Caring for Newly Planted Trees

From Our City Partner – the City of Charlotte provides technical and arborist expertise as part of the TreesCharlotte team.

Summer Tree Care, May-September

• Water with five gallons weekly
• No need to water again if your tree has gotten an inch of rain during the week.
• Make sure the mulch is 4 feet in diameter around your tree, 6 inches deep and does not touch the trunk.
• Remove weeds and grass and add mulch.
• Do not use lawn equipment near the base of your young trees. Weed eaters and mowers can injure and even kill your tree.
• Delay major pruning until winter. Remove dead or broken branches, and root suckers, growing up from the base of the tree.

Trees Benefit Water and Prevent Erosion

• Promote water quality by serving as a natural filter and storage system
• Reduce runoff pollutants
• Slow evaporation with shade
• Decrease erosion of stream banks and shorelines
• Reduce flood risks by storing excess storm water runoff
• Moderate stream temperatures and sunlight, keeping fish and other aquatic life healthy

Urban Forest Fact: A forested acre next to a stream eliminates run off, but if that acre is a parking lot it produces 27,000 gallons of hot and polluted run off to the stream.

For more tree care tips go to treescharlotte.org