How To Plant A Tree
In order to have a long and healthy life, trees must be properly planted.

When to Plant Trees
Newly planted trees do best when exposed to moderate temperature and rainfall. Therefore, spring and fall are generally the best planting seasons. However, you can plant during the summer, you just need to keep the container watered until you plant the tree. You also, must water the tree after you plant it.

How To Plant Trees
While planting different types of trees differs in the details, all trees eventually end up in the ground, and need to start with an appropriate hole.

The most common mistake when planting a tree is to dig a hole that is either too deep or too narrow. Too deep and the roots don’t have access to sufficient oxygen to ensure proper growth. Too narrow and the root structure can’t expand sufficiently to nourish and properly anchor the tree.

As a rule, trees should be transplanted no deeper than the soil in which they were originally grown. The width of the hole should be at least 3 times the diameter of the root ball or container. This will provide the tree with enough worked earth for its root structure to establish itself.

When digging in poorly drained clay soil, it is important to avoid ‘glazing’. Glazing occurs when the sides and bottom of a hole become smoothed forming a barrier, through which water has difficulty passing. To break up the glaze, use a fork to work the bottom and drag the points along the sides of the completed hole. Also, raising the bottom of the hole slightly higher than the surrounding area. This allows water to disperse, reducing the possibility of water pooling in the planting zone.

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When you purchase a tree or shrub, please water the container every day. The tree or shrub must get planted wet!! If it’s a hot windy day, water the container first, dig your hole and plant your item. Water the tree or shrub thoroughly. Keep the root ball of the tree or shrub moist. Water the tree with a 5 gallon bucket. It helps to mulch your tree, to keep the moisture in the ground. We also recommend to incorporate 1 package of soil moist in the soil at time of planting. Most problems come from under watering or over watering.

Helpful hint:
When planting a new tree,
Cover the trunk with a white,
Perforated tree protector. This
Will protect the tree for the Winter, and against rabbits. Leave on all year, until the tree Forms it’s real bark.

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How to Plant a Tree
















Planting Container Trees
Container trees (though subject to greater heat and drying conditions) can also be stored for a brief period of time after purchase as long as the soil in the container is kept moist and the tree stored in a shady spot. In the case a plastic container, remove the container completely.

Once carefully removed from the container, check the roots. If they are tightly compressed or ‘potbound’, use your fingers or a blunt instrument (to minimize root tearing) to carefully tease the fine roots away from the tight mass and then spread the roots prior to planting. In the case of extremely woody compacted roots, it may be necessary to use a spade to open up the bottom half of the root system. The root system is then pulled apart or ‘butterflied’ prior to planting. Loosening the root structure in this way is extremely important in the case of container plants. Failure to do so may result in the roots ‘girdling’ and killing the tree. At the very least, the roots will have difficulty expanding beyond the dimensions of the original container. To further assist this, lightly break up even the soil outside the planting zone. This allows roots that quickly move out of the planting zone to be more resilient as they anchor into existing surrounding soil conditions.

Once the tree is seated in the hole, the original soil is then back-filled into the hole to the soil level of the container. Again, remember not to overly compress the back-filled soil especially by tramping it with your feet. Compress gently using your hands instead.

Finishing the Job
●  Remove tags and labels.
●  Do not stake trunk unless the tree has a large crown, or the
    planting is situated on a windy site or where people may push
    them over. Stake for a maximum of one year. NOTE: Evergreens
    rarely require staking.
●  Soak soil well, making sure no air pockets form between roots,
    then apply mulch.
●  Add 2″ - 3″ of mulch, taking care to keep it away from the trunk.
●  Place a white tree guard around your tree trunk-keep in on
    year round until it doesn’t fit any more.