Spring, a Time of Planting Trees

Across the Juniata Valley, gardeners are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the annual gardening season.  Many have been attending local, regional, state and national garden shows in hopes of learning a new trend or finding a new plant that will add that extra touch to their home garden.

A major addition to a home landscape can be the incorporation of a new tree, and early spring is a great time to plant a tree. To increase your chances of having a successful tree planting in your garden here are some simple guidelines to follow.

If you are planting a bare root tree you need to set it into your garden soil well before any leaves start to appear on it.  If the tree you are planning to plant is purchased in a container or has a balled and burlapped root ball, you can plant these trees with great success throughout the growing season because of their more developed root systems.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when planting a tree is putting the root ball to deep into the ground.  In our area of the country it is best to dig a hole that is about the same depth as the root ball and twice its width.  The top of the root ball should be about 2-3 inches higher than the top of the hole.  In sandy soil the root ball should be even with the top of the dug hole.  It is very important to dig your hole with plenty of width as opposed to deep; the tree will do better with a wide hole to allow the root system plenty of room to expand.  Do not set the root ball in a hole that has loose back fill on the bottom.  The tree and its root ball should be set into a solid bottom hole because once the tree settles in a loosely filled bottom hole it can shift and the trunk above the ground will be at an angle instead of perpendicular to the ground.

Make sure you remove all solid containers surrounding the tree’s root ball and if it has burlap, cardboard or similar material surrounding it you will need to tear that material away once it is placed into the hole.  Remove all wire, rope or string that is attached to the truck.  Do not worry about any of the root ball packaging that may be on the bottom of the hole since about 98 percent of the root growth will develop out the sides of the hole.

You should amend the backfill with one part organic material (peat moss or well rotted manure) to two parts soil.  While backfilling around the root ball do not tamp the mixture but let it gently settle into the hole by adding water.  This will help to avoid soil compaction and will lessen the chances of braking tender roots.  The best way to accomplish this is to insert a hose into the backfill and run the water until the soil settles, you will need to do this at several locations around the planting hole.

Do not prune the tree when you plant it.  If necessary you can trim any broken branches but top pruning can severely delay establishment of the tree.  You can start shaping and trimming the tree once it has been growing for a year or two in its new site.  It is also not recommended to fertilize a newly planted tree.

Over watering newly planted trees can cause some displacement of air in the soil that can cause root rot to develop.  The best way to check if your tree needs water is to dig down about 4 to 6 inches around the edge of the planting hole, if at  that depth the soil is moist and forms a ball in your hand when you squeeze the soil do not water it.

Many people think you need to stake a newly planted tree and strap it down with wire run through a garden hose.  Most trees do not need staked, but if you do plant in a windy location and need to stake, only use flat belt like tree straps made of soft material.  The hose and wire system can girdle the tree causing much damage.  When staking a tree allow enough slack in the strap to permit some sway in the wind, this movement will help promote a stronger trunk development.