How to Take Care of Brachychiton Rupestris

Select a sunny growing location that will provide shelter for the bottle tree from harsh wind. Dig a hole deep enough for the roots of the tree so the tree will be at the same depth as it is in the temporary container.

Pour about 1/2 cup each of blood meal and bone meal into the planting hole and mix the two additions around thoroughly with the shovel.

Remove the tree from its current container and transfer it to the prepared hole. Backfill the hole with soil around the root system until you finish planting the tree. Firm the soil gently with your hands.

Water the tree generously immediately after you finish planting it. Provide supplemental irrigation for the bottle tree during the first growing season to help it establish. Water the new bottle tree if less than 1 inch of rain falls during a one-week period.

Prune the Brachychiton rupestris every two to three years in the spring to keep the tree healthy and attractive. Maintain the central leader of the tree -- the main vertical branch -- by removing any other vertical branches that want to compete with the established central leader. Cut these branches back to the point where they intersect with the next larger branch. Remove any lateral branches before they become large -- half as thick as the trunk of the tree. These branches are too heavy and they threaten the structural integrity of the tree. Thin lower branches if they begin to cross and rub on each other.