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Homeowner in a plaid shirt and jeans planting a young tree and placing dirt around the small trunk with a shovel on their residential property in Troy, IL.

How to Properly Care for Young Trees

If you are looking for a young tree to plant on your property in Troy, IL, our team at A-Unlimited Tree Service is here to offer you quality tips on how to properly care for this new addition to your home. Believe it or not, planting young trees can cause a great deal of stress on the roots and branches, making it even more important to know what to do to keep it in good health so that it will thrive on your property! Keep reading below for 4 tree care tips from a professional arborist on the best ways to care for young and newly planted trees.

Planting Young Trees

Planting your tree is the most crucial step in the entire process, setting your tree’s growth up for success or failure depending on the quality and accuracy of the planting. All trees should be planted at the level of soil at which they are currently growing. Burying your trees too deep can cause your roots to suffocate and decay, or even allow them to become susceptible to disease over time. When planting the roots of your tree, be sure to remove any rope, wire, or burlap covering the bark or branches of the tree, and do not add any excess soil to the roots. At A-Unlimited Tree Service we specialize in residential and commercial tree planting services to all of our customers in the Troy, IL area.

Two homeowners watering and placing dirt around their young and newly planted tree in Troy, IL.

How Often to Water Young Trees

Watering your young tree is one of the most important steps to master to keep it healthy all year round. After your tree has been planted, water the soil approximately 2-3 times a week for the first month and then once a week until it is at least 6 months old. After the 6 months, you can begin to water your tree less often, about once every other week until the first year, twice a month in year two, and once a month after your tree’s 3 years of growth. At A-Unlimited Tree Service in Troy, IL, we specialize in offering quality watering services for young trees within their first few years of life so that you do not have to worry about forgetting when to water your young tree.

Mulching

As soon as you have planted your young trees on your property in Troy, IL, be sure to invest in a quality mulch to place around the trunk of your tree. Putting mulch around your young tree helps to keep moisture within the soil, suppress weeds, and keep the temperatures of your soil at a normal temperature all year round. Not only does mulch protect the roots and soil of your tree, but it helps protect it from too-close lawn mowers, fertilizers, and other landscaping chemicals. Only spread about 2-4 inches of mulch under your young trees starting 3 inches away from the base of the trunk. Call our professional landscaping staff at A-Unlimited Tree Service in Troy, IL for quality mulch services.

Professional arborist wearing green and yellow gloves while using a small pruning tool to cut the branches on their young fruit tree in Troy, IL.

Pruning Your Young Tree Branches

When it comes to pruning your young tree branches, less is more! Newly planted trees should never require pruning for the entire first year that they have been planted unless they are suffering from severe damage due to a storm. If you choose to prune your young trees, it can cause damage to the entire tree, weakening the branches over time and exposing them to harmful pests and weather conditions. Once your tree has developed new roots beneath the soil, usually within 1-3 years, then pruning is an option to consider with your local arborist at A-Unlimited Tree Service in Troy, IL.

Call our shop today at (618) 667-9885 for more information on how to properly care for your young and newly planted trees!

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