Up to date tree planting advice needed

11 years ago

Hello, and thank you for reading. I just ordered a bunch of trees to plant this season. A member here suggested that I should get familiar with up to date planting practices. I have clay rich soil, with an acidic pH. I have a large amount of nice compost. I have heard some advise to leave some undisturbed soil under the planting to ensure roots grow outward. I have also heard some say that one shouldn't amend the existing soil too much because then the new tree will encounter the surrounding soil and the roots will not penetrate well. Is there a general consensus on these points?

Here is a list of the trees I will be planting here in central NC (zone 7). All of these are one gallon plants, except the black locusts, which are from the forestry department (not sure how big they will be, but they were really cheap). Any thoughts or advice will be appreciated (about species, time to plant, pH problems, soil, holes, anything that comes to mind).

Rhus glabra

Halesia carolina (tetraptera)

Crataegus aestivalis

Gymnocladus dioicus

Aesculus pavia

Carya ovata

Carpinus caroliniana

Sassafras albidum

Oxydendrum arboreum

Catalpa bignonioides

Robinia pseudoacacia

Thanks again!

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Comments (3)

wisconsitom
11 years ago
Asimina, here's few general pointers: Amending the soil used for backfill is not recommended. There is no point in making this tiny area of soil real good when in fact, what the new transplant must do to survive is extend its root system out beyond that area as quickly as possible. Additionally, drainage anomalies can occur causing the backfill soil to drain much slower, or in some cases, faster than the surrounding soil. That's not helpful to the tree. If you suspect your soil is deficient in organic matter, and it very often is, amending the entire area into which roots may eventually grow is a good idea. Here you're talking about essentially your whole yard. Well-made compost is ideal for this.

Depth of planting is crucial. You want to plant such that the root flare, that swollen area where trunk meets roots, is at or just slightly above grade.

Do not loosen soil under the tree's root system in the hole. Doing so may cause settling, and if it does, the tree will now be planted too deep.

Mulching is the single most cost-effective treatment to ensure survival and rapid establishment. Don't get caught up in this or that mulch. Regular woodchips work well as does shredded bark, etc. Use what you can get cheaply.

If the hole flares outward towards the top, the newly forming roots will have a "breakout zone" whereby they can more easily begin to colonize the wider area.

Water mgt. is crucial and should be done such that the newly planted tree is getting the equivalent of roughly one inch of rain per week. In very hot, dry weather, this may not be enough. If weather is rainy, quite likely no watering will be needed.

Don't fertilize at planting time. Roots develop fastest in a low-nitrogen environment.

I expect more will be forthcoming. But this should get you started.

+oM
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
a good general planting guide at the link ...

here is what i wrote in another post this morning:

"link below to a good general planting guide.. check drainage .... do not amend.. unless real bad clay ... other suggestions for that.. water deeply on planting.. mulch properly.. and then let them NEAR DRY in between deep waterings [none pf this spraying the leaves stuff] .. do not fert.. unless a soil test shows something is missing from your soil ... "

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link
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Asimina76
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you both, I appreciate the advice.

Up to date tree planting advice needed

Comments (3)

wisconsitom

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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Up to date tree planting advice needed

Comments (3)

wisconsitom

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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Asimina76Original Author

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Asimina76
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