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Planting a Tree | How to Plant Trees
How to Plant Trees
Appropriate location of your trees is vital for your long term gratification. Prior to planting your trees,
contemplate the tree's size at full maturity.
When the tree reaches its mature size, will it be located too close to the foundation of your house or other outdoor buildings? Try to
be thoughtful of your next-door neighbors.
A coniferous tree once established on the north facing side may block off the sun from your adjacent neighbor. Would your tree allow for
too much shadiness on your vegetable and flower gardens? Almost all vegetables and numerous flowering plants demand a significant amount
of sun.
If you mean to grow vegetables or flowers near your tree in the future, study how the positioning of your tree will
affect these garden beds. Would it block drives or walking paths? Would it cause worries for underground or overhead power lines?
Planting a Tree
A suitably planted and preserved tree will most certainly grow quicker and live a much longer life than a tree that's planted
improperly. Most trees can be planted & settled just about any time of the year. Just make sure the ground isn't frozen.
Also, be sure to watch for heaving during the winter if planting in late fall. In most regions of the country, try to plant your trees
in late summer and early fall. Planting during these specific times gives the tree an opportunity to lay down fresh roots before
winter settles in and the earth starts to freeze.
As soon as spring comes, the tree is prompted to start growing. An optional time for planting is late in winter or early in the spring. Try
not to plant in the heat of summer if it can be helped. As soon as the tree has gone dormant and the earth has frozen, there's no chance for the tree to grow new roots.
Follow closely any planting instructions that may come with your tree. If explicit directions are not on hand, abide by these planting tips:
Give the tree roots plenty of room to grow. Start by digging out a planting hole twice as wide as, and somewhat shallower than the
width of the root ball itself. Loosen up the soil on the sides of your planting hole so that the roots will be better able to penetrate the
soil as they start to grow.
If you've purchased a potted tree, carefully pull the tree from the nursery container. Position the tree on its side with the root ball
of the tree lying down next to the hole you intend to plant it in. If the tree doesn't want to release from the nursery container,
lightly strike the underside and sides of the container until the tree's root ball comes loose from the pot. If you find that the tree
is root bound in the container, you may cut through the roots on different sides of the root ball to keep the roots from strangling
itself once it starts growing. If you have purchased a B&B tree, get rid of the twine or any wires that may bind the burlap to the
crown of the roots. You do not need to remove the burlap from your tree root ball, but any plastic material must be entirely removed
from the root ball. Gently tease apart any roots that look to be circling the root ball. If you find any roots that look excessively
long you may prune these back and guide the pruned roots down and outward when planting. Plant your tree as soon as possible to keep
fragile roots from drying out.
Once the tree is removed from the container and prepared for planting you may set the root ball in the hole. As long as any roots
on the root ball are not exposed, position the tree where the crown of the root ball is approximately 1/2 inch above the level of the
soil surrounding the planting hole. If you purchased your tree bare root, build up a mound of soil in the center of the planting hole
to support the bare roots. Then place the bare root tree into the hole and fill around the roots, making sure not leave any air pockets
around the roots. Most bare root trees will have a faint line of dirt on the trunk showing how deep they were planted in the nursery.
Try to plant your bare root tree at a similar depth. Once the soil is around the roots you may lightly tamp down the soil to anchor the
roots and then water the tree well. You can help keep the soil around the roots moist by adding a thick layer of mulch up to about 3
inches away from the truck of the tree.
Resources: Dogwood Trees -
How to Build a Compost Bin -
How to Build a Greenhouse -
Shed Plans
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