The First Few Years

Whether a tree flourishes can depend on the care you give it when young and newly planted. Keep the following guidelines in mind.

Water when young. Water is an important factor in new tree nutrition. For all trees, follow a regular watering schedule for the first few years. Even a drought tolerant tree needs routine watering for the first three years after planting so that the roots develop enough to carry the tree through dry periods. A drought tolerant tree is not a cactus! A drought tolerant tree still needs water. It needs more water when young, as the term "drought tolerant" really refers to the tree's characteristics at maturity. Deep, thorough watering done occasionally is much better than shallow watering done every couple of days. Put a hose at the base of the tree and allow a trickle of water to flow for at least 45 minutes. The heavy clay soil common to Stillwater drains slowly, and you must allow time to elapse between watering.

Stake only if necessary. Unfortunately, with Oklahoma's almost constant winds, staking is usually a necessity. If the new tree is top heavy enough to topple in wind without a support, stake it. Don't stake trees the old way with wire and garden hose. The hose limits trunk growth. Use a soft collar of webbing or polyethylene fastened loosely around the tree. Other good material include pantyhose or socks. Attach it to stakes as low as possible to the ground to allow the tree some sway. Swaying in young trees promotes strong growth in the trunk and improves the root system. Never use wire or nylon twine for staking, they can cut through the trunk as the tree grows.

Fertilizing a new tree is not usually necessary or even recommended. Trees arrive from the nursery already storing a good supply of nutrients. It should not be necessary to add them while the tree establishes itself.

Mulch conserves water, slows down evaporation ofwaterfrom the soil, and helps keep the soil temperature consistent. A 2 to 4 inch layer of mulch should be placed around new trees. In this case, more is not better. Do not place more than 6 inches of mulch - that thick a layer could prevent air from reaching the roots near the surface.

Don't prune lower branches. Young trees increase in trunk girth faster if you allow lower branches to remain on the trunk for several years. Cut back low branches only if they show signs of growing at the expense of higher branches. 3 to 5 years is plenty of time to go back and trim the lower branches