| Congratulations on your new tree. I hope you will | | | | increased drainage. |
| enjoy it for years to come. Of course, in the | | | | By the end of two months, you can generally |
| words of Pepper Provenzano, "When you plant a | | | | taper off to watering twice a week. You will not |
| tree, you plant a legacy." To get the most out of | | | | need to worry as much about the original root |
| your tree, and to extend the legacy it represents, | | | | ball, though you should still be aware of times |
| you will need to help it establish roots in its new | | | | when it is extremely dry and give it a spritz if it |
| home. | | | | reaches that point. Meanwhile, you should be |
| But be careful to avoid too much of a good thing; | | | | watering a fairly wide area around the tree. The |
| if the soil is already moist, adding more water can | | | | roots that absorb water and nutrients grow |
| encourage fungal diseases or other problems, so | | | | outward more than downward; you really don't |
| always test with a finger to see if the top three | | | | need to get water any deeper than 18-24 inches. |
| inches of soil are dry before adding more water. | | | | At the 3-6 month range, continue to taper off |
| Make sure you are digging through the mulch and | | | | frequency and water a wider area. For most of |
| checking moisture in the soil. | | | | the first year, you will probably want to stick with |
| Container-grown trees face a challenge when first | | | | watering every 4-5 days. In really hot, dry |
| planted because the native soil tends to be | | | | weather, you still might need to water more |
| different than the container soil. In Austin, typically | | | | often. After a year, the tree should be fairly well |
| the native soil is heavy clay, which is dense and | | | | established, and you can taper off to once a |
| heavy. Moisture will quickly soak out of the root | | | | week. Continue through the second year to make |
| ball and into the surrounding soil, causing the tree | | | | sure the tree is off to a strong start. After two |
| to dry out quicker than normal. Your role at this | | | | years, you can continue watering once a week, |
| early stage is to gradually train the roots to | | | | but if you'd like you can just go for a deep |
| spread into the native soil while keeping the | | | | soaking once every two weeks or so. This should |
| container soil from getting too dry too soon. | | | | generally serve you well for the rest of the tree's |
| You will want to start out by watering frequently | | | | life, though in times of severe drought even |
| at the base of the tree, then slowly taper off | | | | mature trees sometimes need extra water now |
| frequency while increasing volume and area of the | | | | and then. |
| irrigation. How often and how much you water will | | | | Your tree should have started with a three-inch |
| depend on the tree, the container soil, your native | | | | deep layer of hardwood mulch. This blankets the |
| soil, and weather, just to name a few factors. So, | | | | soil, helping to keep moisture from evaporating. |
| although we will offer some general guidelines for | | | | Over time, the mulch will decay and become part |
| watering, the only way to be sure your tree | | | | of the soil. Check periodically to make sure you |
| needs water is to dig into the soil and see if it is | | | | still have plenty of mulch; it should be a layer 3.5 |
| moist. Water when the soil is fairly dry in the top | | | | inches deep, but should not be piled against the |
| three inches of the original root ball. Stop watering | | | | base of the tree trunk. It should cover as wide an |
| when the soil is moist; you do not want to make | | | | area as possible. If you are attached to your |
| the soil soggy or leave the tree standing in water | | | | lawn, it can coexist with your tree, but you should |
| for long periods of time. | | | | understand that grass is a very good competitor |
| Typically, we plant in the Fall in Austin, so milder | | | | for water and nutrients. Giving the tree a buffer |
| temperatures prevail and the soil may stay wet | | | | zone with no grass will allow it to thrive where a |
| longer. If we have warm days or dry winds, it | | | | tree with grass right up to the trunk will merely |
| might be wise to water once or twice a day in | | | | survive. |
| the beginning. These will be small amounts of | | | | As for fertilizer, we do not usually recommend it. |
| water applied directly to the container root ball. If | | | | Most Austin soil is low in nitrogen but high in |
| you never saw the tree before it was planted, | | | | potassium and phosphorus. Rather than apply a |
| focus the water around the base of the tree and | | | | granular fertilizer that applies all of these elements, |
| outward approximately two feet from the trunk. | | | | we prefer top-dressing the lawn in Spring and Fall |
| Of course, a good rain may allow you to skip | | | | with composted manure, which is mostly nitrogen. |
| watering for a few days. Again, poke a finger into | | | | A thin layer (¼ to ½ inch deep) |
| the soil to see if it is dry before adding more | | | | spread on the surface of your lawn will invigorate |
| water. You will need to test for moisture in the | | | | the soil ecosystem. It will also form humic acid as |
| native soil separately from the container soil to | | | | it decays, thus freeing up some nutrients that |
| avoid creating a swampy area. | | | | may be bound up with calcium in our soils due to |
| After a week or two, the tree should begin to | | | | high alkalinity. This, along with mulch, is all most |
| spread into the native soil. Continue to water the | | | | trees need. |
| root ball as needed, but every two or three days, | | | | After a year or two, your young tree may |
| soak the area just beyond the ball. Think of it as | | | | benefit from pruning to develop a strong |
| inviting the roots outward. It will probably take | | | | structure. Spending a little money on the tree |
| longer for the water to soak into clay, so a slow | | | | early can save a lot of expense and stress to the |
| drip might be better than running water out of | | | | tree later. For example, a quick cut to eliminate a |
| the hose. You can buy inexpensive soaker hoses | | | | poorly attached limb becomes a huge, expensive |
| that you can circle around the tree for this | | | | project if the tree is allowed to grow for several |
| purpose, but a sprinkler will work fine in most | | | | years without addressing the problem. You may |
| cases if you prefer it. In sandy soils, it may be | | | | want to hire an arborist to advise you or prune |
| necessary to water more to allow for the | | | | the tree for you when the time comes. |