How to Grow a Wild Dogwood Tree
- 1). Find a place to plant the wild dogwood tree. The soil pH should be acidic at 6.8 or less. Wild dogwood trees are not adapted to alkaline soils with a pH above a 7.0 and will struggle or remain small. The location should be protected from the harsh afternoon sun. Exposure to the morning sun followed by dappled shade, such as from a shade tree, in the afternoon is best. The soil should well-drained and contain lots of organic matter so it can remain moist, but not waterlogged.
- 2). Dig up a dogwood tree from the wild when the tree is dormant in winter. It is best to harvest a small tree only 2 or 3 feet tall to avoid damaging the root system, but it may be difficult to identify one during the winter when it has no leaves. Therefore, mark the tree with plastic tape or other means during the growing season so you can find it during the winter.
- 3). Remove the dogwood tree from the wild by digging up as much of the root system as possible. Cover the root system with a tarp and do not allow the roots to be exposed to freezing temperatures. Pick the tree up by picking up the entire root ball. You will damage the tree if you handle it by holding on to the trunk or limbs.
- 4). Plant the wild dogwood tree at the same level it was growing in the wild in its new location. Add water to the soil around the roots as you add soil into the planting hole. This helps form a good seal around the roots without leaving air pockets.
- 5). Spread a 1-inch layer of well-rotted compost around the root base of the newly planted dogwood tree followed by a 2-inch layer of mulch. Always leave a 1-inch gap between the mulch and the dogwood tree so fungal diseases cannot spread from the rotting mulch to the tree.
Mulch helps conserve water and controls weeds. - 6). Fertilize in the spring and fall with a fertilizer specifically listed for azaleas and camellias. This type of fertilizer is for plants that live in an acidic soil environment.
- 7). Irrigate the wild dogwood tree during dry periods, especially during the first year, by soaking the soil around the root system with water. When a wild dogwood needs water, the leaves will turn downward and the tree will look stressed. A stressed tree is susceptible to disease and damaging insects. A mature dogwood tree over 10 years old growing in its native range will rarely need supplemental water.
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