Trees growing in your yard and around your home provide beauty and a place for birds to live, help the environment by adding oxygen to the air, create a wind block for your yard, and shade to help keep your home and yard cool during the summer. But when you plant a new tree in your yard, it is essential to prepare the site and plant the tree to provide it the most healthy environment to ensure it flourishes. Here are some tips to help you when planting a new tree in your yard.
Prepare the Site
To plant a new tree in your yard, select a site that is away from your home's foundation to prevent the tree's roots from causing damage to your home and preventing proper tree root growth. You should dig the hole several times wider than the container your tree came in and at a depth of the container. Doing this loosens the soil around where you will be planting the tree to help healthy root growth.
Place the tree's root ball into the base of the hole and fill the soil around it as not to leave any air pockets. Compact the soil firmly to remove any air pockets. Create a basin with the surface soil to help keep water around the roots when you water the tree. Keep the roots moist at all times to ensure your tree's roots grow into the surrounding soil.
Mulch the Soil
Applying a layer of mulch around your tree will help keep the tree healthy. Add a layer of mulch several inches thick made of wood chips or bark, but keep several inches of clearance around the tree's trunk.
The mulch prevents soil compaction, keeps the soil moist around your tree roots, and helps insulate and protect your tree roots from extreme temperatures. Mulch also keeps weed growth down around your tree, as weeds can compete for space and moisture. Keeping a mulch perimeter also prevents the lawnmower from doing damage to your tree.
Check for Disease and Poor Health
Your tree can be at risk of damage from insects and disease, which can affect the health of your tree slowly and cause it to die without your even knowing it. For this reason, it is helpful to hire a tree health care professional to check your newly-planted tree for insect threats, disease, improper fertilization, compacted soils, and girdling of the roots. You can also hire a professional if you suspect a threat to its health. They can recommend and complete specific treatments to ensure your tree continues to remain healthy.
For more information, contact a company like Affordable Tree Care.
After thinking about how to keep some of the flowers in my yard alive, it occurred to me that we had some real problems on our hands. For starters, we had a bunch of overgrown trees that needed to be dealt with. The second thing we had to take care of was the fact that we were really behind on basic yard care. I started talking with friends and neighbors about what they did to make things better, and they recommended a local tree service company. After they came out and made some changes, my yard was gorgeous. Learn more about tree care on my blog.