You might be surprised to learn that adding trees to your yard can keep your home cooler in the summer and reduce your household air conditioning bills throughout the season. The right tree, properly placed, can reduce your home’s summer cooling costs by up to 35%. And adding a shade tree that will cast a shadow on a porch or balcony can convert an outdoor space that’s effectively unusable during summer heat into a cool and inviting place for relaxing or entertaining. In the scorching heat of summer, having some shade can go a long way towards encouraging picnics, hangouts, and outdoor relaxation. Cooling down your yard the natural way, by planting a tree that will provide shade, is a smart way to make both the interior and exterior of your property more comfortable.
If you’ve decided you’d like to add a shade tree to your yard, where do you begin? How can you be smart about your new planting? What should you bear in mind?
1. Make the hole the right size
When you purchase a new tree, it will come in a container – the size of the container will depend on the size and age of your new tree. When making a hole for planting your new tree, you will want to dig a hole that is the same depth as that container – not deeper than that – and two to three times as wide as that container. Having a hole of that width will let the sapling’s roots spread out properly into looser, less compacted soil.
2. Plant when it is cool
When the summer sun is blazing at its hottest, a young or newly planted tree can get stressed and struggle. It is wiser to plant a new tree at dusk or in the early morning before the temperatures really rise. It’s equally a good idea not to plant a tree when the ground is still at risk of freezing in late fall, winter, or early spring, nor should you plant in the hottest part of the summer. Keep in mind that you want to stress a baby tree as little as possible.
3. Don’t pull out the tree
You do not need to pull the tree out of its container – that disrupts its root ball and stresses it. Instead, you can cut the container away. You can then put the intact root ball straight into the hole you have dug, and the root ball will be comfortably laid out, just how it was already resting. This is the most comfortable for the tree (and easier for you).
4. Do not prune yet
Let your young tree grow for at least one full year before pruning. This will give it a chance to get established and grow on its own before adding any additional stressors. Cutting your new tree back too soon in its growth and development can do unintended damage and stunt its overall growth. After a year of growth, your tree will be well settled into its new spot and will be ready to be tended to the way a more mature tree would be – less need for hydration or fertilization, and time for its first trim!
If you and your young tree are located in the Cincinnati area, we’re here to help you through the process of nurturing and protecting it. In the future, we can help you trim and maintain your more mature tree, as well. And one day, far in the future, you may even need to call us for a tree removal service, too (but that won’t be necessary for your sapling)! Here at Tree Images, we serve the entire Cincinnati area’s trees through their whole lifecycle. Give us a call for help with any step along the path.
