The Life Cycle of the Tree

A tree’s life cycle begins with germination. An adult tree will drop a seed to the ground, usually in fall or winter, and the seed will lie dormant until spring. When the conditions are right, the dormant seed will start to receive warmth, water, sunlight and oxygen. This will spark the growth of the baby tree embryo and begin its life cycle.
The baby tree will sprout a root, which will instinctively seek out groundwater. If it finds it, the root will then become submerged in the earth. As it takes root, a stem will sprout up towards the sun, usually carrying the seed casing with it, up into the air. As it straightens up and grows upright, it will drop the protective casing and start its life as a seedling.
Seedlings need extremely favorable conditions to survive to adulthood. Just a few too many days of dry conditions or sunlight can quickly kill a seedling. If you are growing a seedling, you will need to pay attention to the weather. Water your baby tree about every week to ten days. If conditions are dry and hot, you may need to water it twice a week. More is only necessary if you notice wilting leaves, or if a tree starts losing its leaves in the summer.
Water generously, enough to soak down to the bottom of the roots. For baby trees, this may only require a one minute watering from a water hose, but for larger trees, it may be closer to fifteen minutes. Do not water your trees too often. If you are in Texas or other arid hot climate, you may need to water more. Keep up this watering pattern for about the first year.
One watering exception is during the late fall. Trees need to prepare for winter. Watering or fertilizing during this time will keep the tree growing and prevent it from becoming dormant. Let the tree become dormant and drop its leaves. When the weather becomes cold and the tree has no leaves left, then you can assume that it is in a dormant state and continue your watering schedule. Make sure that you insulate the ground around the tree with mulch and snow if possible.
Trees will spout leaves and some will flower in the spring. The flowers will turn to fruit in fruit trees. Other trees may just grow seeds. The seeds will eventually drop and lie dormant through the winter months until spring arrives again. Then, the combination of sunlight, oxygen and water will spark the seed to germinate once again. If conditions are exactly right, then the seed will produce another tree.
This is the life cycle of the tree. It can be helpful to understand what is happening to your tree as you plant and take care of it for the first year. After the first year, you will need to contact an Arborist to find out if your tree is ready for pruning. Pruning at the right age is important to the strength and growth pattern of your tree. If you are in Texas, precise and expert trimming is necessary not to kill trees in the harsh Texas environment. Call an Arborist for tree trimming Austin questions.

Understanding When to Plant Baby Trees

Fall or winter time is a great time to think about planting baby trees. Most trees survive better if they are planted or transplanted while they are dormant. If you have baby trees, they may even look dead during this time. A small scratch on the bark of the tree should epose a green layer, reassuring you that the tree is, in fact, alive, but in a dormant state.
Trees enter a dormant state when the days shorten and sunlight is in short supply. They need to stop growing and producing during the fall in order to store energy and prepare themselves for winter. When you are taking care of your baby tree, keep this in mind. Heavy watering or fertilizing during the fall can force a tree to stay in its flourishing state and it will fail to prepare itself for winter. This can cause the tree to be intolerant of harsh conditions and die.
Once a tree is in its dormant state, it is fine to water it again to help it through the winter months. This is the best time to plant new trees or move existing trees. If you are growing a tree from a seed, then you will not see any growth in the winter. This is because germination only occurs during the sping. That gives the new seedling the best chance to survive the weather.
Seeds can stay dormant for a very long time if the conditions are not right for germination. There are two types of dormancy in seeds; External dormancy and internal dormancy. External refers to the seed coat or outer shell of the seed. This type of dormancy is common in fruit seeds. The hard external shell keeps the embryo inside secluded from oxygen and water. Internal dormancy is also referred to as embryo dormancy. The embryo of the seed will stay dormant until it gets enough water, light, warmth and/or oxygen.
If your baby tree is dormant and you are ready to plant it, follow these simple guidelines to give it the best chance at survival.

1. Dig a hole about twice as big as the tree roots.

2. Stir up the soil around the sides of the hole so that the dirt is not packed tight. This will allow the roots to spread more easily.

3. Gently place the roots in the hole and carefully fill dirt around the delicate roots.

4. Water the first layer of dirt so that it settles securely around the roots.

5. Add another layer of dirt, water to help it settle, then repeat.

6. Keep adding and watering until the dirt level reaches one to two inches above the top root.

7. Form the soil into a well so that water drains toward the tree.

8. Mix mulch in the top layer of soil to help water retention.

9. Top off the area with mulch that expands one to two feet away from the trunk.

10.If snow is available, pack snow on top of the mulch to insulate the tree from the elements.

If you are in a warmer climate, such as Texas, where trees may not be in a dormant state, you may want to contact an Arborist at Austin tree service for information on planting trees in your area.

About the Author: Andrew Johnson is the owner of Central Texas Tree Care, a leading tree service provider in Central Texas (Travis County and surrounding areas) offering services such as pruning and removals, cabling and bracing as well as arborist reports, diagnostics, pest management, fertilization and Austin tree service trusts. For more information please visit http://www.centraltexastreecare.com.