Spring is a good season for tree planting since the earth softens and the temperatures are warm, giving your new tree the best chance of survival and establishment before winter.
Trees give some incredible benefits! They give the air we breathe, food and other resources that many animals require to thrive, wind and noise breaks, erosion and storm water runoff control, and carbon dioxide reduction in the atmosphere.
Tree planting may appear difficult and best left to experts, but by following these simple article below, anybody can learn how to effectively plant a tree—or several trees.
Tips for planting trees
Tip 1: Remove the tree’s pot. It is important to move quickly. Keep the roots and rootball moist. Care is also important. Do not allow the roots or rootball to break.
Your plant will either be “bare-rooted” and wrapped in some type of protective material, or it will arrive with the roots in a ball of earth in a container to hold it all together, such as a peat pot, burlap, wire basket, or sack.
If it’s a metal pot, use tin snips to cut the pot off. If it’s made of paper, tear it off. You must remove as much of the wrapper as possible without damaging the rootball. This may need you to use knives, wire cutters, and other tools. If required, untreated burlap can be placed beside the tree.
Tip 2: Check the whole depth twice. To do this, place the tree in the hole and observe how it fits. The “collar” (or “crown” or “root flare”) should be at or slightly above soil level (to allow for mulch). It’s usually easy to spot because you’ll be looking for the same soil line that the tree had when it was in the nursery. Trees planted too deeply might perish in a few years or cause difficulties 15 years later.
Tip 3: Place the tree in the hole. The roots should then be fanned out. Remove any girdling, damaged, or circular roots you find. Try to position the roots so that they establish excellent, direct contact with their new soil.
Tip 4: Fill in the dirt. Cover and surround it with earth. No peat moss or fertilizer should be added to the earth you’re going to place back into the hole to conceal the tree roots.
Spot fertilizing a newly planted tree causes more harm than benefit. This is due to the fact that it causes the soil around the tree roots to have a drastically different composition than the soil close to it. Water does not flow normally through the gap.
As a result, the tree is more likely to be unusually moist or excessively dry. Also, do not bury partially degraded organic trash around the young tree. This may wreak havoc on the pH, nutritional balances, and populations of tiny soil life.
On the other hand, thoroughly composted organic material equally scattered throughout the surface of the ground in the vicinity of your young tree might be beneficial. Stomp dirt all around it to harden it up and create a depression for water to settle in.
Tip 5: The Initial Soaking. Watering the tree as soon as possible after planting is crucial for its survival when the soil is dry. Water should also be used for the final settling of the soil. If more settling happens, add more soil, but avoid walking on the damp earth surrounding the tree.
Tip 6: Mulch. Mulching the soil surface two to four inches thick around freshly planted trees helps them by reducing competition and gradually releasing nutrients.
Every autumn, trees mulch themselves. Mulch helps your tree survive by keeping weeds at bay, retaining water, and regulating soil temperature. However, never allow mulch to accumulate against the trunk. Brush back the mulch that is in touch with the trunk after mulching the planting pit.
Tip 7: Staking should be avoided. Natural flexibility is required for the plant to establish a healthy trunk and roots. Stake the tree only if necessary to keep it upright until the roots have formed (usually within a year).
To stake, use one or two wooden stakes (pipe or rebar are very difficult to pull out) firmly hammered into undisturbed soil. To allow for maximum trunk movement, place the tie about a third of the way up the tree. Make use of a soft, flat tie material (inner tube, flat soaker garden hose, and commercial products).
Never use straight twine, electric wire, or any other sort of wire against a tree trunk. As quickly as possible, remove the stakes and ties. People’s ties are commonly used to girdle trees.
Tip 8: Prune. However, do not cut the tree’s crown to “compensate for root loss.” This is a myth. You can prune broken, rubbing, and weak branches, but try not to remove more than one-fifth of the branches.
Tip 9: Dam made of dirt. To retain water, build a circular earth barrier around the outside border of your tree planting area to create a basin effect. Trees require deep-soaking water to build healthy root systems.
Water trees throughout their first year or two, as well as during a drought. Unless your tree is a swamp kind, let the root zone dry out between waterings. Five to fifteen liters a week is typical.
Tip 10: After-Planting Care Young trees benefit from being watered, fertilized, and weeded, much like any other crop. They should be watered twice a week at the very least.
Rescue them from weed and grass competition on a regular basis. Or, even better, mulch around them so thoroughly that the competitors cannot get through.
Fertilizer is required if your trees are not growing properly and are not a visible healthy green hue. Spread some of your barnyard manure. However, there is such a thing as too much nitrogen, so use it sparingly.
Conclusion
The most significant tree planting guidelines are not only for starting healthy plants, but also for avoiding particular trees and issues.
Further Reading
- Ten golden rules for reforestation to optimize carbon sequestration, biodiversity recovery and livelihood benefits
- Tree planting is not a simple solution
- Explaining planted-tree survival and growth in urban neighborhoods: A social–ecological approach to studying recently-planted trees in Indianapolis
- News Feature: The best strategy for using trees to improve climate and ecosystems? Go natural
