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Proper planting for New Trees Planting a tree is an investment in time and money. Before purchasing and planting a tree... refer to the tree selection considerations on the tree care home page. When
preparing the planting pit for a tree... It is critical that you do not bury the crown of a tree. The crown of the tree is that portion where tree trunk stops and roots start. Determine where the top of the first root is. You may have to pull the burlap away from the trunk if you have a ball and burlap (B&B) tree. If it is a containerized tree... you might have to scrape away some soil to find the first root. Stand the tree and root ball up and measure the height of the root ball to the first root. Dig your pit 3" to 4" shallower that the root ball height. Don't loosen the soil at the bottom of the hole or the weight of the tree will cause it to settle. Once you have the hole at the proper depth...start digging it wide, at least twice as wide as the root ball, sloping the sides outward away from the bottom. When the hole is prepared... gently roll the tree and root ball into the pit. Then make sure the tree is standing straight. Remove any twine from around the trunk. If there is a wire basket, remove as much of it as possible. If your tree is B&B... cut off as much burlap as you can. If you have a container grown tree or shrub, check for girdling roots when you remove it from the pot. Cut any roots that encircle the root ball. Next start putting the excavated soil back into the pit. You may want to pack the soil a bit around the bottom of the root ball to hold the tree steady. When the hole is about 1/3 full... put the garden hose running at a moderate rate, in the hole and finish filling the hole with soil. When water starts bubbling up from below... the tree is watered in. If the soil has settled... fill in any voids. You don't need to amend the soil that goes in the planting pit... The soil you dug out is generally fine. In fact, soil amendments often hinder water movement... and new root growth. Next page... Staking and Mulching Trees Article written by: Kevin Jones, President - Jones Tree & Lawn, Inc. |
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