Planting trees in your garden & tree giveaway

Your seedling has been grown from seed collected from remnant vegetation in the Onkaparinga region which means your seedlings have the best foundation to grow strong and healthy.

That doesn't mean our natives are completely maintenance-free, and even native plants will benefit from good soil conditions, appropriate watering, weed and pest control, mulching, feeding, adequate light, and pruning.

Giving your seedling some considered care, especially over its first year, will help it settle in well, establishing a strong root system, robust growth, promote flowering and fruiting, and eventually contributing to the habitat in your garden.

For any questions or queries regarding your Tree Giveaway seedlings and their ongoing care, or help identifying potential disease and remedies, contact Trees For Life on 8406 0500 or email info@treesforlife.org.au

The proportion of sand, silt, and clay particles determines if the soil is sandy, silty, clay, or a well-balanced loam. How these particles come together influences the oxygen and moisture that your plant has access to and will influence its growth. Natives are adapted to growing in a range of soil types, but overall will appreciate a well-balanced soil and good drainage. If you think your soil might be too heavy clay or very sandy/ silty, there are some additions you can make to improve its structure.

Clay soils have lots of nutrients, but can hold water and have poor drainage. Add organic matter to heavy clay soils, which improves drainage and oxygen availability. For a quicker fix, consider using gypsum to help break up clay particles. Adding sand to heavy clay soils can create more compaction, only add sand if you’ve already added a large amount of organic matter. Sandy/ silty soils can drain too well and lack the nutrients needed for many species to thrive. You can improve sandy soil by adding clay to increase its ability to hold water and by applying organic matter to retain moisture and build soil structure and nutrients over time.

Checking your soils pH is also helpful as it which affects how easily your plant can access nutrients. Most Australian native plants thrive in slightly acidic to neutral soil with a pH between 5.5 and 7.0.

Beneficial soil organisms like worms, fungi, and microorganisms are great at breaking down organic matter and maintaining soil health, which in turn predicts the health of your plants. Avoid using pesticides and fungicides, which can kill beneficial soil organisms. For some natural/ non-toxic options, see the section on insect protection below. 

Another common myth about our native species is the fact that they don't need watering. In the first year, water your newly planted native plants infrequently but deeply, especially during the first summer. You’ve likely been watering weekly through your seedlings' first few months, gradually reducing to a less frequent schedule as your plant establishes.

Deep watering allows moisture to reach the root zone, where it's needed most. Deeper watering encourages roots to grow down, and plants with deeper root systems are more resilient and can access the moisture stored deeper in the soil, reducing their dependency on irrigation.

The best time to water your seedling is in the mornings or early evenings and at the base of the plant rather than over the leaves to reduce sunburn and fungal disease. 

In general, for your more established plant, water about once a month during the first summer, increasing frequency to weekly if the summer is particularly dry. Watering in preparation for heat waves and hot spells can also prepare the plant and carry them through without too much stress.

After the first year, your plant should be able to survive on rainfall alone but it’s always good to keep an eye on your plants to make sure they are not drying out. Always check if the soil is dry to the touch as some soils will dry out faster but also to avoid overwatering, which can cause root rot, shallow root development, fungal disease and saturated soil. Some species can persist in ‘wetter’ areas though standing water will be less preferred. If you have a swampy area it’s important to note if your species can tolerate it or not.

Like most plants, our natives will benefit from a good quality mulch. When we mulch, we are simulating the natural growing conditions in the bush, where leaf litter falls and accumulates, creating an effective layer on the soil surface. Mulch and organic matter, like leaf litter, also create habitat for many of our native pollinators.

A layer of mulch added to your garden can reduce evaporative water loss by more than 70 per cent. Organic mulch keeps soil temperatures down, adds nutrients, improves soil health, provides habitat, and suppresses weeds. Applying 5–10 cm of mulch in a bowl shape around the plant helps retain water and avoid disease from being too close to the plant stems. Mulch applied too thickly can suffocate the soil and prevent water from reaching the plant roots.

Before mulching, remove any grass and weeds. Mulch can be applied at any time, but is best applied in mid-spring or early summer. After rainfall or watering, it's worth checking to see how the water has progressed through the mulch. The soil can still be dry even after heavy rainfall if your mulch is too thick. Organic blended mulches can be better at allowing water to penetrate than hardwood, large barky mulches.

Living mulches or ground covers are also beneficial and have the bonus of providing more habitat and flowers for pollinators. Gravel mulches can prevent some evaporation, but can get very hot, making them unsuitable for a lot of plants. They are also difficult to weed out and create a barrier to the breakdown of leaf litter. 

Most natives appreciate light pruning to keep their shape, promote new growth, bushiness, and encourage flowering. Pruning is best done after flowering, usually late winter to early spring, during its period of active growth, or alternatively after flowering has occurred.

Avoid pruning in late autumn or early winter as newly stimulated growth can be susceptible to cold damage. Young plants can be pruned lightly and regularly. Older plants can be refreshed with a more extensive prune after flowering. Make sure to use sharp, clean tools.

