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April 13, 2007
How to Plant a Tree
Master Gardener Column 4/14/07
In his witty and spirited gardening book 'Second Nature,' Michael Pollan pondered the importance and responsibility of planting a tree. Many hours of research and contemplation lead him to conclude that “choosing the site and digging the hole, in particular, were crucial, irrevocable acts that, handled badly, I would rue for decades.” Furthermore, “the quality of the hole I prepare will help determine the future well-being of my tree.” Pollan closes with "among plants, hole is fate."
Are these words to live by? So often we purchase a tree with high expectations only to witness its failure over time. Our tree’s demise may simply be due to improper planting of the tree. With Pollan’s writing in mind, I give you these recommended steps for planting a tree.
1) Dig the planting hole as deep as the tree's root ball. Making the hole too deep may cause the tree to settle and end up below grade.
2) Loosen the soil in the planting area three to five times as wide as the root ball. Unless you are creating a raised bed or amending the entire planting area, the roots will need to grow in the native soil so break it up with a pickax or pitchfork.
3) To prevent Glazing of the the walls of the planting hole, score and rough up the sides.
4) Place the tree in the planting hole and backfill with non-amended native soil. That's right, non-amended soil. Planting your tree in a little pocket of premium soil really amounts to planting your tree in a pot in the ground. Not all of us have soils that are easy to work with. If this is the case, amend the entire planting area with organic matter and work in well. You may even have to create a raised bed using topsoil and organic matter. Smaller trees are a better choice for the latter situation.
5) Create a berm just outside of the root ball to serve as an irrigation well.
6) Apply three to four inches of organic mulch over the planting area making sure the mulch doesn't touch the trunk of the tree. The best mulches for trees are wood chips and bark chunks.
7) Remove the original nursery stake. This stake is in the root ball and is no longer needed. If you need to stake, the stake needs to be put into the surrounding soil.
8) Stake the tree only if necessary. If the tree falls over when you remove the nursery stake, it obviously needs some support. Top heavy trees may also need stakes but only for one or two growing seasons. Make sure you use horticultural tape or straps. Hoses with wire through them often ends up girdling the tree.
9) Irrigate the tree so that the root ball and the surrounding soil are wet.
10) Continue watering deeply so that the root zone is saturated. Gradually decrease the frequency of watering as the tree becomes established. You can check whether you have watered deeply by pushing a steel rod into the soil. The rod should push easily into the soil if it is moist.
The successful establishment of your tree really does depend on all these steps. A tree is an investment into the future. Making the extra effort to provide your tree with the opportunity to flourish will allow you to enjoy it for years to come.
By Hattie Braun
The author is a Master Gardener program coordinator for Coconino County Cooperative Extension. If you have a gardening question, call the Master Gardener hotline at 774-1868 ext. 19 or visit our Web site: highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.
Posted by maxmaddy at April 13, 2007 7:14 AM