How to Cultivate Dogwood Trees
- 1). Break up the ground in an area of light shade and mix organic compost with the topsoil. According to the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service, dogwoods in the wild grow under larger trees that filter the sun reaching them.
- 2). Make a hole of the same depth but three times as wide as the tree's root ball.
- 3). Loosen the tree's roots, cut any diseased ones and trim those that are longer than the majority. Put the root ball in the planting hole, leveling it with the soil surface. Backfill the hole.
- 4). Water the soil deeply and keep it moist through the first two growing seasons up until each fall. But don't let the roots stand in water or they will rot.
- 5). Hammer three metal stakes into the ground 6 inches away from the tree. Space them evenly around your young dogwood. This will prevent a lawnmower from injuring its trunk.
- 6). Tie your young tree to a stake if it's 4 feet tall. The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service recommends you insert supporting wire through a piece of old water hose to use as a tie. Wire is stronger than string but it damages the young trunk unless it has a soft cover. Keep your dogwood staked for its first two growing seasons.
- 7). Mulch around the tree, making a 12-foot-wide circle of pine straw, bark or other organic material. Applying a 3-inch layer of mulch will insulate the developing dogwood's roots from both excessive heat and cold.
- 8). Apply 1 tbsp. of a 16-4-8 fertilizer to the soil once in March and once in July. If your newly planted tree is at least 6 feet tall, increase the amount to 4 tbsp. Established trees (two years or older) need 1 cup of fertilizer in March and another in July. Mature trees with trunks at least 8 inches in diameter don't need as much fertilizer. Apply it only if growth doesn't occur in spring.