Left to right – Desert willow and Arizona cypress

Please register your Party for the Planet tree with the El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens by completing this form.

The El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens hopes that you will find a new home for one of the trees we are giving away on Earth Day – desert willow, Arizona cypress, Vitex, white-thorn acacia and Chinese pistache. Trees benefit us in multiple ways including providing habitat for native wildlife, helping to offset the impacts of climate change by capturing CO2 from the atmosphere and by helping to conserve water.

Here on some tips on how to successfully transplant your new tree.

Step 1 -Water the plant before transplanting. Dig a hole 6-12” wider than the root ball of the plant, and 3- 6” deeper.

Step 2- Mix compost into the removed native soil (1-part compost: 1-part native soil).

Step 3- Return 3-6” of the soil to the bottom of the hole, tamp down, and water to settle the soil and check for drainage. Clay soil holds water longer and requires less frequent watering.

Step 4- Carefully remove the plant from the container and check root ball. If roots are tangled, gently loosen roots on all four sides and across bottom. Place the plant in the hole with the top of the root ball at ground level. Plant the tree at the same level it was while in the container. NOTE: More plants are lost to planting too deep.

Step 6- Layer in the fill mix to ½ the depth of the root ball, tamping it carefully.

Step 7- Fill the remainder of the hole with soil mix and lightly tamp it in, making the top of the root ball even with ground level.

Step 8- Make a watering well around the tree to hold enough water. Water again to completely saturate the roots and surrounding soil (1-gallon pot needs 1-2 gallons of water).

Step 9- When the water has soaked in, fill your basin with two inches of mulch (bark, pecan shells, straw, etc.) to hold moisture & deter weeds. When soil dries 1-2” on top, water deeply again.

Step 10 – Staked tree if necessary. Water 1-2 times per week until established. If you have any questions, please contact us by sending an email to lobellorl@elpasotexas.gov