Most planted trees in the Austin area are container grown trees. Most container grown trees develop girdling roots. If you’ve planted a tree, there is a good chance this is going to be an issue for your tree. Girdling roots are a serious problem. The end result is the tree literally choking itself. Tree death is the typical result from severely girdling roots. Even if your tree is lucky enough to survive, overall health and vigor will be poor. Behind construction and weed-n-feed damage, this is probably the third most prevalent and serious tree issue I run into out in the field (especially for transplanted trees). The picture to the left shows a typical looking girdling root. Keep in mind these aren’t always visible from surface level. Sometimes you have to dig down to find them.
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Category: Tree Planting
How to Water a Newly Planted Tree
You absolutely must water your tree properly if you want any newly planted / transplanted tree to thrive. I highly recommend an automatic sprinkler system and/or tree bubbler. A tree’s planting site is going to determine the final watering regimen exactly, but here are some guidelines to help you get started.
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Planting New Trees In Oak Wilt Sensitive Areas
Oak wilt is a serious problem in central Texas. It kills neighborhoods worth of trees at a time. Implementing control programs is crucial, but implementing programs to plant replacement trees is arguably more important. But, what kind of trees should be planted?
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What is a Good Fast Growing Shade Tree for Austin and Central Texas? – Red Oak
What is the best fast growing shade tree to plant in Austin? Here is my answer: red oak. There are several factors that must be considered, and there are special precautions you need to take. No tree is fool proof. Continue reading What is a Good Fast Growing Shade Tree for Austin and Central Texas? – Red Oak
Tree Selection. How to Pick a Tree.
There are two basic categories you need to address when it comes to tree selection. What is the best tree for your planting site and how to pick a quality specimen. You need to get these two things right or all you labor will be for nothing.
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How to Plant a Tree
Planting a tree is slightly more complicated than digging a hole and sticking a tree in it, but not too complicated. Follow these quick tips and your new tree will be sheltering you from the sun in no time. And, by that, I mean in a few years.
The first step is to pick a tree, but that is another blog. Once you have the right tree it’s time to find the right place to plant it. The rookie mistake here is to look around at the ground to find your spot. LOOK UP! You want to find a place where adjacent trees’ canopies won’t be crowding your new tree too much. You want an open view of the sky from your planting spot.
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Water Your Trees, How Much and When
You should water your trees. Watering your tree can be the best treatment for improving tree health. But, watering improperly will provide zero or negative help to your trees and waste a valuable resource. The complicated part of knowing how much to water is recognizing that different trees have different needs and different planting sites will have different drainage and water holding characteristics. This blog isn’t about learning to be a hydrologist, but here are a few general tips to point you in the right direction for properly hydrating your tree.
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