As Arbor Day is upon us, I hope your plans for the day include planting a tree! However, if you’re not going to plant a tree correctly, why even plant it?
Remember, your tree is an investment and a part of the family, you should only do what’s best for it. Although the general concept of planting a tree; dig hole, place tree, bury tree, is pretty simple… It can go wrong fairly quickly during planting, yet take years for the mistake to become noticeable, thus causing wasted time and money.
Noooooooo! I won’t let that happen to you!
Let me teach you how to plant your tree correctly, so you can enjoy your newly planted tree for your lifetime and your grandchildren’s lifetimes!
We’ll start with a quick summary, then delve into the nitty-gritty details!
The sample trees here are small, PeeGee Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata Grandiflora) on a standard. Meaning they were pruned meticulously to look like trees in lieu of shrubs. These were originally grown in containers, but are in B&B (Balled & Burlapped) format, since my client changed their mind and I needed to remove them from the design. As they were small and the rootball was solid, I chose to remove the burlap first (not recommended for amateurs!!), then felt the top to find the roots, which were right at the top. Next, I dug my hole 3 times larger than the rootball.
I moved the tree into the hole, by holding the rootball, NOT by picking up the tree by the trunk! Then, I back-filled about halfway with native soil and watered. After the water soaked in, I filled the remainder of the hole and watered again. Notice how I did not put any soil on the top of the rootball? I made sure to water the new tree regularly. One long soak is better than three fleeting waters. Lastly, I love these type of Gator bags more than the Teepee types as they somewhat settle the soil with their weight and they will fit on bushy shrubs also.
This tree is at a perfect grade. It is about 1″ – 2″ higher than the soil around it. Next year, I will dig the grass out in between them and add some groundcover.
Highly Detailed InstructionsÂ
Determine the depth of the top roots in the root ball
Start by systematically probing the root ball with a slim rod or screwdriver. Tree harvesting causes excess soil to collect on the top of the rootballs that need to be removed, or the tree will be planted too deeply.
Find at least two structural roots in the top 1” to 3” inches of soil and 3” to 4” inches out from the trunk. On species prone to trunk circling-roots (⊗ list below), the top structural root should be within the top one inch of the root ball. Furthermore, prune out any circling roots.
Dig a saucer-shaped planting hole three-times the root ball diameter
To maximize soil oxygen levels, plant the tree 1” to 2” inches above grade.
The root ball MUST sit on undug soil, which stabilizes the tree and prevents sinking and tilting. Measure after each shovel-full if you have to!
The wide, saucer-shaped planting hole gives the tree more tolerance to over-watering and waterlogged soils. A wide planting hole also allows for root ball wrappings to be removed after the tree is situated in the planting hole.
In this next step, techniques vary for Container-Grown Trees and Balled And Burlapped (B&B) Trees.
Container-Grown Nursery Stock:
Container-grown nursery stock describes a variety of production methods where the trees or shrubs are grown in the containers (limiting root spread to the size of container). In some systems, like pot-in-pot and grow-bags, the container is in the ground. An advantage of container stock is that it can be planted in any season.
- First, lay the tree on its side in or near the planting hole.
- Next, pound on the bottom of sides of the pot, then wiggle or cut off the container.
- If the tree is root-bound, shave off the outer 1-1½ inches of the root ball with a pruning saw or pruners. This is to deal with circling roots.
- Tilt the tree into the hole.
- Align vertically. A tree will NOT straighten out if planted crooked.
- For stability, firm a shallow ring of soil around the bottom of the root ball
- The ideal container-grown tree has a nice network of roots holding the root ball together. After removing the container, guide the tree into place.
- If some of the soil falls off (often on the bottom), it may be necessary to adjust the depth of the planting hole. Backfill and pack the bottom of the planting hole to the correct depth.
- Fully remove all fabric bags from the sides. Cut away after setting the tree into place.
- Remove all paper/pulp containers. Most are slow to decompose and will complicate soil texture interface issues. Cut off pulp containers, as they may not slide off readily.
- In handling large trees (3-inch caliper and greater) it may be necessary to set the tree into place before removing the container.
- Be sure the tree is align vertically.
- For stability, firm a shallow ring of soil around the bottom of the root ball.
- When backfilling, be careful not to over-pack the soil which reduces large pore space and thus soil oxygen levels.
