-Plant Care-
Planting
Dig the hole slightly larger than the pot/bag. Place the tree in the hole, carefully teasing the roots out and firming up the soil around the root ball. Ensure that the tree is planted with the top of the root ball at the same level as the surrounding soil (do NOT put the soil higher as this will shut out the warmth & air it needs). For street/driveway trees you could place a small section of alkathene pipe in the ground by the root ball – this will enable you to directly water the root ball)
Staking
For large trees we suggest you use 3 stakes positioned so that they don’t touch the root ball. Use some soft tubing to tie the stakes to the tree. Do not use wire or covered wire. The tie should be about a metre above the ground. Staking is very important to ensure the root ball is given time to get established. Do this for at least the first year.
Watering
Once planted give the tree a good bucket of water to water it in. You will need to ensure in summer (depending on the weather) that it is watered every 3rd day or so. In winter a deciduous tree requires very little water.
Mulching
Cover the root zone with 3-4 inches of bark/mulch (not lawn clippings). If you have a chipper for branches etc then use the bark/mulch from that. Mulching also keeps the weeds down and means less spraying is needed.
Fertilizer
Place a long term (slow release) fertiliser tablet in the root zone when planting. This should feed the tree for over a year. There are top feed fertiliser available for trees. Sprinkle a handful around the base of the tree between October and mid-January – at 6-week intervals.
