How to Care for a Shumard Red Oak Tree

Date September 01, 2020

Category

Author TreeNewal Staff

Here in North Texas, we’re fortunate that majestic oak trees, including the Shumard red oak tree, thrive in our landscape. These beautiful oak trees are stately, provide ample shade, and can live for generations.

Are you curious how to care for trees, and in particular how to care for a Shumard red oak tree that you have on your property? If so, you’ve come to the right place. As ISA-Certified Arborists who have been providing professional care for trees in North Texas for 15 years, we are here to share all the information you need to know in order to care for your Shumard red oak trees.

Keep The Area Under Your Shumard Red Oak Tree Properly Maintained

One of the greatest benefits of having a Shumard red oak tree – besides the curb appeal it provides – is being able to relax underneath its shady canopy on hot summer days. For both your personal enjoyment of these oak trees and to care for the trees, you need to make sure you keep the area underneath your Shumard red oak tree’s canopy properly landscaped.

First, you should clear all grass, weeds, and debris from the area underneath the canopy. Weeds are especially troublesome because they steal nutrients from the soil that are meant to go to your oak trees. Next, make sure to apply mulch to the area around the base of the tree. Mulching oak trees is important – especially here in North Texas where we get hot summers – because it helps keep moisture in the soil that surrounds your trees.

To care for trees by providing proper tree mulching, follow these steps:

  1. Use a rake to spread a 1-inch layer of mulch around the base of your Shumard red oak tree’s root ball.
  2. To prevent pest infestation and tree disease, make sure that there is no mulch within a 10-inch radius of the tree trunk.
  3. Using a rake, spread 3-inches of mulch around the outer cleared area underneath your oak tree’s canopy.

Proper Tree Watering for Your Shumard Red Oak Trees

The proper tree watering protocol for oak trees depends on their age. To care for trees that are young, for example, you need to water your oak trees more frequently.

Young Shumard red oak trees that have been recently planted need to be watered two to three times a week for their first two months after installation. With every watering, make sure to provide your new oak trees with one to two gallons of water for every 1 inch of their trunk diameters. After your new oak trees have been planted for two months, to care for trees you should reduce watering to once a week.

However, there are expectations to the proper tree watering protocol for young oak trees. If you have a very rainy time period during the first two months since the tree has been planted, you should limit this supplemental watering to avoid overwatering. To know if your tree has enough water, feel its soil. If it is damp, it doesn’t need to be watered. You should also stop all tree watering once these leaves change color in the fall.

The proper tree watering instructions for mature Shumard red oak trees are different. Rather than watering multiple times per day, you should only water mature oak trees during time periods when there is no rain or it is extremely hot. When you do water your oak trees, the proper tree watering procedure is to use a garden hose and water the tree until its soil is wet. Don’t water the tree so much that the soil is soggy, though.

Tree Fertilization Instructions for Your Oak Trees

All trees need to be fertilized so they have proper nutrition. This is an important task you need to follow in order to care for trees.

To fertilizer your Shumard red oak tree, you should follow these steps:

  1. Use a 10-10-10 slow-release fertilizer in the spring. Make sure to fertilize your oak trees only after their leaves are fully developed.
  2. To determine how much fertilizer to apply, use a ratio of 1 tablespoon of fertilizer for every 1 square inch of tree soil.
  3. After performing tree fertilization, thoroughly water your tree so its soil absorbs the fertilizer.

Alternatively, we can help you with tree fertilization in the spring. We create a special blend of tree fertilizer that helps oaks trees grow and thrive.

Pruning Your Oak Trees

Pruning your Shumard red oak trees is an important annual task to do in order to care for trees. However, you must do it in season and use appropriate techniques to prevent tree disease.

For tree pruning follow these steps:

  1. Perform tree pruning in early spring when your oak trees are still dormant and their leaves have yet to sprout.
  2. When pruning your oak trees, remove any branches that are broken, dead, have tree disease, or are crossing or rubbing against each other. Following these instructions will promote proper tree health.
  3. Use sharp, clean tree pruning shears or loppers to prune branches back to their main branch or the tree trunk, at a height of ¼ inch above the point where they connect.

You never want to prune oak trees in the late spring or summer. Doing so can spread pest infestation and lead to a tree disease called oak wilt. The only exception to this rule is if you have broken branches or other branches that are posing a risk to the people or structures on your property.

If you need help with tree pruning, we’re happy to perform this tree care task for you.

We Can Help You Care for Your Oak Trees

Oak trees like Shumard red oak trees certainly are a special tree species and one that often deserves professional tree care, especially if you have multiple of these oak trees on your property. If you need professional tree care services, our ISA-Certified Arborists are here to help. You can reach us to inquire about our tree care services today by calling tel:(817) 592-6846.

To learn more about How to Care for a Shumard Red Oak Tree, call our Argyle and Southlake based teams at tel:(817) 592-6846 or send us a message.

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