The fastest way to make evergreen trees grow faster is to remove the obstacles slowing them down: poor soil, inconsistent water, wrong planting depth, and insufficient sunlight. A healthy, well-sited evergreen can add up to 3 feet of height per year, while a stressed one in the same yard might barely manage a few inches. Most of the gains come from getting the basics right at planting time and during the first two years.
Start With a Fast-Growing Species
No amount of care will make a slow-growing species into a fast one. If speed is your priority, choose a species bred for it. Thuja Green Giant and Leyland cypress both grow up to 3 feet per year under good conditions. Eastern white pine is another strong performer. These species are commonly used for privacy screens because they fill in quickly, but they still need the right growing conditions to hit their top speed.
If you already have an established evergreen that grows slowly by nature, the strategies below will help it reach its genetic potential. You just can’t push a dwarf Alberta spruce to grow like a Leyland cypress.
Plant at the Right Depth
This is the single most common mistake that stunts evergreen growth for years. When a tree is planted too deep, the root collar (the flared area where the trunk meets the roots) gets buried. That pushes the root system into deeper soil where oxygen, water, and nutrients are harder to access. Research on white pine found that deep planting reduces both growth and survival. In a study on similar species, trees planted just 6 inches too deep had a 50% death rate within two years, while every tree planted at grade survived.
Deep planting also causes girdling roots, where roots wrap around the trunk and slowly strangle the tree. Trees planted at the correct depth had about 14% of their trunk encircled by girdling roots after three years. Trees planted 6 inches too deep jumped to 48%, and those planted 12 inches too deep hit 71%.
When you plant, make sure the root flare sits at or slightly above the soil surface. If your tree is already in the ground and you suspect it was planted too deep, carefully excavate around the base to expose the flare.
Give Them Full Sun
Most fast-growing evergreens need full sun, which means six or more hours of direct sunlight per day. They’ll tolerate some shade, but growth slows considerably without enough light. If you’re planting new trees, choose a site that isn’t shaded by buildings or larger trees during the middle of the day, when light is strongest. Even a few extra hours of sun can meaningfully increase annual growth.
Water Deeply, Especially the First Two Years
Young evergreens are far more sensitive to drought than established ones. For the first two weeks after planting, check soil moisture daily and water deeply whenever the top 6 inches feel dry. During the first two full years, check at least once a week.
The key word is “deeply.” Wetting the soil to a depth of 6 inches requires 1 to 2 inches of water applied at the surface, which works out to roughly 65 to 130 gallons per 100 square feet. Light, frequent watering encourages shallow roots. Deep, less frequent watering pushes roots downward, making the tree more resilient and better able to access nutrients.
To check your soil, push a screwdriver or trowel down about 6 inches near the root zone. If the soil feels dry at that depth, water thoroughly. If it’s damp, leave it alone. Overwatering, especially on heavy clay soils, can suffocate roots just as effectively as drought.
One often-overlooked detail: evergreens lose moisture through their needles all winter. Give them a deep soaking in late fall before the ground freezes, particularly if autumn rainfall has been light. This prevents winter desiccation, that browning you sometimes see on evergreens in early spring.
Get Your Soil pH Right
Trees and shrubs generally grow best in slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil, with a pH between 6.0 and 7.5. Most evergreens prefer the lower end of that range. When pH drifts too high (too alkaline), the tree can’t absorb iron and other micronutrients even if they’re present in the soil. The result is yellowing needles and sluggish growth.
A simple soil test from your local extension office will tell you where you stand. If your soil is too alkaline, elemental sulfur worked into the soil will gradually lower pH. If it’s too acidic (below 5.5), lime brings it back up. Fixing pH alone can unlock growth that no amount of fertilizer could produce, because the tree can finally use the nutrients already in the ground.
Fertilize Strategically
Evergreens benefit from a complete fertilizer that supplies nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Formulations like 10-8-6 or 14-14-14 work well. The goal is to deliver about 2 pounds of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of root zone area. For a 10-8-6 fertilizer, that’s roughly 2.5 tablespoons per hole; for a 14-14-14, about 2 tablespoons.
Apply fertilizer in early spring as the tree breaks dormancy and begins its flush of new growth. This is when the tree is actively building new tissue and can use the nutrients most efficiently. Avoid fertilizing in late summer or fall, since pushing new growth too late in the season produces tender shoots that are vulnerable to frost damage.
Don’t assume more is better. Over-fertilizing can burn roots and actually slow growth. If your tree has healthy, dark green needles and is growing at a reasonable rate, it may not need supplemental fertilizer at all. Fertilization is most valuable for trees in poor or sandy soils, or those showing signs of nutrient deficiency like pale or yellowing needles.
Mulch the Root Zone Properly
A ring of wood chips or shredded bark around your evergreen conserves soil moisture, moderates root temperature, and suppresses weeds that compete for water and nutrients. On well-drained soil, apply a 3 to 4 inch layer. On heavy clay soil that holds more water, keep it to 2 to 3 inches to avoid waterlogging.
Spread the mulch out to the drip line (the outer edge of the branches) but keep it several inches away from the trunk. Mulch piled against the trunk traps moisture against the bark and invites rot and disease. The classic “mulch volcano” you see around so many trees is one of the worst things you can do.
Prune to Redirect Energy
Pruning an evergreen more heavily will actually slow that branch’s growth. This seems counterintuitive, but it’s useful. If your tree has strong lateral branches competing with the central leader (the main vertical stem), you can suppress those side branches by tipping them back 2 to 4 inches. This redirects the tree’s energy into the leader, which is where you want vertical growth.
Most evergreens naturally grow in an excurrent pattern, meaning a single dominant trunk with smaller side branches. This shape is maintained by hormones produced at the growing tip that suppress the buds below. If the leader is damaged or removed, buds just below the cut will activate and compete to become the new leader. When that happens, select the strongest upright shoot and remove or shorten the competitors.
Beyond shaping, avoid heavy pruning on evergreens you want to grow quickly. Every branch you remove is photosynthetic capacity the tree loses, which means less energy for growth.
Support Root Health Below Ground
What happens underground matters as much as what you see above. Evergreen roots form partnerships with beneficial fungi called mycorrhizae. These fungi extend hair-thin threads into the soil far beyond where roots can reach, dramatically increasing the tree’s ability to absorb phosphorus, nitrogen, and zinc. They also provide some protection against soil-borne diseases.
You can encourage mycorrhizal colonization by avoiding excessive tillage around the root zone, minimizing fungicide use in the surrounding soil, and keeping the area mulched. Mycorrhizal inoculants are available at garden centers and can be mixed into the planting hole at the time of installation. Whether store-bought inoculants make a noticeable difference in landscapes with healthy soil is debatable, but they’re unlikely to hurt and may help in disturbed or poor soils where native fungal populations are low.
Compacted soil is another hidden growth killer. Roots need oxygen, and compacted soil squeezes out air pockets. If your planting site gets foot traffic or was graded by heavy equipment during construction, consider aerating the area before planting. For existing trees, avoid parking vehicles or storing heavy materials over the root zone.