CONGRATULATIONS on your decision to purchase of a native tree from EarthWild Gardens!  There are a couple of things that you will want to consider in choosing, planting and caring for you tree.

The only way reduce long-term maintenance of trees is to choose the right plant for the site.  Check your soil conditions.  Do you have clay, loam, or sandy soil?  Is the location that you have chosen well-drained or does it collect water in the spring or after a storm?  How much sunlight does it get?  Answers to these questions will help assure you that you are ready to choose the right tree for your location.

SIZE

A 5 gallon up to 1.5-inch caliper tree needs to be mulched and watered for the first growing season.  Watering is only necessary during drought for the following year.  A larger tree must be watered every week during the growing season for the number of years for each additional inch caliper, hence the larger tree requires ongoing maintenance.  If you don't have that much time to water continuously, consider the smaller tree.  The smaller tree may even grow faster, enough to reach the same size as the bigger tree in a few years.

Another thing to keep in mind is that smaller trees come with small root balls and weigh as little as 50 to 150 pounds; whereas, a 4-inch caliper tree root ball weighs about 1400 pounds.  Smaller trees cost less to install and give the option for some people to install their own.

PLANTING

There are a few important recommendations for planting your own tree.  Trees from Possibility Place are grown in root bags.  Be sure to remove the plastic root bag if it is still around the root ball.  These bags are designed to keep roots contained at the nursery, so be sure you remove them so your tree can take root!  Burlap bags can be left untied around the root ball at planting.

The hole should be shallow enough so that the top of the root ball is 2 inches above grade. The hole should be about 2.5 times the width of the root ball.  After filling the hole, surround the perimeter of the backfilled area with a 3-inch high berm. This area creates a "saucer" which can assist in watering, and should be filled with mulch. Trees planted too deeply or surrounded a "volcano" of mulch, piled high around the trunk, will die prematurely.  The bark of the trunk must be open to the air, all the way down to the collar.

WATERING

Without a 2-inch rain once a week during the growing season, you must water your newly planted woody plants that much in order to get them established.  More frequent watering may be required if the plants are in gravel or sandy sites, and if we have temperatures in the 90's with no rain.  Once the woody plants are established, we really don't need to water unless we have a drought for 3 or 4 weeks.

Quantity of watering is always difficult, but I prefer to saturate the ball by filling the "saucer" twice weekly. Be careful with irrigation systems that treat grass, woody plants, and perennials as the same. They are not and require different zones for different watering regimens.