Dallas Morning News – September 21, 2017
TREE PLANTING for Best Results
After selecting an appropriate tree for your site, the next step is planting it properly. There are several ways to plant trees that will work. Trees are tough and will often survive and do fairly well even if planted sloppily. But, to give trees the best change of establishing, growing well and reaching their potential, you might want try the method that I have developed over the past 50 years.
The first step is to dig the hole the correct size and shape. Before digging the hole, the actual height of the root ball needs to be established. Most trees, in containers and balled and burlapped ones, almost always have excess soil on the top of the true root ball. This excess soil and mulch needs to be removed. Burlap, twine and wire should also be removed.
Now you can measure the width and height of the actual root ball. Dig a wide, rough-sided hole, 3 times wider than the tree ball, especially at the soil surface. Square-shaped holes also work. The point is to have non-slick, well-aerated soil around the new root ball to prevent the roots from circling in the hole. Digging a small, smooth-sided hole is the worst thing you can do. The depth of the hole should be slightly less than the height of the ball. Measure, don’t guess.
The root ball should be slightly higher than the ground grade after planting. The bottom of the root ball should be sitting on firm undisturbed soil. When you over-dig and have to put backfill under the ball, the tree can settle. This is a common cause of root flares being too deep in the ground. If fill under the ball is unavoidable, tamp this bottom of the hole soil to compact it before planting.
Backfill should be the soil that was removed from the hole – period. This is a critical point. Roots need to start growing in the native soil from the beginning. When the hole is dug in solid rock, topsoil from the same area should be used. Some native rock mixed into the backfill is beneficial. Adding amendments such as peat moss, compost, sand or foreign soil to the backfill not only wastes money, but is detrimental to the tree’s establishment. Putting gravel in the bottom of the hole is a total waste of money.
When planting balled and burlapped plants, remove the burlap especially from the top of the ball. Remove any nylon or plastic covering or string, since these materials do not decompose and can girdle the trunk and roots as the plant grows. When planting from plastic containers, remove plants and loosen the roots if they have circled and formed a mass. Tear or cut the outside roots if they have grown solidly against the container and can’t be loosened.
Water the backfill carefully, making sure to get rid of all air pockets. Mulch the top of the ball after planting with 3″ of mulch at the outside of the disturbed area tapering to 0″ at the tree trunk. This step is important in lawn areas and in beds. Do not ever plant grass over the tree ball until the tree is established.
Trunks of newly planted trees should not be wrapped. It is a waste of money, looks unattractive, harbors insects and leaves the bark weak when removed. If you are worried about the unlikely possibility of sunburn, it is much better to paint the trunk with a diluted latex paint that matches the color of the bark. White is OK too.
Staking and guying is usually unnecessary if the tree has been planted properly with the proper earth ball size of at least 9″ of ball for each 1″ of trunk diameter. Staking can be detrimental to the proper trunk development. In rare circumstances (sandy soil, tall evergreen trees, etc.) where the tree needs to be staked for a while, use a soft, loose system that still allows some movement and remove the stakes as soon as possible after the first growing system.
It is very bad advice to prune at planting to compensate for the loss of roots during transplanting or planting. Most trees fare much better if all the limbs and foliage are left intact. The more foliage, the more food can be produced to build the root system. Even low limbs and foliage should be left on the tree for at least two growing seasons to aid root and trunk development.
Even more details on these important procedures can be found at
https://www.dirtdoctor.com/garden/Tree-Newsletter-Planting-Series_vq1712.htm