FAQs

 Luckily many common trees thrive in containers and will happily live their entire lives in a pot!  Urbn Trees only offers trees that do well in pots, and naturally grow less than 20 feet in the wild. The biggest issue facing trees in pots is freezing weather, tree roots cannot survive being frozen and deprived of nutrients.  

A good rule of thumb is to water your tree when the soil is dry and inch or two down, roughly a thumbs length!

There are a couple methods to water your tree while away for more than a week. 

1. Pour water into a glass or plastic bottle then tip the bottle upside down into the soil. The water will leave the bottle as the soil dries.

2. Place a bucket of water next to the tree and feed a piece of yarn from the bucket to the soil. The yarn will slowly absorb the water from the bucket and transfer it to the tree

Watering:

If a freeze or frost is expected, water your plant before the freeze. During freezing conditions do not water your plant. 

Protecting the tree options:

1.  Bring tree inside

2. Move tree to a covered patio, wrap the tree in a blanket & ensure that the bottom of the pot is completely covered by the blanket. Add a layer of mulch to the top part of the soil to create extra insulation. 

3. Keep tree outside & completely cover with a blanket, top to bottom. If a blanket is not available Styrofoam & cardboard are great insulators as well. 

4. If extra heat is needed wrap holiday lights around the pot covering the tree, then wrap a blanket or a tarp(including a shower curtain) over the lights, this will generate additional heat for the roots. 

There are several possible reasons for discoloration of the tree: burning from heat, fertilizer burn, lack of nutrients, and pests.

Non-heat resistant plants (such as Japanese Maples) will start to burn at 90 degrees or above. At 100 degrees most plants will shut down & some will go dormant; leaves can burn and the plant will stop producing fruit. After 120 degrees irreversible damage will occur to the plant, and after 130 degrees most plants will die. 

To keep you plant alive during extreme heat (100 or above for most plants) follow these steps:

1. Place plant in full shade,

2. Only water during the coolest part of the day, generally the early morning or at night,

3. Water only when the soil is dry, if your plant has gone dormant it will not require as much water as it normally would,

4. If you plant is on concrete or another hot surface, place a towel or protective barrier between the pot and the surface. Concrete generates additional heat and the towel will help to reduce the heat radiation off the concrete. 

Mushrooms will spring up when it's hot, humid and the soil has been wet for a prolonged period of time. Mushrooms will not damage the plant and can help decompose dead and decaying organic manner. I keep an eye out for mushrooms since they can indicate that the soil has been wet for too long, which can lead to root rot.