The 2024 Tiny Tree pickup will be on Saturday, May 11, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Polk County River Place parking lot (2309 Euclid Ave). Any additional announcements and information will also be posted on the Des Moines Public Works Facebook account, and the Des Moines Public Works Twitter account.
Before You Plant
You MUST call Iowa One Call before you dig. Call 811 to provide your address, closest major intersection, how you have marked the planting location(s), and where in your yard you intend to plant your Tiny Trees.
Planting Steps
- Dig the hole just deep enough to accommodate all roots so they are not bent in the planting hole. As you remove soil, use your shovel to slice and separate soil chunks, making it more granular if possible. If the roots are downward facing, build a cone of soil and straddle the roots over the cone. If the roots are horizontal, gently separate criss-crossing roots prior to backfill.
- The planting depth is important! Set the root flare (the point where the vertical tree trunk begins to bend sideways to form roots) at the final soil grade. A tree planted too deep will not survive. Replace the soil that you loosened earlier, back into the planting hole. When 2/3 full, use water to settle the soil.
- Next, fill the rest of the hole with soil. To catch rain water, use any extra soil to build a circular soil berm around the tree. Apply a two inch covering of wood mulch to keep out weeds and retain moisture. Neither soil nor wood mulch should touch the trunk of the tree.
- Do a final watering, and there you have it. A brand new tree that will grow to provide numerous environmental and economic benefits on your property.
Watering
Select a common household object, such as a pint yogurt tub or a quart milk jug, so that you can measure a single (1) pint of water. Plan to gently pour the pint of water at the base of your new tiny tree 2X’s per week all summer long. The slower you pour, the more water gets to the roots instead of the adjacent soil. Add a 3rd watering if there is drought for more than a week. Ask a neighbor to water if you leave home for more than three days. Water is the MOST important resource to keep your new Tiny Trees alive.
Maintaining
Your Tiny Tree will resemble a ‘stick with branches' when you get it, so no pruning is required for the next 5 years. Only remove an occasional broken branch, and try to never break or prune the top of the vertical tree trunk. Placing a two inch thickness of wood mulch at the base of your tree will do 3 things: keep your mower and string trimmer away; retain moisture in the root zone; and keep unwanted weeds away.