TREE CARE MADE EASY
Easy-to-follow watering tips for a healthy, thriving tree!
Easy-to-follow watering tips for a healthy, thriving tree!
Be sure to water your tree immediately after planting. Place your hose at the base of your tree's trunk. Turn the hose on a very slow trickle. Let the hose run for 1 hr. Repeat weekly.
Consistent tree watering with a newly planted tree for the first few growing seasons will give your tree the healthy start it needs to thrive.
Follow this simple watering plan for the first few years after planting, watering weekly throughout spring, summer, and fall.
Using a high-quality hose will be beneficial. A durable hose will last longer and withstand outdoor conditions. For a continuous row of trees, you might also consider using a soaker hose.
· DO NOT use an irrigation system to water your tree: This will likely result in either an underwatered or overwatered tree, causing it to die.
· DO NOT over-water your tree: Please, stick to once a week, and your tree should flourish.
· Check the soil: If you need more clarification about when to water, dig down at the drip line of your tree, about 6 inches from the surface, and check for moisture. The soil should be wet enough to form a ball but not dry and crumbly to the point where it falls apart. If your tree's soil is over-saturated, it will run through your fingers. If the soil is dry, it means it needs water. If the tree's soil is runny, your tree is over-watered, and you should let up on watering for the week.
These handy devices only take 5 minutes to fill and release water slowly. Refill the watering donut 1x each week. If it rains 1" or more in a week, skip that week's watering and resume the following week.
To use, place the watering bag flat on top of the mulch around the tree's base, with the hose opening facing up. You can fill the watering donut and leave it in place, or take it off after it drains completely and put it back on when it's time to water again.
Or, if you'd like, you can keep the watering device on the mulch during spring, summer, and fall. Be sure to place it in storage for the winter.
The watering device can then be placed back on around the tree in spring, once everything thaws back out, around the middle to end of April. Use it for the first few growing seasons to help establish strong roots.
· DO NOT stake your newly planted tree: Newly planted trees left unstaked will develop a stronger and more resilient trunk than a tightly staked tree.
· DO NOT use fertilizer on your new tree: Fertilizing your newly planted tree within the first year of being planted is not recommended.
· DO NOT severely prune your new tree: One of the benefits of purchasing a large tree is that the nursery has already taken care of any crucial pruning before we plant your tree. As your tree grows, you may need to remove the lower limbs if they cause obstruction. Dieback or dead branches are common in newly planted trees due to transplant shock and stress. Prune out dead branches, and the tree will replace them given time.
Pro Tip → When replacing mulch, please expose the tree's root flare. Avoid placing mulch up the trunk of the tree.
Tree wrap can help protect the tree from frost-crack, sunscald, and animal damage, which can occur in winter.
Our Arborist Alliance Partner Program connects iTrees.com customers with local arborists who can provide professional tree care services to ensure lasting tree health.
Right now, we deliver and install trees in select counties across Illinois and Indiana but we’re always growing (pun intended)!
If your county isn’t on our list yet, don’t worry—we might still be able to help! Depending on your location, a minimum tree order or a small delivery fee might apply.
Have questions or live just outside our area? Give us a shout! We’d love to see if we can bring some trees your way!
We proudly deliver and plant trees across a wide range of communities in Illinois — and this is just a glimpse!
Chicago, Hyde Park, Oak Park, Evergreen Park
Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Lake Forest, Highland Park, Deerfield
Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Schaumburg, Park Ridge, Des Plaines, Lincolnshire
Naperville, Glenview, Wheaton, Oak Brook, Hinsdale, Downers Grove, Elmhurst
Frankfort, Orland Park, Joliet
Aurora, St. Charles, Burr Ridge
Lake, Porter, Newton, Jasper