TreeHealers - Planting guide

TreeHealers – Tree planting page.

There is quite a bit of free advice about planting that new tree you just bought. Some of the planting advice that once was considered valid is out of date. Recent study has found newer and more successful methods. Here are some links to tree planting resources.

Jim Flott is the urban forester for the city of Spokane WA. He has planted over 6,000 trees in the past 5 years with only 4 failures (as of spring 2004). His big concern is seeing that the roots are in good condition – not wraped arround inside the pot or root ball or tied in knots that choke roots 5 - 10 years after planting. He now converts ball & burlaped or potted tree into bare root trees, checks and corrects root problems and then plants. This may be beyond what a home owner will attempt and possibly not feasible for large trees.

Here is a link to what he taught in a 2004 seminar. This a good approach to planting your tree.

Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott is Extension Horticulturist & Associate Professor at the Puyallup Research and Extension Center of Washington State University. Her monthly web posting about Landscape Myths are always interesting.

Here are links to some of her items that concern tree planting.

Myth: Balled and Burlapped Root Balls THIS IS THE BEST METHOD FOR TREE PLANTING. I strongly recommend this to anyone planting trees.

Myth: You Shouldn't Disturb the Rootball When Planting Trees and Shrubs
Myth: Wire Baskets Will Not Interfere With Root Growth of Transplanted Trees
Myth: Newly Planted Trees Must be Firmly Staked
Myth: I call this "Reasons for proper staking of trees" but there is a lot more here.

Myth: Planting is Simple - Just Dig a Hole and Insert the Plant
Myth: Pruning the Tops of New Transplants Compensates for Root Loss

Here are others that are of interest.

Myth: Wound Dressings Protect Pruned Trees from Pathogen Damage
Myth: Tree Topping is Like a Haircut - Sometimes It's Necessary, and a Tree Can Always Grow Out of a Bad One

My personal experience is that the 3 biggest mistakes in tree planting are:

Planting too deep - the flare between the trunk and the roots should be level with the soil. This is not easy if the root flare is hidden below the top of the burlap.

Remove the wire baskets and the twine that ties arround the burlap. Trees ge strangled by this stuff 5-10 years after planting.

Do not over water. THis is one of the quikest way to kill a tree.

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