Our team will dig the hole and plant your tree.

We’ll circle back in a year or two to pick up the stakes and straps but for now just leave them on; these will help keep your tree upright.

We’ll also leave a layer of organic mulch which you should protect and maintain. Mulch retains moisture, reduces weeds, and is a good reminder to keep lawnmowers and weed whackers away.

We follow the 3-3-3 method of mulching: no more than three inches of mulch depth, at least three inches away from the trunk, and three feet wide.

The wider the mulch ring, the greater the benefits in encouraging outward root growth — just be sure to keep it free of weeds (and grass).

Newsflash: trees need water.

Each week during the growing season your tree should receive 5 to 10 gallons of water. This includes rain.

Sounds simple right?

The important thing to note is that too much water can be just as damaging as too little so you have to spread out those gallons over 3 to 4 watering sessions each week.

It’s critical to let the water slowly seep down to the roots. Try using a trickling hose or a five gallon bucket with a few small holes.

Pruning may seem scary at first. After all, this is your baby. You’ve been caring and nurturing it up to this point and now you’re gonna take a pair of shears to it and start lopping it apart.

It’s not as bad as it sounds.

On newly planted trees, only prune the 3Ds: dead, diseased, or damaged branches.

After the second year, use this illustration as a guide on how to properly shape your tree.

Never remove more than 1/4 of your tree’s live branches in one year.