Planting native species is most conducive to success (in the case of trees for privacy, I have suggested eastern white spruce or cedar). Some planting tips:
- Plant in the fall after leaf drop or in the spring before bud break; cool weather allows the tree to establish roots before spring rain/summer heat promotes too much top growth.
- Dig a SHALLOW and WIDE hole, 2 to 3 times wider than root ball (majority of roots develop in the first 12” of soil, so don’t dig too deep or it will inhibit growth!).
- If you bought a tree from a nursery, remove container/wrappings and straighten or cut circled roots.
- Identify the flare of the trunk (where it is widest at the base) -- it should be partially visible when planted.
- In CLAY areas, you can aerate the soil and add a bit of organic fertilizer, creating a mound, so that when you place your tree in the hole, the trunk flare sits 2-3” above grade. (Don’t use fertilizer in non-clay soil areas when first planting.)
- Hold a new tree by the root ball and not by the trunk; and plant it straight.
- Fill hole gently and firmly (to eliminate air pockets that may dry out roots -- watering during backfill may help you get rid of these air pockets).
- If you are using a bare root stock, you may need to stake; otherwise, trees develop stronger trunks without stakes.
- Mulch around the tree, leaving 1-2” of space around the base, and 2-3” deep (mulch could be any organic waste from leaf litter, wood chips, pine needles, bark, etc).
- In the summer, especially in periods of no rain in intense heat, the tree will really do best with once or twice a week watering (the soil under mulch shouldn’t get too dry).
It doesn’t take much to keep your newly planted trees happy. Mulch really makes your job easier. Also, some pruning may be required to help train the tree; I’ll cover the topic of pruning in a future article.