Placing the Plant in the Hole

Carefully place the plant in the hole. This is extremely imortant when planting larger trees as you don’t want to tear the fiber roots away from the plant. When placed, the original growing level should be 1″-2″ above the level of the ground (as stated above).

If the plant is bare root, remove any damaged or diseased roots with clean, sharp pruning shears, create a mound in the middle of hole and spread the roots out over and around it, and do not trim the top of the plant as this will reduce the growth of new roots.

If the plant is container grown, ease the pot off without disturbing the plant. If there are any circling roots cleanly cut them on all four sides from top to bottom with a sharp knife to insure they will not eventually girdle the trunk. (You can return the container to Country Arbors and we’ll recycle it if you don’t have another use for it.)

If the plant is balled and burlapped, remove all rope and twine from around the trunk of the tree. Do not remove the burlap from the ball. We only use an untreated, lightweight grade of burlap which will quickly decay). Where plastic burlap has been used it will have to be pulled down to the bottom of the ball as this is a material which does not decompose naturally. This means that if a wire basket has been used it will have to be removed, which is not recommended. If a wire basket has been used, be sure to cut off or bend back the top to the point it will not interfere with raking and cultivation.

In all cases straighten the plant in the hole. This is also the time to make sure all tags, wires and ropes which might be on the stems or trunk are removed. These items can girdle and kill the plant as it grows.

Back filling the Hole

When back filling the hole, use the soil that came out of the hole, do not amend the soil. The reason you should not amend the soil is due to a phenomena known as hydrologic discontinuity which affects the ability of the plant to absorb water. This issue is explained in the Post-Planting Care Instructions. Fill the hole about one third full and gently but firmly pack the soil around the bottom of the plants or roots. Packing the soil too hard can reduce the soil pores and cause compacting. Place a hose in the hole and let it trickle water into the hole as you’re doing this to eliminate air pockets and rehydrate the soil. Add the soil a few inches at a time and settle it with water. Continue this process until the tree is firmly planted to ground level. Make sure you do not pile the extra, displaced soil against the trunk of the plant. Doing this limits the plant’s ability to absorb oxygen.

At this time build a moat around the plant (this is where the extra, displaced soil goes and serves a useful purpose). The normal rule of thumb is to build it on the undisturbed soil around the edge of the planting hole. The size of the moat wall should be four to six inches tall and equally as wide. As an example, if you are planting a two inch balled and burlapped tree you would build the moat out about 30 inches from the trunk and about 4 inches high. The purpose for the moat is to hold mulch and direct the water when watering. The larger the mulch ring the better protection and moisture retention capacity.

Mulching the Plant

After the plant is properly planted and the moat has been constructed, put a two to four inch layer around the tree (in the moat area) depending upon the size of the plant. Mulching serves many purposes. Among the most important are moisture retention, root insulation and protection from heat and cold extremes. Research has shown mulching enables a plant to nearly double plant growth in the first few years after planting. Additional benefits are aesthetics, grass and weed competition and protection from mowers and weed trimmers. Mechanical damage is one of the leading causes of injury and death to landscape plants. Do not put more than this as any more than four inches may cause a problem with gas exchange and small rodents choosing to make their home in it (and eating the roots of the plant) during the winter months. Leave the bark about one to two inches back (away) from the trunk of the plant. Do not put the bark around the trunk as this may cause the bark to decay. We do not recommend placing a landscape fabric under the mulch (and most certainly not black plastic as it keeps water away from the plant) for weed control as although it will control annual weeds, it is ineffective against perennial weeds. A better control would be use a pre-emergent herbicide. If one chooses to use a pre-emergent put it on top of the mulch, not on the soil with the mulch on top of it. Putting it on top keeps any seeds which blow in from germinating.

Acceptable mulches are wood chips, wood shavings, bark or equivalent materials. We recommend using a premium quality shredded hardwood bark as it is coarse-textured and provides excellent water retention, aeration of the soil, and replenishes soil nutrients as it decomposes.

It should be pointed out that heavy mulching of plants planted in poorly drained or wet areas can be a problem. In wet areas the mulch can keep the moisture at high levels for extended periods thereby causing root die back. In dry situations the surplus of moisture in the bark can cause the roots to grow upward into the mulching material and when the mulch dries out, the roots will dry out, thereby causing them to die. For these reasons we do not recommend mulching if either of these situations exist.

Do Not Apply Fertilizer or Amendments at the Time of Planting

Do not add organic matter, fertilizer or other soil amendments. Do not place gravel in the bottom of the planting area. These amendments can cause problems with soil and root growth. Soil amendments negatively impact the performance of the tree as described above. The reason most nurserymen don’t recommend fertilizing is because most native soils contain sufficient levels of available nutrients to supply the requirements of newly planted material. Also, nitrogen fertilizers promote shoot growth versus root growth, where the re-establishment of the root system is required before the plant can adequately support new top growth.

When to Stake a Tree

Plants do not generally need staking. The should only be staked when necessary. Studies have shown trees will establish more quickly and develop stronger trunks and root systems if they are not staked at the time of planting. The most common reason for staking is if windy conditions are continually prevalent at the planting location. Without staking, trees or evergreens with large heads will blow over. If this situation exists then it might be necessary to stake the plant to insure its survival. If staking is necessary for support, we recommend using a two stake system with a wide, flexible tie material which will minimize trunk damage (see diagram).

You have now selected plants which are correct for the location they are going into and aesthetically correct and pleasing to you personally, and have properly planted them according to the needs of their new location as well as the needs of the plant itself. From this point on the performance (or nonperformance) of the plant will depend upon the post-planting care it receives (or doesn’t receive). This subject is presented in Country Arbors Planting Guidelines: Part III: Post-Planting Care Guidelines.

Planting Guidelines Part II: Plant Installation Guidelines - Last Update: 09.01.03-6