CARING FOR TREES
Tree Guardians are the secret behind the high survival rate of our trees.
It is vital that a newly planted street tree is given adequate attention over the first three years following planting.
Watering and care tips - for best practice
Please give a single watering of 20 litres as soon as the tree is planted to replace any water lost in transit and to help the soil settle around the roots.
For 2026, please start watering your trees two weeks after you see new green growth (we have tailored this advice in light of recent wet conditions).
You can stop watering when the leaves start to change colour in autumn (unless it’s an evergreen species). Generally speaking, you might expect to be watering from late March until early October.
Follow the '20 litres in one visit' routine (a standard watering can is 10 litres, but check / measure yours, don’t assume!) to soak the soil and encourage strong root growth from the start.
Watering should usually be weekly. However, in mild spring or autumn weather it can be fortnightly. In hot weather it must be weekly (for the first two summers), and we might recommend extra water be given during those spells (keep an eye out for our email alerts).
For the third year of watering, reduce the frequency of watering but not the amount. After three years, the tree should not need further watering (unless it has struggled to establish or there is a drought).
If your tree is an evergreen, then you should continue to water it with 20 litres once a month from November to February, discontinuing if there is a hard frost or very wet weather.
Involve neighbours and set up watering groups – especially when there is more than one tree to care for, but even when there is just one. Support can be especially helpful during hot summers.
Always water using the irrigation pipe or gator bag provided (if you have neither, let us know). Where there’s an irrigation pipe, please also water the soil around the top of the root ball and the four corners of the pit. Where there’s a gator bag, please also water the four corners of the pit. Do not water the base of the trunk.
If possible, mulch to retain moisture – bark clippings, leaf mould or wood chip. Lay in a doughnut formation, making sure that the mulch does not lie against the bark of the tree (where it might cause rot).
Remove wild vegetation that will compete for available water (additional planting around the tree should be avoided during the first two years). If you need to remove mulch to weed, please re-mulch afterwards.
Consider combining watering with feed if the tree isn’t thriving, but only use something suitable for trees such as a seaweed based feed.
Ensure that you never: use hot water; use water containing any bleach; place any de-icing salts around the base of the tree. It is fine to reuse greywater from washing-up.
If you find foxes are digging in the tree pit (this can happen in particular when trees are recently planted), anything which covers the soil surface but allows water to penetrate should discourage them, such as broken pieces of tile or slate.
Expect to receive email reminders or alerts from us. If none appear, check spam folders and/or get in touch.
More than just water
Please get in touch if your tree is not thriving or if you have concerns of any kind.
Always report: damage to bark; broken branches; branches overhanging the road at risk from vehicles or branches obstructing the pavement; problems with posts, cages or straps; pests and diseases.
And it doesn’t have to be bad news, we’d love to hear your stories of trees doing well!
‘If you plant trees from good stock, at the right time, and provide enough water, you’d lose almost none prematurely. But get that wrong, and more than half can die.’
— Russell Miller, London-based arboricultural consultant (Guardian 1st August 2019)