Your young woodlands are raring to go—pushing out of their guards, stretching skyward, and ready to boost biodiversity. Now, how do you care for them, from saplings to thriving woodland members?
Let’s whizz through some simple tips to help you be a good tree custodian. Luckily, the maintenance list is short, but a few things can trip up a sapling’s progress—hungry animals, weather, and competition for resources.
Check those roots
Before anything else, make sure your saplings are properly planted. Exposed roots or air pockets in the soil can lead to frost damage, which is a fast track to a failed tree. A quick check now can save you heartache later.
Animals eating saplings
Deer, rabbits, and other herbivores see fresh saplings as a tasty snack. That’s why tree guards are a must. For one project, we planted on a long-barren hillside. By nightfall, we hadn’t finished guarding them all. The next morning? A few saplings had mysteriously vanished. Those opportunistic herbivores found them within hours!
To avoid this fate, get your saplings protected as soon as possible. Guards should reach the ground, be firmly staked, and be checked regularly—especially after high winds. Once saplings are big enough, they’ll be less of a delicacy.
Competition from grasses
Guards keep nibblers out but also shelter fast-growing grasses, which can choke saplings by hogging nutrients and space.
There are three ways to tackle this:
Weeding: Cut back any competing plants inside the guard a few times a year until the sapling can hold its own.
Clearing before planting: A bare patch reduces competition early on, though nature will try to reclaim it.
Spraying (the controversial one): Some land managers use herbicides to clear space before planting or around guards. This approach has its pros and cons, so it’s hotly debated.
The hot, hot sun
When we do get a scorcher, bare soil bakes, drying out nutrients and moisture, that’s why summer sees us laying mulch mats around saplings—shielding the soil, locking in moisture, and giving young trees a fighting chance.
To sum up
Here’s a summary in the same tone of voice:
Saplings don’t just need planting – they need a bit of care to make it through their first years and thrive. The to-do list is short, but a few things can trip them up.
First, check for exposed roots – frost is a real sapling killer. Then, keep an eye out for hungry herbivores. Deer and rabbits love a fresh shoot, so get those guards on quickly and make sure they’re snug against the ground.
Competition is another challenge. Grasses love a free ride inside tree guards, hogging space and nutrients. Either cut them back, clear the area before planting, or – if you’re comfortable with it – use a targeted spray.
And don’t forget the sun. Dry spells can be brutal on young roots, so mulch mats help lock in moisture and keep saplings from crisping up.
With a little attention, those young trees will go from snack-sized to woodland giants in no time.