5Ws+1h: What It's About: Transplanting trees requires special steps.

Aug. 24—Even though trees may tower above many plants, and have a different appearance, there are many commonalities among trees and other foliage.

"They're just like very large, overgrown plants," Jessica Wright, Elephant Rock Garden Supply Co. CFO and product specialist, said.

Wright said trees are susceptible to the same amount of diseases as other plants, and they can be treated with the same type of pesticides.

If someone is wanting to transplant a tree to a different location, Wright said the time of year is an important aspect. Since transplanting the tree disturbs the root system, it can cause the object to stress, which makes the fall season the best time to move locations.

"Whenever you're digging you want to look up at the canopy and see how large the radius is of the canopy and go like a foot out from that. That's how large you have to dig because of their root systems," Wright said. "Most trees have a very broad root system, meaning they like to go out vertically."

Instead of doing fast waterings, Wright said most trees need prolonged water. While root rot can possibly still happen with trees, the issue is not as common as it is with other plants.

"A lot of people will plant trees where there's standing water, just because they do soak up so much water and they're less likely for bud rot," Wright said.

Wright said people can always give nutrition to their trees through foliar feedings, or spraying the leaves.

"Eventually your plant will eat up the nutrients in its area that's why we start seeing bald patches on our ground, grass, and stuff because there's nothing in that ground anymore for it to be a hospitable environment for anything to grow," Wright said.

Due to inconsistent rain, high heat, and droughts, Wright said trees are more likely to experience heat stress. When the soil does not have enough water, it can become impacted and hydrophobic, causing the ground to pull away from objects.

If a homeowner is wanting to put life back into the soil, Wright said there are several products to use, including one called Soil Care, which consists of microorganisms that continue to help the soil.

While most trees like the full sun, some do not thrive well in Oklahoma heat. Maple trees often struggle with the sun, which can cause it to sunburn making the bark peel. To keep trees from peeling, Wright said they may just need a little more attention and care, especially young seedlings.

Wright said some common ways to keep a tree thriving is to not let dogs urinate on trees, and to not nail or wrap things around the trunk.

"Think of a tree trunk like an arm, if you wrap something around it and the arm grows and it gets bigger, you're going to restrict the flow," Wright said.

Stripping or breaking bark off of a tree should also be a mitigated action, as it can also allow diseases into the tree.