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How to Care for New Trees & Shrubs in Ohio

7 min read

Newly planted trees and shrubs in Ohio lawnKeeping new trees and shrubs alive requires a lot more attention and care than most people realize. It might look like your plants are in fine shape, but the stress they’re under is actually enormous. It can take many years for young, new trees and shrubs to become acclimated to their new growing conditions and you want to do everything you can to support them and protect your investment. After all, the last thing that you want is to have to replace your landscape because you didn’t properly maintain it early on.

If you have new trees or shrubs on your property, then you might be wondering what they need to perform at their best. You want your landscape to mature as quickly as possible without any hassles. To help provide you with the information you need, we’ll discuss how you can focus on caring for new trees and shrubs in Ohio in a way that will allow them to thrive.

Watering Newly Planted Trees & Shrubs

Though it sounds simple, proper watering is the most important factor when it comes to keeping new trees and shrubs alive. That’s because your plants, particularly large ones, require quite a bit of “TLC” to repair their root systems after being transplanted. New trees and shrubs can dry out easier than most people realize. We find that most Ohio homeowners tend to underestimate just how much water their new trees and shrubs require.

Of course, exactly how much water your plants need is dependent upon factors like plant size, soil structure, and temperature—so it’s going to vary. A general rule of thumb is that you should be watering approximately 3 to 4 times a week for the first year.

Keep in mind, there is no reason to water the leaves of your new trees and shrubs. In fact, watering from overhead may actually aggravate certain diseases. Instead, water at the roots using a soaker hose, which is an effective way to water since they’re porous and release water slowly. You could also use a regular hose set on a slow trickle or a drip irrigation system if you have one.

Fertilizer for Newly Planted Trees & Shrubs

Healthy trees and shrubsWhile many people think trees are self-sustaining, the truth is, they require some extra help. When planted in the forest, trees and shrubs have access to all of the nutrients they need to thrive. In the forest, leaves fall and decompose each year, providing soil teeming with beneficial microbial life and organic matter. Unfortunately, this simply isn’t true in an urban or suburban setting.

Fertilizing is particularly important for newly planted trees and shrubs, which are already under a tremendous amount of stress. These plants have gone through the transplanting process and are now trying to establish themselves in a brand-new environment. It can take a lot of time for them to get established and fully acclimated to their new setting. Fertilizing trees and shrubs can help in this process.

Promoting Better Soil Health

It’s important to recognize that fertilizer alone is not enough to help promote optimal health in your new trees and shrubs. While most people think of fertilization in terms of feeding the plants the major nutrients they use such as Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium, you should also be thinking in terms of “feeding the soil.” This is where real progress can be made.

It’s important to recognize that the soil around a newer home is typically not in great shape. When the foundation of your home was dug out, the healthy soil of the land was stripped to prep for building. That layer of topsoil, which may have been rich in living microorganisms that promote healthy plants, could have been replaced with subsoil plus whatever filler they put on top.

That’s why you want to aim to replace the soil biology which was lost.

The best way to ensure your plants get what they need is to choose a tree and shrub health care program that also includes bionutritional materials. A program like this promotes healthy soil by regularly introducing beneficial microbiological organisms, throughout the year.

Combatting Insect, Mite, and Disease Pressures

Tree inspection for insects and diseasesYour new plants are already under stress as a result of adapting to their environment. When you mix in potential insect, mite, or disease pressure on top of that, it’s a lot for a young plant to handle. These issues can often compound the damage your tree or shrub may experience.

Fortunately, there are solutions out there. A professional tree and shrub care expert can help you diagnose the problem and suggest additional cultural recommendations that will help improve plant health.

On top of that, having a proactive tree and shrub health care program will also add a layer of protection which will help your Ohio trees and shrubs defend against insects, mites, and diseases. Periodic treatments to target pests along with deep root fertilization that improves soil health will help your plants grow strong and healthy and naturally defend themselves from diseases, insects, and mites.

Additional New Tree Care Recommendations

Oasis Turf & Tree tree care consultationAt Oasis Turf & Tree, a big differentiator in the way that we help our clients care for their new trees and shrubs is that we’ll provide cultural recommendations on services needed, whether we offer them or not.

For instance, even though we don’t offer pruning services, we want to make sure that our clients are having their trees pruned properly as this can make a big difference in their health. Our highly trained technicians will leave notes making recommendations on what should be done. Our goal is to teach our customers exactly what’s going on with their landscape—and what additional services may be needed. If it does mean hiring another company, we want our clients to know exactly what they should look for.

At the end of the day, by choosing a lawn and tree service that truly has your best interest at heart, you can stop worrying that you’ll lose your valuable investment in your new trees and shrubs. Instead, you can feel confident that you have experts constantly looking out for your landscape and that it’s going to get what it needs to thrive.

If you want to find out more about tree and shrub health care for your Cincinnati, Dayton, OH, or Northern Kentucky home, call us today at 513-697-9090 to get your quote, let us help you choose a stand-alone program or bundle it with other services, and then sit back and relax knowing your new trees and shrubs are in good hands.

Check Out Our Tree & Shrub Care Program & Cost!

 

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