Pruning can help prevent plants from becoming ‘leggy’ and stimulate new growth from the bottom of the plant, keeping it bushy, robust, and looking lush. This is particularly helpful for those of you with smaller gardens wanting to keep your plants on the smaller size. If you’ve got the space, simply prune specific branches where needed and let your plants grow to their full size. 

Effective weed control is integral to the success and survival of your seedlings. Weeds will compete for space, light, moisture, and nutrients, and may have a devastating effect on Your young plants. Whilst your hardy indigenous seedlings are adapted to cope with a range of soil types, rainfall, and climate, many are not well adapted to compete with invasive weed species. Get in early to pull weeds by hand.

Late winter to early Spring is often when weeds will appear after rain and wind have brought their seed into gardens.

Hopefully, you’ve cleared your areas of weeds before planting your seedling, but it’s likely you’ll still need to tackle emerging weeds until your plant is established enough to suppress weeds in its growing area. When the soil is soft from winter rains and weeds are smaller in size, they are easy to hand-pull the whole plant.

If you need a little more effort to remove established weeds, use lifting tools to remove the plant and its roots. Also, remove any seeds that might be present.

A great natural remedy when weeds are young is a mix of vinegar, salt, and dish soap, spot-sprayed onto the weed leaves and stem, or you can pour on boiled water if it’s a small number of weeds.

If you need to use an herbicide, be sure to avoid any overspray on any other plants and don’t allow runoff into waterways. Always read the entire herbicide product label and ensure that you are wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment when handling, preparing, or using herbicides. The use of herbicides can create residues that linger in soil and affect other plants and soil microorganisms. 

Your seedling will likely not need any further fertiliser. It's important to consider whether adding additional fertiliser to your plant is necessary, as most of the nutrients your seedling needs will be in the soil (if it is of good condition and you’ve provided it with mulch, water, light, and control the weeds).

Adding fertilizer can sometimes encourage excessive foliage growth, which is not desirable, or encourage weed growth. If you’d like to use fertilizer, it's best to only apply it within the first year of growth. Use a low-phosphorus (<3%) or phosphorus-free fertiliser as natives are sensitive to phosphorus.

It's recommended to use a product that is labelled as suitable for natives for this reason and that has a balanced nitrogen and potassium ratio. 

If you are concerned about poor quality soil or lack of nutrients affecting the growth of your plant, instead focus on adding soil conditioners like organic matter, compost and emulsions like Seasol periodically, which improve the soil's structure and fertility. Likewise, organic fertilisers such as blood and bone or animal manures (except poultry) supply useful nutrients and improve soil texture.

Topical sprays which address specific deficiencies can be helpful as well, i.e., Iron Deficiency (yellowing leaves with green veins) can be treated by applying iron chelates to the leaves in the form of a spray. The pH of your soil will again play a role here, as natives are sensitive to high soil pH (alkaline soils), which can make iron unavailable for uptake, leading to deficiency symptoms. Young, new growth can sometimes look brighter than old growth and this is not a sign of deficiency.

As the species chosen for you are pollinator favourites, we know you’ll likely wonder when you’ll begin to see these creatures visit your plant. The health of your seedling will determine its growth and future flowering.

With a thriving plant, you can often see flowering in the second year, but sometimes even in its first year, depending on how it settles in and the species. Pollinators visit plants during specific times of day and throughout the year, often peaking on warm, sunny days.

Commonly recognised pollinators like bees and wasps are most active from mid-morning to late afternoon, while butterflies and dragonflies tend to be most active during midday. Birds, bats, beetles, moths, and even small marsupials are also responsible for pollination, and some species like hoverflies are active during the cooler months as well, when bees and other typical insect pollinators are less active.

Many of our native species are long-flowering, and some can flower multiple times across a year, which means with a healthy plant, you’ll be treated to many beautiful blooms. It’s important to note, though, that local climate and weather patterns play a significant role in when and how often a plant flowers, along with soil pH, sunlight, and watering.

It’s also worth considering adding other native plants in your garden with different flowering times and flower types so you can attract pollinators all year round.

Flowers are adapted to attract pollinators through their colour, shape, and scent. A mix of native shrubs, ground covers, and grasses all provide vital habitat and food, which support pollinator numbers and diversity in your garden.

Those cardboard tree guards given out with your trees were a great start — but they’re not forever.

• Once your plant is strong and growing well above the guard, it’s time to remove it (usually 12–24 months).

• If you’ve got rabbits or wallabies around, swap to a mesh guard instead.

Regular checks = happy trees!

Birds and predatory insects can significantly control destructive insects, and the overuse of Insecticides will reduce populations of these useful predators. To a certain extent, infestation of damaging insects can be controlled by low-toxicity contact sprays like white or neem oil.

You can also apply a mix of water, dish soap, and oil. For small occurrences, simple spraying off with water or hand removal is suitable.

Caterpillars can be controlled by Dipel, which is an environmentally safe spray. Systemic insecticides, which control sucking insects such as aphids and mealy bugs, are moderately toxic to humans and highly toxic to birds and other wildlife, and their use is not recommended. Once your plants are more established, they will be more resilient to insect damage.