Pros like Long often prefer planting trees in spring. This gives the tree enough time to get the moisture and nutrients it needs to get a good start. Your new tree might not leaf out and bud to its full potential the first year, but it will be sturdier and hardier the second season.
Invest in a plant health care program to nurture your new tree for the long haul.
Once your new tree is established, after its first full growing season, it needs skilled plant health care to stay healthy and thrive. Trees go through a lot out there, from hungry bugs to invasive diseases. Plus, their roots are always hungry for nutrients.
That means occasional maintenance to battle bugs, prevent disease and feed your trees so they’re strong and healthy enough to handle whatever Eastern Idaho dishes out.
Give your beautiful new trees a strong start with plant health care in Idaho Falls that gives them everything they need to thrive for decades.
Our Idaho Falls customers who use our full-service lawn care program can also get expert tree and shrub maintenance.
Start by signing up for our 6-step complete lawn care program. We make it easy with Idaho Falls professional lawn care that bundles your yard’s most-needed treatments into one convenient, no-fuss plan.
Then add pro-level plant health care for all your trees.
Ready to give your new trees a great start? Fill out the form on this page, call us at (208) 656-9131 or visit our site to read more about our services. Then kick back and relax in your healthy, thriving yard, and start planning that tire swing.