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Texas Tree Surgeons employee removing synthetic material from the root ball to plant properly into the ground.

Tree Planting Basics

by Texas Tree Surgeons Tree Owner's Guide

A common mistake people make when planting a tree is to directly plant it into the ground from the container. Below are guidelines to follow to make sure you have planted your tree in the most optimal way possible.

Location

Choose the right tree for your site, and the right site for your tree!

Avoid planting tree’s close to one another and take into account potential obstacles for growth such as overhead or underground utilities that may prevent your new tree from thriving.

Timing

Winter and early spring are the best times to plant new trees.

When temperatures are cooler, trees are less active and can handle the stress of planting better. Planting before the growing season gives new trees an opportunity to become established before the stress of summer heat

Site Preparation

Before digging, especially if planting a larger tree, locate any underground irrigation or utility lines so that they will not be damaged. In Texas, homeowners (or their contractors) are required to contact Texas811 two business days before digging, even in their own yard.

  • Remove turf grass or other ground cover before digging
  • Dig the right-sized hole for the tree you are planting
  • In general, the hole should be three times the diameter of the container or roots of the tree to be planted

Planting

We have two guides that will show you how to plant a tree so you can avoid common issues like; girdling roots, improper depth, over/underwatering. The following links can be found here:

Initial Care

Plan to water your new tree at least once a week in the spring, fall, and winter, and twice a week in the summer. We have to guides that can be found here:

How to Water a Tree How-to Video

Maintain a proper mulch radius (3″-4″ deep, two to three feet from the trunk) around your new tree, adding more mulch as needed and as the tree grows. Learn more about mulch here:

Trimming

Young trees do not need to be trimmed for several years, but may benefit from structural pruning.

Additional Resources

Texas A&M Forest Service has tree planting guidelines online. In addition the International Society of Arboriculture also offers planting tips.

At Texas Tree Surgeons, we love trees and we love our community! We hope this blog on tree planting will take the guess work out of how to plant a tree. We have additional resources on our North Texas Tree Owner’s Guide. If you would like immediate assistance with your trees please contact us today.

North Texas Tree Owner’s Guide

Arborist inspecting the ground to assess a trees health

What is Tree Care?

by Texas Tree Surgeons Tree Owner's Guide

Trees are living organisms and can get a weakened immune system similarly as an animal or plant would. Watering and mulching are easy first steps to ensuring your tree stays healthy. We have a few more tips to help your tree thrive

Watering

With our hot, dry summers, and tendency for drought conditions, proper watering is the best thing tree owners can do to help their trees.

Mulching

The importance of mulching is often overlooked, especially when trees are planted in an area covered with turf grass, but mulch is an easy way to manage soil moisture, temperature, and contribute nutrients to less-than-ideal soils.

Fertilization and Soil Amendments

Fertilization can be a touchy subject; most readily-available fertilizers are not designed to improve soil and feed trees in the long term. Some products, like “weed and feed” treatments, can actually harm trees. For sustainable, long-term improvement, a balanced mix of organic and inorganic fertilizers and soil additives yield the best results.

Trimming

  • Timing
  •  Maintenance Trimming
    • Maintenance trimming is what most healthy trees need to maintain their health and balanced growth and is generally recommended every two years for mature trees.
  • Specialized Trimming
    • Structural pruning is generally performed on young trees, structural pruning helps to establish balanced, healthy growth.
    • Restoration pruning is generally performed when a tree has been topped, or has sustained other physical damage, restoration pruning can be used to guide it back to a natural shape.
    • Retrenchment pruning is generally performed on older trees that have less vigor and ability to sustain new growth and can often benefit from directed trimming that reduces overall size and weight while maintaining health.

Tree Health Care

At all stages of life, trees can suffer from stress, damage, pests, and diseases. “Tree health care” refers to the use of organic and inorganic chemical application to address a health issue or bolster a tree’s ability to cope with a stressor. Plant health care needs are determined by a certified arborist and treatments are performed by specialized technicians.

Common types of plant health care include:

  • Fertilization
  • Soil Amendment
  • Pesticide Application
  • Disease Management
  • Chemical Growth Regulation

Additional Resources

The International Society of Arboriculture has a guide on tree trimming and plant health care.

At Texas Tree Surgeons, we love trees and we love our community! We hope this blog on tree care will encourage you to annually schedule an arborist assessment to maintain tree health. We have additional resources on our North Texas Tree Owner’s Guide. If you would like immediate assistance with your trees please contact us today.

North Texas Tree Owner’s Guide