CARING FOR YOUR EVERGREEN & DECIDUOUS TREES

WATERING:

1. Water the trees daily for the first 2 weeks after installation, giving them 3-5 gallons of water each, depending on the size of the tree.
2. Check and water the tree(s) 2 times a week thereafter for the remainder of the first growing season, except in cases of severe drought or rainstorms.
3. Pay special attention to smaller, container grown trees. Soils in containers sometimes vary greatly from the soil now surrounding your tree, and may drain more quickly and dry out sooner than trees planted 'balled and burlapped' (with the same type of soil in your yard).

FEEDING:

1. Feed your trees at least once a year, in the spring, and preferably twice a year, in the spring and late fall.
2. Evergreen and shade trees like higher nitrogen fertilizer like 10-10-10 in granular form to promote full leaf and needle growth.
3. Flowering and fruiting trees prefer a balanced fertilizer such as 5-10-5 or 5-10-10, or a slow release organic fertilizer like 4-6-4.
4. Follow package directions for application rates, and do not over feed, as too much fertilizer can burn the roots of the plants.

WINTER PROTECTION:

1. Install plastic mouse guards on the trunk of fruit trees to prevent chewing damage over the winter
2. Spray an anti-desiccant such as 'Wilt-Pruf' on needled evergreens like hemlock, firs and spruces to prevent drying in winter winds. Spray as late in the fall as possible, and again in months of February and March are often the toughest for wind. The anti-desiccant will wear off by itself in the spring.
3. Wrap burlap around hemlocks, arborvitaes and other deer susceptible trees to prevent "deer pruning" in the winter months.