Planting trees is no easy task. It’s essential for you to know the how-tos before picking up a tree at the nursery. The perfect planting procedure may take a little extra time, but considering trees are expensive to buy, and you want them to mature beautifully, think of it as a good investment of your time and energy.
If you’re fairly new to planting trees, it pays to know that climate plays an important role in tree-planting. Plant a tree during summertime and expect to see it wither in a matter of days or a week. Plant them in freezing temperatures and expect them to be lifeless in days.
New trees need the time to root and get accustomed to the current climate to flourish. They also need the right amount of rainfall and exposure to moderate temperatures. Hence, the perfect time to start planting trees would be early spring, late winter, or autumn.
Once you have decided on the season, here are some handy tips you can use:
• Water your new tree thoroughly before you start digging the planting hole.
• Use a spade to remove turf from the planting area. Dig a hole a little deeper than the root ball of the tree, and twice as wide. Spread soil from hole onto tarp or plastic sheet, water the hole generously then leave to drain.
• Mix excavated soil with a generous quantity of compost. This creates an improved soil mix for backfilling hole.
• Scatter a handful of pelletised manure in base of planting hole or cover lightly with a little backfill soil.
• Cut plastic bag away from root ball. For potted trees, tap around sides and base of pot to loosen root ball, then carefully remove. Gently tease out roots at the bottom. If there are any long roots circling the root ball, tease these out and prune back lightly to encourage outward growth.
• When the tree is at the right level, backfill around it using improved soil mix. Gently firm down the soil to remove any air pockets.
• Sprinkle more manure over the soil surface and water in well.
• Add a layer of mulch 7-10cm deep. Create a watering well at the centre, so no mulch is piled up against trunk of tree. Water again to saturate the mulch.
Once you have perfected your first tree planting project, the next ones are going to be a lot easier. For more home and garden tips, visit this page.