GARDEN TALK

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Important tips for fall tree planting

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The fall and winter seasons are ideal times to plant landscape trees to beautify homes, businesses and parks and take advantage of benefits trees offer, such as shade, screening and freshened air.

When choosing or planting a landscape tree, think about the mature height of the tree and how much space it will need as it grows. Plant the right tree in the right location. It may be best to stay 50 feet or more from a swimming pool, septic tank, field lines, vegetable garden and flowerbeds. If there are any aboveground or belowground utilities in the area, it may be best to choose another location. If you plant trees in heavy shade, they will probably grow very slowly and might not grow as straight as you would like; however, early morning and late afternoon shade could be an advantage for species that have thin bark, such as maples. If you purchase bareroot plants from an Arbor GARDEN TALK Day tree event or from an online nursery and cannot plant them immediately, they should be healed-in. This means to bury the roots in compost or soil to prevent them from drying out over a few weeks until a later planting date or conditions are favorable for proper planting. This could be as simple as several trees being placed in the same hole or laid down and the roots covered with soil or compost.

To plant, dig a hole at least twice the diameter of the rootball but no deeper than the root system/rootball. It may even be best to dig the Chip East

planting hole 2 inches to 4 inches shallower than the root ball. This is important with all trees, but extremely important when planting balled and burlapped trees. These plants are dug and sold with native soil around the root balls, and they sometimes are extremely heavy. These heavy root balls may be planted at the correct depth but might sink after planting, which could bury the trunk and roots too deep. It is not uncommon for a root ball to sink several inches after being planted in a hole at what seemed to be the correct depth. Even larger, container-grown trees and bareroot or smaller container-grown plants often settle in the planting hole, so pay close attention to getting the depth correct.

After digging the hole to the correct size, check for glazed sidewalls. In a clay soil, it is common to create glazed/slick sidewalls while digging. These slick sidewalls interfere with the roots’ ability to grow past the planting hole and into the undisturbed soil. If you have glazed sidewalls, scar up the slick places with a shovel and continue with the planting procedure.

When planting, a balled and burlapped plant should rest on the firm, undisturbed soil at the bottom of the planting hole. For bareroot trees, spread the roots out broadly over a small mound created in the bottom of the planting hole. For containerized trees, pull the circling roots loose with your fingers or cut shallow slits in the root For Long Life and Beauty ball to encourage the Clockwise from Facing Page: roots to grow outward To enhance growth, gouge the instead of continuing to grow in the circular pattern. Wash away as much of the potting sides of a glazed planting hole with the shovel; When staking a young tree, use a non-abrasive cord or a section of garden hose to avoid scarring thin bark; With material as possible and care and attention, trees will plant as described for a provide shade and spectacular bareroot plant. For large scenery for many years. container-grown plants, remove the outer layer of potting mix (this is mostly pine bark) to expose lateral roots.

Place the tree in the planting hole as straight as possible and at the correct depth. The top of the root ball, or the top roots for bareroot trees or container-grown plants, should be at the soil surface or just above the soil surface. If you have a bareroot plant with a long root that will not fit the planting hole, either dig the hole larger to accommodate the root in an outwardly growing direction or prune the root at the edge of the planting hole. Do not wrap the root around the inside of the planting hole, as this will encourage the root to circle and possibly girdle the tree from underground later in the tree’s life.

Refill the hole with the backfill that was removed from the planting hole. It is not a good practice to amend the backfill soil with organic matter unless you amend the entire planting bed/ area. Partially fill the planting hole with the native soil around the root system while keeping the tree as straight as possible. Use a shovel to break up clods and spread the soil around the roots while trying to eliminate any air pockets.

Adding water can get messy but does a great job in eliminating air pockets. Do not try to eliminate air pockets by stepping on the backfill, as this can cause compaction. Repeat this procedure until the soil is even with the top of the root

ball or even with the top root for bareroot plants.

If you are planting balled and burlapped trees, the burlap needs to be pulled away from the trunk, cut and removed from the top of the rootball. It may be hard to remove all the burlap, especially on a tree placed in a wire basket. The goal in removing some of the burlap is to make sure no burlap is exposed above the top of the rootball. Any exposed burlap above the soil line can act as a wick and will allow moisture to be pulled from the soil. Also, if the “burlap” is a synthetic product, it will not rot, and the roots will have a difficult time growing through it.

If the balled and burlapped tree is in a wire basket, removing the entire wire basket is not recommended; however, the wire (especially the top row) can eventually girdle the tree roots later in life. For this reason, it is a good idea to remove the upper portion of the wire basket after the tree is placed in the planting hole but before all the soil has been added around the root ball.

Water the tree deeply the day it is planted. Keep in mind that soil can be saturated on top but still very dry just a few inches below the surface. It is best to plant trees during the dormant season because they will require much less watering, although it is possible, especially with container-grown trees, to plant during warmer times of year. If a tree is planted during the growing season, it is important to water at planting and any time additional water is needed. This usually means watering every couple of days for a few weeks and continuing to provide some supplemental watering throughout the first summer and fall.

Depending on the size of the tree, it may take 10 to 20 gallons of water to sufficiently water the tree at planting. A good rule of thumb is to use 2 gallons of water for each inch of trunk diameter (near ground level). For example, a 5-inch diameter tree would need 10 gallons every couple of days with decreasing frequency and increasing volume over time. Mulch is important to keep the soil cool and conserve moisture, and it will aid in weed management. Pine straw and pine bark make excellent mulches, but other materials could be used, too. The mulch should be spread about four times the diameter of the root ball. For large trees, this could be 6 feet to 8 feet from the tree, and a 4-foot mulch diameter should be a minimum for young trees. The mulch layer should be no more than 1 inch deep over the root ball, but 2 inches to 3 inches from the edge of the root ball and beyond. The mulch layer should be very thin, if any, at the trunk and should never be piled up against the trunk (also referred to as “volcano mulching”), as this can cause various diseases. Managing weeds and mulching around the tree will greatly increase its growth and eliminate the need for mowing or string trimming around the trunk. Do not use a string trimmer around the trunk of the tree. Most of the time, containergrown and balled and burlapped trees do not need staking, but pay attention to the trees. If stability is a problem, staking is encouraged. Do not drive a stake on top of the root system or even into the fresh planting hole. Drive a stake or stakes in the harder ground outside the planting hole. Feed your string or wire through a piece of old water hose to protect the tree from being girdled from the staking materials.

Leave the tree staked for no more than one growing season. It is also a good idea to check the tree periodically to make sure the staked tree is growing properly and the stakes or staking materials are not causing any problems.

These are just a few thoughts for proper tree planting and care. Remember to plant the right tree in the right place.

For additional help with home and garden information, contact your local county Extension office or visit us online at aces.edu.

Doing It Right

Top: The correct way to plant a tree gives it the best chance to survive the trauma of being transplanted; Bottom: Place the tree in the hole as straight as possible and at the correct depth.

~ Dr. Chip East is a Regional Extension Agent for Commercial Horticulture for Alabama Cooperative Extension.

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