Trees add nature to your neighborhood and support songbirds and other pest-eating creatures like ladybugs and ground beetles. They pull pollutants out of the air and they capture rain water so it doesn’t wash pollution into our local rivers and streams. Trees around your house can also reduce your cooling bills and add value to your property.
Select the right tree for your spot
- Pick a tree that’s right for your site. Pay particular attention to size, soil, water and sunlight requirements.
- When possible, choose trees native to your region.
- For tree ideas, check out Friends of Trees or Great Plant Picks.
Dig the hole only as deep and twice as wide as the root ball
- Make your hole twice as wide but only as deep as the root ball and be sure the bottom is firm.
- Deeper, looser-bottomed holes can lead to sinking trees susceptible to rotting trunks. Skinnier holes can lead to roots wrapping around and around, choking the tree from future growth.
Plant right so roots grow strong
- Before planting, remove any soil above the root collar (where the highest root grows out of the trunk). The collar should be at or slightly higher than the soil surface after planting.
- If roots are wrapping around the inside of the pot, loosen and spread them.
- The soil at the bottom of the hole should be firm.
- It's best not to add compost or fertilizer to the soil when planting because this may prevent roots from growing beyond the hole.
- When staking, tie the tree loosely to the staeks so it can move a little in the wind and develop strong roots and trunk.
Water your tree in and then weekly during the next three summers
- For the first three years after planting, water your trees 10 to15 gallons each week in summer and in any dry spell longer than two weeks. After that, a well chosen tree should not need any irrigation.
- Water slowly so that water soaks in rather than runs off. Ooze tubes, drilled buckets or soaker hoses can make watering easier.
- Once established, a well chosen tree should not need irrigation.
Mulch around the tree but not against the trunk
- A thick ring of mulch within a three foot radius will help prevent weeds and scorched roots, and help the soil retain water.
- Keep the mulch at least three inches away from the trunk to allow air flow and prevent plant diseases.
Use nontoxic weed and pest control
- Pull weeds by hand in the three-foot radius around your new tree.
- Remove pest insects like aphids with a strong blast of water from a hose.
- Prune off leaves or branches that show signs of disease.
Get credit on your water bill for planting a tree through the City of Portland's Treebate program.
For more information, check out links above as well as Clean Water Services’ Tree for All.