Suggested Tree Care
TOWN OF CARBONDALE
TREE WATERING GUIDELINES
How should I water my tree?
• When you water your tree, please water the entire planting area (the area that has been mulched and caged). The basic requirements are to water only when water is needed, and to soak the soil deeply when you water. This encourages the tree to send its roots deeper into the ground, which will both anchor it better and make it more drought tolerant.
• We have provided a section of soaker hose at the base of each tree. Simply hook your garden hose on and leave the water trickle overnight. The worst way to water your tree is to stick a hose at the base of the trunk and let water flood it. You can actually rot the tree at the base, even in our arid climate!
• Keep in mind that it’s much better for the tree to get a good soaking than it is for the tree to be watered frequently and shallowly (i.e. with a sprinkling system). Frequent watering will encourage the tree’s roots to stay close to the surface, instead of developing a good deep root system.
• Please keep the mulch several inches away from the trunk of the tree, so water does’t pool there and cause rotting. There is a layer of landscape fabric under the mulch, so the only place you will probably have a problem with weeds is close to the trunk. Pull any weeds that grow in this area.
How often does it need to be watered?
• As a general guideline, a good soaking once a week, and twice a week when we have extremely hot (90 degree) weather, should be about what your tree needs. Remember to take into consideration how much rain we are getting.
• To get a feel for how often your tree needs to be watered, you can dig down eight to ten inches (at the edge of the planting area, not at the base of the tree) and check for moisture content of the soil. If it is too dry to form a ball when squeezed, it needs water. If it makes a moist ball, it does’t need water. Don’t worry if the top inch or two of soil dries out. It’s a good idea to perform this test periodically throughout the first growing season, until you have a feel for how often you need to water.
• It’s important not to over water your tree, especially when it is first planted, since the tree is not yet anchored in the soil, and too much water can cause it to start to lean. If this happens, please call us so we can come straighten it.
Do I water year-round?
• Your tree should be watered on a regular schedule through the end of September, and then again from mid-April through September for the following four years. Starting in the fifth year it will need a good deep soaking once a month during these months. At that point its root system will extend well beyond the caged area, so you should soak a wider area. Carbondale’s weather can be unpredictable during the winter months, and it is important to continue providing the tree with water until the ground freezes – some years this could be well into December. Watering should begin again in late winter or early spring when the ground has thawed completely.
Back to the Top of the Page.
TOWN OF CARBONDALE
TREE PLANTING AND MAINTENANCE STANDARDS
FOR TOWN PARKS AND RIGHT-OF-WAY
All wire baskets and twine are to be removed from ball and burlap trees before they are planted, and removed from the planting site.
The width of the planting hole should be a minimum of three times the diameter of the tree’s root ball. This encourages growth around the root ball and results in a healthier tree.
When the tree is placed in the hole, the top of the root ball should be 1-2” above the soil. The tree will settle to the proper depth. The hole should not be dug a little deeper and then filled in, as the tree may then settle lower than is desired.
If the soil in the root ball is firm, the burlap should be removed from the tree (or the burlap can be cut away from the sides of the root ball, leaving a piece under the tree). If the soil in the root ball is loose, the burlap should be removed to just below the surface of the ground, and a few slits should be made in the burlap, so the burlap does’t wick the moisture away from the roots of the tree.
The planting hole is to be filled with the original soil. Topsoil should not be added unless there isn’t enough existing soil to fill the hole. Any topsoil used should be mixed thoroughly in the planting holes. This discourages the “potted plant effect”, where the roots stay in the area with the enriched soil, rather than spreading out to seek nourishment.
No fertilizer is to be used for the first year after planting a tree. Most of the roots of the tree were lost when the tree was dug at the nursery, and not enough roots remain for the tree to utilize fertilizer.
Trees are generally not staked unless necessary. If a tree needs to be staked, 2 stakes are used (placed in the ground outside the root ball). A strap is wrapped around the tree 2/3 of the way up the trunk, and a wire is placed in slits at the ends of the strap, and tied to the stake. A piece of wire inside a garden hose should never be used, as it will strangle the tree. The strap on the side of the direction that the tree is to be pulled is kept taut.
All trees should have a 4” layer of mulch placed at their base, beginning 6” away from the stem, and continuing out two feet. A rebar and wire care is then placed around the mulched area. This protects the trees from damage (primarily from deer and construction activity) during their establishment period.
Trees should be planted in spring (preferably), or early enough in the fall so they can begin to establish roots before winter begins.
Trees are to be watered once a week from spring to fall (twice a week during periods of extreme heat and no rain).
Trees are to be wrapped with tree wrap each fall after the leaves have fallen and unwrapped at bud break in the spring, for a minimum of three years after they are planted, in order to prevent sun scald.
Back to the Top of the Page.
No removal of trees is to occur in the public right-of-way without approval from the Public Works Department. Any tree to be removed shall be replaced with an appropriate tree at the discretion of the Public Works Director in accordance with the Tree Ordinance.
Protect existing trees and other vegetation to remain in place against unnecessary cutting, breaking or skinning of roots, skinning or bruising of bark, smothering of trees by stockpiling construction materials or excavated materials within drip line, excess foot or vehicular parking of vehicles within drip line. Do not cleanout concrete trucks or put excess concrete near trees. Avoid cleaning of tools or emptying of buckets whose materials contain paint or solvents that may harm the tree.
Prior to excavation, locate a 4’ high orange synthetic fence, a 4’ wooden lath snow fence or 6’ high chain link panel fence a minimum of 6’ from the trunk of existing trees. Set posts of fencing at 8’ intervals minimum. Where construction is within the drip line of the existing trees, locate the 6’ high chain link fencing panel at excavation boundary. Where possible, fence trees as a group.
During excavation, saw or cut roots off cleanly. Do not pull on roots with bucket of machine.
For trees adjacent to excavation and along access paths and roads, tie up branches of the trees so that machinery and trucks do not break off. In places where workman’s access will be crossing roots of trees, place 4” depth of large bark mulch covered with double overlapping plywood sheets on path to reduce compaction on roots. Place bark and plywood prior to commencement of excavation.
Provide protection of roots over 1.5” diameters that are cut during construction operations. Temporarily cover exposed roots with wet burlap to prevent roots from drying out, cover with earth as soon as possible.
Place protective fencing prior to removal of trees, shrubs, and other vegetation necessary for new construction. Cut minor roots and branches of trees to remain in a clean and careful manner, where such roots and branches obstruct installation of new construction. Use only hand methods for working inside drip line of trees indicated to remain.