![\"DSC_0161\"](\"https:\/\/treefolkstest.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/DSC_0161-250x165.jpg\")
\nThe long hot summer is over, so now it\u2019s time to think about planting trees. \u00a0In Central Texas, the perfect time to plant trees was 20 years ago, but the next best time to plant trees is in the fall. \u00a0Prime planting season runs from Halloween to St. Patrick\u2019s Day —\u00a0and\u00a0fall is the very best time.<\/p>\n
Planting trees in fall allows the tree more time to become established before another hot summer starts. \u00a0As trees go dormant, they send a signal to their roots which causes the roots to have a surge in growth. \u00a0That surge happens again right as they come out of dormancy. \u00a0Planting in fall will result in the tree having two surges of root growth before the long, hot summer.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, so I\u2019ve planted my tree, but how much water should I be giving it now that it’s winter and the tree is not \u2018actively growing\u2019 because it\u2019s in its dormant phase?\u201d \u00a0While your tree will need less water once its leaves have fallen off, it will still need some water. \u00a0During dormancy, we recommend that you water:<\/p>\n When summer comes, you\u2019ll want to water your new tree once each week that it\u00a0doesn’t\u00a0rain at least one inch.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0As always,\u00a0check to see if your tree even needs water before putting on the hose. \u00a0Pull back the mulch (you did mulch your tree, right?) and put your finger\u00a0down into the soil a couple of inches to see if the soil is dry. \u00a0Too much water is just as bad for trees as too little water.<\/p>\n A few final words about mulch: \u00a0Always water your tree before you apply mulch, never apply mulch more than 2 inches thick, never allow mulch to touch the trunk of the tree, and remember to rake it back at least once each year to break up matting and allow water to penetrate. \u00a0Minerals can collect on the top of the mulch and cause it to repel water, so it\u2019s very important that you perform this maintenance at least annually.<\/p>\n The long hot summer is over, so now it\u2019s time to think about planting trees. \u00a0In Central Texas, the perfect time to plant trees was 20 years ago, but the…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[65,66,67],"class_list":["post-4703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-tree-care","tag-mulching-trees","tag-planting-trees","tag-watering-trees"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/treefolkstest.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/plant_your_tree_robertobrien-e1410968360873.jpg\")
\u201cBut wait,\u201d you say, \u201cwe\u2019re in a drought, should we be planting new trees? Shouldn’t we save the water to take care of the trees we already have?\u201d \u00a0While it\u2019s true that newly planted trees will need to be\u00a0watered more often than established trees, they don\u2019t require as much as you might think. \u00a0Estimates range from 6 gallons to 25 gallons per week during the active growing season. \u00a0Contrast that with other common uses of water – 3 gallons to flush a toilet, 30 gallons to take a bath, 10-20 gallons to run the dishwasher – and you see that the amount of water required to take care of a newly planted tree is actually quite negligible. \u00a0Because we are in drought, it is\u00a0crucial\u00a0that we continue to plant trees.<\/strong> \u00a0Trees have a finite lifespan and this drought is causing many trees to go into early decline and die. \u00a0Unless we continue to plant trees, we will see a huge loss to our urban canopy.\u00a0 The\u00a0Texas A&M Forest Service estimates more than five million<\/em> community trees died due to the 2011 drought.<\/p>\n\n
Rebecca Johnson is TreeFolks Education and Outreach Coordinator and is a ISA Certified Arborist TX 3567-A.<\/h5>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"