Our 3-Step Care Plan for Your Little Sap Gift Tree
We can hear you thinking: How do I plant a tree? Can I do this? It sounds a bit overwhelming, but no worries: your thumb will turn green in no time. Yes, our Little Saps gift trees definitely need some TLC, but they’re also very independent. In this blog, we’ll give you the ultimate Little Saps thrive guide, in 3 easy steps!
Step 1: Decide if the tree will go indoors or outside
When you receive your Little Sap gift tree, it’s either plain (just the soil plug wrapped in plastic and paper), packaged (the soil plug wrapped in plastic and a little bag) or it’s potted. The packaging is designed to keep the soil plug moist, but it won’t last forever. So give your Little Sap a new home as soon as possible! Little Saps that come in a pot can stay there for one growth spurt, but after that, it’s time to give them a bigger home.
Step 2: Planting your gift tree
If you want to keep your Little Sap indoors for a while and it didn’t come potted:
Plant your tree in a large container with drainage holes and plenty of space for the tree to grow. Use a planting mix of soil and organic material like peat moss that drains well. Create a hole large enough for the soil plug, center the plug, and gently press soil around the base of the seedling so that the seedling is stable and can stand upright on its own.
Place the container in a sunny location. Make sure to give your little tree a thorough watering when you first plant it. After the initial watering, make sure the soil stays moist, but not soggy. If it’s too wet, the roots can start rotting. You can plant a containerized tree outdoors in the spring, summer, or fall (see outdoor planting instructions).
If you want to plant your Little Sap outdoors:
Since your Little Sap comes with a soil plug, you can plant it outside almost any time that the ground is not frozen and the soil can be worked (spring, summer, or fall). If your Little Sap gift tree is already in a container, gently remove the little tree, being careful to keep the soil around the roots intact. Choose a sunny location and prepare a hole that gives the roots plenty of room to spread out. Fill the hole halfway and center the root plug, making sure the root plug is 1/4 to 1/2 inch below the ground surface.
Using some soil, secure the tree in an upright position, then fill and firmly pack the hole with the original soil. Soak the area well with water (you can create a water basin with soil around the seedling to keep the water in). Once all the water soaks in, add a protective layer of mulch around the area, but not touching the trunk.
Step 3: Give your Little Sap Gift Tree some TLC
Especially in the first year, make sure to keep the tree watered during dry weather. The soil should be moist, but not soggy. If your tree seems a little yellow, give it a little liquid fertilizer like Miracle-Gro. If you feel at any time your Little Sap is not thriving, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We can help!
We would love to see our Little Sap’s new home! Please share your picture and tag us (Instagram: @little.saps or on Facebook: @littlesaps) - thank you!