- A good method is to fill the hole about half way, use water to settle the soil, then finish filling the hole.
Field-Grown, B&B Nursery Stock:
- Field-grown, balled and burlapped (B&B) trees and shrubs are dug from the growing field with the root ball soil intact. In this harvest process, only 5-20% of the feeder roots are retained in the root ball.
- B&B nursery stock is best transplanted in the cooler spring or fall season.
- After harvesting, the roots are balled and wrapped with burlap (or other fabrics) and twine (hence the name B&B). However, in nurseries today, there are many variations to the B&B techniques. Some techniques involve wrapping balls in plastic shrink-wrap, placed into a wire basket, or placed into a pot.
- The wider planting hole gives room for the arborist to remove root ball wrappings AFTER the tree is situated in the hole.
- The standard procedures of the International Society of Arboriculture, are to remove the root ball wrapping materials (burlap, fabric, grow bags, twine, ties, wire basket, etc.) from the upper 12 inches or 2/3 of the root ball, whichever is greater, AFTER the tree is set into place.
- With tapered wire baskets, some arborists find it easier to cut off the bottom of the basket before setting the tree into the hole. Use the balance of the basket to help move the tree. The balance is easy to remove by simply cutting the rings on the side.
- Be sure the tree is align vertically.
- For stability, firm a shallow ring of soil around the bottom of the root ball.
- When backfilling, be careful not to over-pack the soil which reduces large pore space and thus soil oxygen levels.
- A good method is to fill the hole about half way, then use water to settle the soil, then finish filling the hole.
Optional Staking
When properly planted, set on undug soil, most trees in the landscape do not require staking or underground stabilization. Staking may be desirable to protect the trees from human activities or if the tree is in a windy location, staking may be necessary.
After the first year, the stakes should be removed for two reasons; one to be sure growth is not hindered by any cables and secondly, the tree will need to learn how to deal with the wind (by growing stronger). Consequently, if its left staked, it may blow down after it’s larger.
Mulch
Do not place mulch directly on the trunk of the tree. As a rule of thumb, 3” to 4” inches of wood/bark chips, or pine straw gives better weed control and prevents soil compaction from foot traffic when placed over the backfill area and beyond.
⊗These species are prone to girdling roots.
Austrian pine, Pinus nigra
Black gum tupelo, Nyssa sylvatica
Bradford pear, Pyrus calleryana
Bur oak, Quercus macrocarpa
Cherry, Prunus spp.
Crabapple, Malus spp.
Dogwood, Cornus spp.
Elm, Ulmus spp
Fruitless mulberry. Morus alba
Gingko. Gingko biloba
Green ash, Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Hackberry, Celtis occidentalis
Hemlock, Tsuga canadensis
Holly, Ilex spp.
Honeylocust, Gleditsia triacanthos
Juniper, Juniperus spp.
Littleleaf linden, Tilia cordata
Norway maple, Acer platanoides
Norway spruce, Picea abies
Pin oak, Quercus palustris
Poplar/Cottonwood, Populus spp.
Red maple, Acer rubrum
Red oak, Quercus rubra
Sawtooth oak, Quercus acutissima
Scotch pine, Pinus sylvestris
Shumard oak, Quercus shumardii
Siberian elm, Ulmus pumila
Silver maple, Acer saccharinum
Spruce, Picea spp.
Sugar maple, Acer saccharum
Sugarberry, Celtis laevigata
Sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua
White oak, Quercus alba
White pine, Pinus strobes
Zelkova, Zelkova sp.
FAQ’s
If you’ve invested in adding a tree to your yard, you’ll need to know how to plant it properly. Remember, your tree is an investment (at the least) and a part of the family, you should only do what’s best for it. Although the general concept of planting a tree; dig hole, place tree, bury tree, is pretty simple… However, it can go wrong fairly quickly during planting, yet take years for the mistake to become noticeable, thus causing wasted time and money.
Yes!! Based on research by the ISA, standard procedures are to remove root ball wrapping materials (burlap, fabric, grow bags, twine, ties, wire basket, etc.) from the upper 12 inches or 2/3 of the root ball, whichever is greater, AFTER the tree is set into place. Materials under the root ball are not a concern since roots grow outward, not downward. It is still a good idea to remove as much as possible.