The
Basics of Planting Trees
October 2001
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Background Information
The Internet article I found to report on was called “How to Buy and Plant Trees: Improve the health and longevity of your trees.” It was written by Lance Walheim. The National Gardening Association was given credit at the bottom for providing the article.
The exact article and further information may be found at:
Although the information given was not for a specific type of tree, I found it to be very informative. I feel it aids in my general understanding of Horticulture and Landscaping.
Summary
There
are genetic as well as ornamental factors to consider when planting a tree.Size,
growth rate, climate, color, texture, and blooming time are factors as
well as the requirements for soil, water, and sunlight.Deciding
what factors are most important will be able to greatly narrow your decision.Although
trees are not always available at your local store, most places are able
to special order to fit the customer’s needs.
Whether ordering a tree or buying one at the nursery there are precautions one should take.Generally, the longer a tree has been at the nursery the more risk you are taking.One recommendation was to buy a tree of moderate proportions that tapers from top to bottom if given a choice.In addition, scope out trees with evenly spaced and located branches.
Ways
trees are sold include bare-root, balled & burlapped, and placed in
containers.The planting procedures
for each of these vary.For Bare-root
trees one should set them on a soil mound and spread the roots down and
away without overly bending them.One
can find the original planting depth by looking at the color change on
the trunk.This is usually fairly
obvious.The root-ball needs to be
handled carefully on B & B trees.Place
the soil ball in the center hole and reduce air pockets as much as possible
as you fill it in.When stabilized
with backfill, it is fine to remove the burlap.Finally,
when taking trees from containers, eliminate circled roots by cutting through
the roots.These, along with B&B
trees should not have backfill covering the top of the root ball.With
each of these methods, the planting depth will raise when water creates
the moist soil underneath the roots.
Sometimes
trees may need to be staked in order to support it through weather and
growth.Stakes should be on each
side of the tree and perpendicular to the strongest wind.Thick,
flexible ties should hold the tree to the stakes.Leave
a little room for the tree to sway in the wind so it may strengthen.
Three
other concepts the article discussed were watering, pruning, and fertilizer.Occasionally
wetting the ground outside the basin will provoke the roots to expand towards
the surrounding soil.During hot
weather, trees need to be watered more often.
Most
new trees will not need pruning right away other than to remove broken
branches.Eventually one may pinch
out the tips of rapidly growing parts in order to stimulate side branching.If
one’s new tree is progressing slowly, it may benefit from a fertilizer.A
good choice is to add nitrogen to the watering basin.
Trees
are just as unique as people’s desires for design.They
may be planted, pruned, and cared for by several different methods.However,
in general the techniques above are found to be beneficial in most circumstances.
Links
to other websites you may enjoy about this topic:
Last revised: October
16, 2001