Tree Planting Simplified

Tree planting is hard work but trees last for generations when you do it correctly.

Old standards had you digging a hole three times as wide and two times as deep as the container. New standards are a little easier.

Need to Know

There is a spot on the tree you need to find in order to plant successfully. It's called the Root Flare. This is the gently curving area where the trunk meets the beginning of the root mass.
See my drawing below to get the location of the root flare. I'll wait here while you go peek at it. Ok, stop laughing I didn't major in drawing!

In some containerized trees you might have to brush away the soil and ammendments added to the pot to find this spot. In balled and burlaped plants it is easier to find.

Size of Hole To Dig

This is the easier part of tree planting, no more digging a hole large enough to put a car into!

1. Dig the hole the same depth as the container or burlaped ball.
2. Dig the hole 8-10 inches wider than the container or burlap ball.

When digging your hole, rough up the sides and bottom of the hole. If it's shiny and slick, the roots will have a harder time penetrating through it.

Planting Depth

You remember the root flare I mentioned earlier?
Plant your tree so the root flare to sits 1" to 2" above the ground.

If you plant the root flare at ground level to start with, settling of the soil and the weight of the tree itself will pull it under ground making your tree too deeply planted.

tree planting guide

Container Trees

Remove the container the tree was potted in.
Cut container down the side and peel it away.
Some containers have wide lips at the top that are hard to cut through. You can gently lay the tree on its side (be careful not to break branches) and kneel on the container. Kneeling on it will help loosen the soil from the sides, allowing you to slip the container away.

The roots are probably swirled around the soil mass. Unwrap the larger ones if you can without damaging them. You want the roots aimed out away from the tree, not circling back towards it.

Balled and Burlaped Trees

Do you keep the burlap on or remove it?
I say take off the burlap and the wire basket.
The basket stands a chance of damaging or strangling the roots as they grow larger.
The burlap prevents the roots from spreading out and anchoring the tree in a timely manner. The roots will eventually grow through the burlap, but why make them wait a year or two, let them go free from day one and your tree will be much happier.

Filling the Hole

With your tree set at the correct planting depth you can back fill the hole. Put a couple of shovels full of dirt into the hole and then use the back end of it to tamp down the soil. Make sure you tree is standing straight after you tamp the soil down. Continue on until you have the hole filled.

You haven't finished your planting just because the soil is back in the hole!
The next steps in tree planting are watering and mulching your tree.
Both steps when done properly can add years to the life of your tree. You took time to do the tree planting properly, take time to learn about watering and mulching properly. Both when done incorrectly can erase any good you did during the planting stage.

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