Planting a Tree
Give your tree a good start in life
Planting a tree is not like planting an impatiens. You’re beginning a long-term project and your tree will be providing pleasure to you, your family, your neighborhood and the local wildlife for decades. So it pays to match your investment in buying the tree itself with investment in taking the time to plant the tree in the right way.
Local Advice for Local Gardners
How Trees are sold
- Container grown - growing in a plastic pot. Most shrubs are sold in this way.
- Balled and burlapped (B&B) - Dug from the nursery field wrapped tightly in burlap, sometimes with an additional wire basket to hold the soil on the roots. Most often used for larger trees.
- Bare root - Dug from the nursery field and the soil removed. Most often used for trees sold by mail order. Not recommended.
Choose your tree
- Always do some research, or ask our expert staff, to be sure you plant the right tree in the right place
- Look for a balanced shape with an even spread of branches
- Avoid trees with damaged stems or broken branches
- Avoid trees with wilted foliage, which indicates dry roots
- Reject trees with smaller leaves than others of the same variety
- Make sure your tree has a tag giving details of any special care required
You will need
- Spade to dig the hole
- Sheet of plastic or split mulch bag on which to heap the soil from the hole
- Digging fork to loosen the soil and mix in organic matter
- Organic matter to amend the soil
- Slow release tree feed such as bonemeal
- Watering can and water
- Liquid feed
- Organic mulch
- Two 3-4ft tree stakes
- Two long tree ties
- Optional: mycorrhizal fungi or other soil additive; transplanting spray for evergreens; tree watering equipment.
Choose your site
- Match the needs of the tree to the light and moisture levels at your chosen site
- Avoid areas made up with fill following construction or be prepared to replace a great deal of soil
- Consider the eventual spread of your tree and its roots in relation to nearby trees, shrubs, driveways, sidewalks, buildings, foundations, overhead and buried cables, septic systems
- Avoid spots with bad drainage, where water often sits
- For the best shade and house cooling, plant deciduous trees on the south, west or east perimeters
- For the best windbreaks and preserving winter heat, plant evergreens on the north or west of the house
Tree Planting - Step by Step
If possible, choose a cloudy day or early morning rather than planting in hot afternoon sun. If you need to delay, move the tree to a shady area and keep it moist until ready for planting.
- Dig a hole twice the width and twice the depth of the roots of your tree or the size of its container. Heap the soil on a sheet of plastic to keep it off the lawn
- Fork over the base and sides of the hole to loosen the soil
- Mix organic matter and 2oz of bonemeal into the base of the hole to improve both clay and sandy soil, and firm with your foot
- Mix more organic matter and bonemeal (plus optional mycorrhizal fungi or other soil additive) into the soil removed from the hole
- Place the tree in the hole, still wrapped or in its container. Lift the tree by the container or root ball rather than by the trunk
- Check the level: the top of the soil in the container or of the root ball should be level with the surrounding ground level. Add or remove soil below the root ball soil until the level is right
- Remove the tree from the hole and remove the pot. Or place the tree in the hole, cut the burlap down the middle and tear from under the root ball, and remove any string or wire. If the roots are twisted and knotted, carefully straighten them a bit to help them expand
- Refill the space around the roots with the soil mixture, firming with the ball of your foot (not your heel) as you go. This will leave the tree slightly lower than the surrounding soil creating a bowl to catch water
- Water thoroughly with a weak liquid feed
- Finish with a 2-4in layer of organic mulch
Supporting your tree
- It’s important to support your tree to allow the roots to grow out undisturbed by movement– support low down is best
- Knock in a stake on either side of the tree, outside the newly dug area. Use a 3-4ft stake driven in 18-24in
- Use a tree tie attached to each post to support the trunk securely 12-18in above the soil
Keep an eye on your new tree
- Check the tree support regularly and tighten or loosen it if necessary
- Water regularly, depending on the weather, gradually weaning the tree off supplemental irrigation over the next month – except in prolonged dry spells. For more attentive results, use a watering ring, soaker hose or Tree Camel®. Remember that more trees are killed by over-watering than under-watering
- If deer are a problem, erect a fence around the tree
- Protect newly planted evergreen trees in windy areas with a transplanting spray and/or a burlap windbreak
Written by Graham Rice