Planting Steps

1. Don’t locate your hole in the same spot where a previous tree grew and consider the size the tree will become when you plant it.  Before digging, contact local utilities to locate any buried services.
2. Dig a hole 2-3 times wider than the root ball of your tree to enable your tree’s roots to thrive and establish. The soil in the top of the root ball should be level with the surface of the ground. No deeper! Failure in the first 5-20 years of new trees can be directly related to being planted too deep.
3. Remove your new tree from the nursery pot.
4. Check your root ball for girdling or circling roots. Circling roots need to shaved or cut to make them vertical or straightened so that they do not constrict the growth of the tree in the future. Do not cut any roots that are larger than 2” in diameter.
5. When placing your tree into its new home make sure the root ball is flush with the bottom of the hole with no gaps to ensure your tree stable and secure. Then fill in the dirt around the tree.
6. After filling the dirt in around the root ball it is important to water your tree immediately and fertilizer is recommended.

After Care Tips

Newly planted trees have root systems that have been disturbed and are not well established – they require additional care for the planting to be successful.  These care tips will help your tree thrive in its new home.

• Watering

The number one cause of death in newly planted tree is lack of water. Following a watering schedule is crucial for the first year.  This is a general schedule that you can modify depending on rain, heat, and wind.

• Fertilizer

Del’s recommend ferti-lome Root Stimulator. This fertilizer aids in development and vigor of your plant’s roots. To use this fertilizer, mix the fertilizer with water by the listed amounts on the bottle. Once you have the water and fertilizer mixed together you may water your tree with the mixture. This fertilizer works best directly after planting and can be used once every 10 days for up to 4-6 weeks.

• Mulch

Benefits the tree and the area appearance. Mulch is great in assisting the soil in more ways than one. Mulch aids in maintaining moisture levels in the soil which is important for tree growth to retain water for your roots to uptake. Mulch also serves a barrier for soil erosion and weed growth. Another important benefit is its ability to regulate soil temperature. It can keep your soil cooler in the warm season by retaining the moisture and can keep your soil warmer for the roots in the cool season during harsh winters. Academic studies have published measured results comparing tree growth with and without mulch.  In some cases, the trees that had mulch grew twice as quickly.

• Staking

Not always needed but recommended in windy areas. If necessary, use flexible straps on a lower mid-section of the truck, this potion helps keep the root ball secure and allows the tree to move in its natural pattern. To protect your tree when staking, do not use wire, rope, or twine, these materials can injure your tree. In situations where staking is necessary for freshly planted trees the stakes will only be needed for 1-2 years. After that first year or two the stakes can be removed and your tree should have the root development and strength to support itself. Staking should not be used longer than a year or two. If used for a longer period of time you risk injuring or inhibiting the growth of your tree.

• Pruning

Often over looked but is a key factor in your tree strength and appearance. Pruning should be done in the dormant (cool) season of late winter into early spring (February – March). Do not cut any branches with a diameter larger than 4” due to the risk of disease vulnerability and decay. Make sure the tools used are cleaned before pruning one tree or between pruning multiple trees to prevent spreading disease.

You want to remove any codominant leaders and/or branches to eliminate the risk of breakage and injury to the tree, property, structures, and pedestrians. As well as remove branches that cluster or are directed below another branch. When pruning branches, it’s preferred to have 1.5’-2’ between vertical branches that are directly above or below one another. It is important not to over prune, which can severely injure your tree. Ideally, pruning is done regularly, over time so that the tree is able to recover from one pruning before the next.

• Tree guards

Great options to resist deer and rabbits. Tree guards are great for preventing deer rubbing and rabbits chewing from taking place and injuring your tree.  In some cases, tree guards can help prevent weeds from growing around the base of the trunk. Tree guards should be removed in the Spring and reapplied in late Aug or Sept.

• Deer protection

Locations with deer populations can experience damage from deer that eat the leaves and deer that rub their antlers.  In those cases, it is recommended to add stakes around the tree to block the deer from being able to reach the tree.  You want to visit Del’s to discuss repellants as well.

Tree Warranty

Del’s offers a one-year return on the amount paid for your shrub, evergreen, shade tree, fruit tree, woody vine, or hardy shrub rose and a 30-day return for any houseplant, tender rose, or perennial which fails to grow.​

​Damage by mammals, insects, acts of God, or mechanical injury is excluded.  As are replacements and planning labor.  Store credit will be issued for qualified returns, which need to be brought back to Del’s.  If a paper or electronic receipt can not be located, the store credit will be 50% of the current price.

Professional Tree Planting

Our experienced Landscape crew follow these tree planting practices. This tree planting calculator will estimate the service fee to have your trees planted. This calculator does not include the price of the tree but includes the labor, truck(s), equipment, grow tabs, mulch, and travel distance.

Landscape Crew Installation

When opting to hire our Landscape crew to install your tree, these are the tasks and responsibilities that the landscape team will provide you.

• Contact local utilities to locate any underground services before we arrive.
• Our crew will deliver the tree from Del’s Garden Center.
• Dig the proper size hole necessary for the size of tree you selected.
• Shave the root ball and cut girdling roots if needed
• Place grow tabs in the bottom of freshly dug hole and place the tree directly on top of the grow tabs (a slow-release fertilizer) and fill then proceed to fill in the soil around the tree
• After planted the team will mulch around the base of the tree to protect it from weeds, erosion and to help with moisture and temperature control
• Our Landscape crew offers maintenance services including watering and weeding.