TrTreeeess fo r th e SSaann AntonioRegiAntonioRegioonn A Guide to the Selection, Planting and Care of Trees in the Greater San Antonio Region Trees provide our community with cleaner air, cooler temperatures, shadier summers, beautiful landscapes, healthier children, and bountiful wildlife. City Public Service encourages every citizen to increase our tree canopy and maximize its benefits by selecting recommended trees for the San Antonio region and planting them in the appropriate location. Use this guide to assist you in planning your landscape, planting your tree, and providing maintenance. P LANNING YOUR LANDSCAPE Specific trees have been selected by the local regional experts as Why are you planting a tree? Do you want to beautify your appropriate for planting in the San Antonio region. It also landscape, shade your home for energy conservation, or contains information about foliage, flower, fruit, fall color honor an event? Knowing your specific goal will help you and attracting wildlife. select where to plant and what species of tree to select. For If you are still having trouble choosing the appropriate example, if you want to conserve energy in the summer tree to plant, consult with the local experts, such as the months, this requires a tree that will shade your roof and Texas Cooperative Extension, the Texas Forest Service, or a sides of your house from the summer sun. local arborist, landscape architect, nurseryman, or other qualified professional. Season When can you plant a tree? For best results, plant your tree Structure & Standards from November 1st through March 31st. This allows the How do you know it's the best quality tree? A good quality tree's root system to get established before the extreme tree has a straight and well tapered trunk, and should stand summer temperatures create considerable stress. Since we upright without stakes. Look for good branch structure live in a semi-arid region, trees planted in the summer where the branches are evenly distributed along the months require more attention and undergo more stress. upper two thirds of the trunk. The most important standard is a rootball size relative to tree canopy. The American Site Standards for Nursery Stock manual suggests the minimum Where can you plant the tree? Soil conditions will dictate root ball diameter should equal or exceed a ratio of 12" for how well or poorly your tree will grow. Shallow soil or rock each inch of trunk caliper. (Edwards limestone soils) may limit the depth of the Things to avoid are trees with circling roots, significant planting area you can dig. Compacted soils (Blackland wounds on the branches or trunk, signs of stress and insect clays) can limit proper drainage. Soils on a slope or sandy damage. soils may drain more quickly and therefore may require a When choosing a tree, consider that small young trees more drought-tolerant tree. In addition, the amount of can tolerate a smaller planting area, normally suffer less sunlight needed, or tolerance to winter temperatures are planting/transplant stress and may begin vigorous growth other special requirements to consider. quicker than larger trees. (continued) Space How much space does your tree need? How much space Plant canopy trees will your tree have to grow, both above the ground for Planting Near at least 25 feet canopy, as well as below the ground for root growth. Con - Utility Lines from utility line. sider proximity to pools, patio areas, sidewalks, utility lines, Canopy Tree transformers, and other special requirements, for example, Plant only leaves, flowers or fruit. Refer to the tree selection chart for utility-friendly, 25 feet information on mature height, spread, and setback from understory Power Power Pole 5 feet Pole powerlines. trees within 5 feet of 10 feet 10 feet Selecting power lines, What kind of tree should you select? Once you have and within determined your purpose, planting site and space 10 feet of Utility-Friendly requirements, use the tree selection chart to select a tree power poles. Understory Trees that meets your criteria. These canopy and utility-friendly To ensure Know compatibility with To attract utility lines. Your Purpose birds and wildlife For Planting To produce fruits and nuts To cool your home and conserve energy by shading roof, walls, and Water Conservation air conditioning unit with trees • Trees in the landscape can help conserve water. • Large landscape beds around trees can reduce the amount of irrigated To provide lawn area. a privacy • Drought-tolerant plants or buffer or native plants that do not windbreak require irrigation after the To beautify root system is established will your landscape also help to conserve water. To honor