How to Care for a Redbud Tree

Redbud tree in early spring

The redbud tree, also known as the eastern redbud and Texas redbud, boasts pink to lilac or white blooms in April. This deciduous tree (loses leaves in winter) produces green heart-shaped leaves, in most varieties, that turn yellow in the fall. The variety called forest pansy has purplish leaves and silver cloud has white variegated leaves. As a member of the pea family, the tree produces 3-inch long legume pods. The redbud hardly ever grows taller than 30 feet, or wider than 30 feet. It is a perfect landscaping tree, but provisions must be made for its mature size when planting.

Things You'll Need

• Garden clipper or pruner
• Fungicide (optional)
• Borer spray (optional)
• Fertilizer

Instructions

1. Plant your redbud tree in a full-sun to partial-shade location. As long as the ground is not frozen or it is not very hot and dry, you can plant this tree. Don't plant it in a gully or indented location in the landscape, as it does not do well when its roots are bogged with water.

2. Grow the redbud tree in just about any type of soil, as long as it is not soggy with standing water.

3. Water to keep the soil moist. Depending on your location's climate, this may only be occasionally. Check more often when you have a dry, hot spell. Place mulch around the bottom of the trunk, to keep moisture in the soil around the roots.

4. Trim the bottom branches off as the tree matures, to create an appealing look to the trunk and make way for lawn mowing, if that is applicable. Also, clip off any broken or damaged limbs. Prune in winter or very early spring, before the blooms appear. The flowers appear before the leaves.

5. Spray the tree in mid and late spring with a fungicide (from your nursery or garden center), if leaf spots are visible. Spray with a preventive borer spray if caterpillars, scales or borers are present.

6. Apply a high nitrogen fertilizer in the fall each year. Nitrogen is always the first number (of three) on the fertilizer package. The combination is nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, in that order. For the redbud tree, choose a fertilizer combination such as 20-15-15 or 15-10-10. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for amount and procedures.

Tips & Warnings

• Take branches, trimmed in late winter (February) into the house and place them in a vase of water. You will enjoy the blooming branches within a two-week period.

References

• University of Arkansas: Plant of the Week, Redbud
• Landscape America: Eastern Redbud
• Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories: Redbud