Adding new trees to your yard provides many benefits, including shade and visual variations in your landscape. However, some homeowners discover dying trees shortly after installing them and wonder what happened. Knowing how to prevent transplant shock in trees keeps your lawn healthy, happy, and growing, so take a look at these tips from the best tree service professionals in Louisville, KY.
What Is Transplant Shock?
Planting a tree in an area, it doesn’t normally grow, or failing to plant and care for a new tree properly, can lead to transplant shock. This condition usually appears quickly in trees moved while in full leaf, with symptoms including the leaf colors turning like in autumn, leaves wilting or falling off, and branches dying.
Prevent Transplant Shock With These Four Tips
You can avoid transplant shock by following these easy tips:
1. Plant Native Species
Bringing in trees that don’t naturally flourish here in Louisville can, unfortunately, cause immediate transplant shock. Trees grow best depending on specific soil types, air temperatures, humidities, and other environmental factors. Transplanted trees coming from markedly different habitats have a higher likelihood of failing in new ones.
2. Plant the Tree and Water It Correctly
Plant the tree in similar soil that the tree came from, as trees suffer less when placed back in familiar soil. If you don’t have the same soil in your yard, you can dig a deep hole and fill it in preparation for the new tree.
Know how to prevent transplant shock in trees by ensuring that you water the tree heavily after its initial planting.
3. Add Mulch
Starting about two feet away from the base of the tree, lay mulch down in depths around two to three inches. This places the material far away enough from the trunk to let the tree breathe while allowing natural or manufactured watering to reach the root systems.
4. Don’t Prune or Fertilize
Wait for the tree to fully establish itself in your landscape before pruning it or adding fertilizer. This process can take as long as a year or more.
5. Keep Your Tree in Place
Once you’ve planted your tree, leave it where you plant it. Moving a newly planted tree can ruin its health and expose it to another round of transplant shock.
How to Treat Transplant Shock
Sometimes, no matter how many steps you take, your tree still ends up showing signs of transplant shock. When this happens, you can take steps to repair the problem, including:
- Water your tree well, even if it seems that the rain should water it enough.
- Use mulch wisely and remember to keep it away from the trunk, which can stress the tree further.
- Practice patience. Recovery can sometimes take up to three years.
Avoid Transplant Shock With the Top Tree Experts in Louisville, KY
Whether planting big trees or new saplings, knowing how to prevent transplant shock in trees can help you enjoy a more beautiful landscape. Call New Leaf Tree Service Louisville, KY, at (502) 419-9899 for a free estimate.