an event Know What to Avoid in Planting Avoid blocking traffic signs or views too close to street corners. Avoid planting trees too close together. Avoid planting trees or shrubs in front of transformer door. Allow 3 feet of clearance around the sides and back. Proper Tree Spacing Tree Distance from Size Building Avoid planting too close Small 10 feet to sidewalks or pavement. Medium 15 feet Large 20 feet Know What to Plant Where Use canopy or understory trees that are appropriate for your planting site. Canopy Canopy Trees Trees Understory Trees Understory Trees Rear Yard Utility STREET Front Yard Utility Back Yard EASEMENT Residential Lots Front Yard Right-of-Way EASEMENT PROVIDING YEAR-ROUND CARE FALL SPRING Recommended planting season begins in Recommended planting season continues until November. Select a tree from the chart and March 31st. Horticultural oils or fungicides follow the planting steps. For established trees, that are used to control pests or diseases add additional organic mulch as required to ensure 2 inches must be applied just prior to bud break. Add additional of cover during September. Fertilize trees during October organic mulch as required to ensure 2 inches of cover prior with a 3-1-1 ratio slow release or organic fertilizer at a rate of to summer. three pounds of nitrogen per 1000 sq. ft. of root zone . Trees planted after March 31st will require more attention and undergo more stress. Use hand watering and WINTER drip irrigation to establish newly planted trees and don't for - Recommended planting season continues. get to apply and maintain 3 to 4 inches of mulch on the sur - Prune all trees, except spring blooming species, face over the root system. December through January. If the fall In fertilization period was missed, then fertilize during the NOTE: DO NOT WOUND OAKS AT THIS TIME! order to prevent oak wilt, a serious fungal disease; avoid second week of February. Water once a month if the season pruning or wounding of any kind. If wounding occurs paint has been abnormally dry. the wound dressing within 30 minutes. Plant Your Tree Properly 1. Call before you dig!!! Call 4. Place the tree in the center of 811. Texas law requires calling for the hole carefully to ensure it is underground utility locations at least positioned and stands straight. two working days before digging. 5. Backfill the hole with same This is a free service. soil to the height just below the 2. Loosen soil in your planting site root collar. Add water to settle 2-3 times wider than the root ball. In Top of root ball Flood partially air pockets. Do not step or compact the center of the planting site, dig a level with ground backfilled hole with the soil around the rootball. Keep mulch slow-running hose. hole to the depth of the root ball so away from trunk. 6. To ensure water does not that the root collar is at ground run off the site too quickly, build level. Do not dig center hole too a 3-4 inch soil dam around the deep! It is OK for the root ball Mulch tree, but outside the perimeter of to be 1 to 3 inches higher than the 2-3” depth Soil dam the hole. ground level with root collar visible above grade. 7. Apply 2 inches of wood chip mulch over the planting site. Keep Remove the tree from its 3. Bottom of root Backfill hole mulch 3-4 inches away from the container or burlap carefully to ball on firm soil with original soil. trunk to prevent fungal attack on avoid breaking the rootball. the tree trunk. For containerized trees: if a tree is planted too deep in the pot, Planting hole 2-3 times root ball diameter 8. Staking is not recommended remove soil down to the root except in situations where the collar, where the first large side roots begin. You may lay the tree on its tree will not be able to stand on its own. If staking is used, make sure the side and press the pot to free it from the container. If encircling roots ties around the tree trunk are loose to prevent girdling or trunk damage and (roots wrapped around the rootball) are present, gently separate and remove in one year. spread them or cut them if they are too large. Burlap trees: Cut all wires 9. Watering Schedule: A slow, root-saturating, one-hour trickle once a and rope securing the burlap around the root ball and remove the burlap week is good rule of thumb for a new tree. Adjust watering schedule or wire completely. for rainy or very dry weather. SUMMER PRUNING YOUR TREE Spring flowering trees may be pruned at this time. Water only when needed. Newly planted Pruning is not recommended until after your tree has trees may need watering once a week at a rate of overcome transplant stress and has a self-supporting root two gallons per caliper inch (use hand watering and system.