oh god.

Does the poster say they do that to even local palms/trees?

Just mini-ornamentals or flowers maybe?

Or maybe just because you're planting out of its natural range?

Local nurseries are frequently operated by idiots.

There really could be a soil problem I don't know about where you'll HAVE TO do this for the tree every so often to protect it from the San Diego sand virus or lack of xxx in local soil. Obviously if you were planting a Japanese Maple in Badwater, CA I'd expect you to have to amend the planting hole.

50% OM will mean a lot of settling and the roots staying in the planting hole & maybe poor drainage as well. Oxygen pipes are a joke. Who are these people giving this ridiculous advice?!?

Dan

Its a Garden Forum Dan. I think the main goal there is to get tiny ornamental things to grow for like heck for 3 months then die. Only thing I can imagine.

Amending of planting hole backfill was seen to not enhance results over 40 years ago. Garden centers etc. still recommend it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Horticultural Myths

Oh, I missed the B1 bit. Fer chrissake, whomever is giving this advice should be permanently avoided. Gah.

Dan

the guy giving this information is the guy who is selling the following:

the plant
the oxygen pipes
the b1
the compost
the leaf mold
the soil conditioners made from pine bark, and peat moss

as well as the replacement plant when needed ...

i have pure yellow mineral sand.. basically coarse beach sand without the salt... and my process includes the following:

dig hole large.. loosen soil to pot depth.. insert plant.. backfill half with WHAT I DUG OUT ... water throughly.. backfill rest WITH WHAT I DUG OUT...mulch properly.. water properly.. and NEVER FERT ....

if you dont know how to mulch or water PROPERLY.. ask ...

good luck.. good instinct to ask peeps who arent willing to sell you another $100 worth foo foo magic ...

ken

leahcate, you've been given all sorts of negative comments, haven't you? That's because it remains pretty frustrating to the point of being sickening when we hear about such bad advice given to good people like yourself.

How large are your trees? Have they been field grown or container grown? Given that information, it will be easier to streamline the planting and after-care for you. There are some root ball techniques that can be helpful.

Thanks for sympathy hug Rhizo...nice!. I have posted on here only a few times, but have learned from ken, dan, Bboy(thanks for the link) and others, and appreciate the the guy's way of telling it like it is. Pretty funny sometimes, too. :>)
My trees, from Armstrong Nursery, are 6ft. and 7ft. approx., and in 15 gal. pots with maybe 1"- 1 1/2" trunks. No idea if Field grown or container, but not root bound I'm fairly certain.. My soil has been amended over the years and is actually pretty nice and drains well. Not very acidic, of course, and I'll amend for that with mulch and compost. They will get watered by the lawn sprinkler, can't be helped. I will deep water to help remove the salt too... ...twice a month? I thought I'd run a basin around for watering until they are established. Appreciate any tips you have.
p.s. I knew it was the old way, but after hearing it from numerous sources who were supposedly trained to know , I began to doubt myself.
The oxygen pipe thing was once sworn (to me by a pro) to be the new tree planting gospel. Always wondered if it had any merit.

but after hearing it from numerous sources who were supposedly trained to know

====>>> but my point was.. they are better trained to make more sales.. rather than how to plant a tree ...

general amendment of an entire yard.. or the entire bed is fine..

what we do not like.. is ONLY amendment of the hole ...

if the native soil is poor.. and the hole supreme... why would the tree.. ever grow out of the good stuff ... which can eventually make them fall over ....

i am glad you can appreciate the GUY TALK version of giving info.. too many peeps seem to not to ...

good luck

ken

"........ they are better trained to make more sales.. rather than how to plant a tree ... "

I figured that, as they inquire at the register( which really makes it obvious) if I have all those supposedly needed bags of planting stuff. Do they not realize, or the company know, ( there must be a top pro who knows better) giving bad advice to make sales might serve to make them an untrusted source for gardeners, which might turn into lesser sales?
".....if the native soil is poor.. and the hole supreme... why would the tree ever grow out of the good stuff ... which can eventually make them fall over ...."

Are you a teacher, ken? The above is a fine example of how to explain a theory or technique: concise and lightning clear! I'm gonna make copies to hand out every time I get the bad planting advice.

Failed trees and shrubs pulled out of amended holes have circling roots because they were planted with circling roots in the first place, did not do well enough after planting to grow much beyond the amended area. Roots always grow away from the center of the plant, seek fresh ground unless the plant is so weak or the roots encounter a barrier (such as a pot wall) so strong that they are deflected. The start of unamended soil around an amended planting hole is not enough of a barrier to deflect roots.

The main problem with amending of planting holes is how it affects the movement of water into and out of the hole. You want the same soil texture throughout the rooting area of the plant. Small plants like alpines can comparatively easily be provided with a special soil created by digging in and mulching with rock products. Ephemeral plants like annual flowers and vegetables can have organic material dug into their beds without it requiring a big area to cover the full extent of their root growth. And these often respond to high levels of organic material.

With plants that are replaced every year it is possible to re-amend their growing area every year. With longer term plants this is not possible, these have to grow in soil that is managed without frequent amending. Amendments dug in before planting break down over time and allow the soil to return to same organic levels it had before planting, making it pointless to amend the soil at/before planting.

Thanks bboy. Your more detailed, amended( ha! pun intended)explanation was very helpful in enabling me to 'see' the tree roots growth process. Makes sense the little plants could survive the process.