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New Dancy Mandarine Planted 4 inches under ground level

14 years ago

I purchased a "Dancy Mandarine" last weekend and planted it in my garden. However, this morning I just found out that I made a huge mistake. To form a water basin, instead of putting the root crown at ground level, I put it 3 to 4 inches lower than the ground lever. Many people said this will cause foot rot and the tree will die in 5 years.

Please advice what shall I do now to save my tree? Since it's only 5 days, can I dig it up, add more soil to raise the root crown? Please help the tree costs me $100. I don't want to loose it.

Many thanks

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Comments (3)

jsvand5
14 years ago
Definitely dig it up and replant it. I would even have it an inch or two above the soil level because the tree will settle a bit since you loosened the soil beneath it.
brass_tacks
14 years ago
lynn,
You want the root ball moist but the trunk should not be getting soaked at its base. A basin that will hold moisture close to your root ball while your tree is becoming established is a good idea. Like jsvand suggested, plant your tree so that it is above the ground level. Some of the larger roots you see coming from the trunk should also be above the ground level. Your tree will settle and sink on its own and compensating for that is what you want to do. The idea is that when the tree is irrigated or there is a downpour, the water should not gravitate toward the trunk.

I kept basins around my trees for several years. The basins reached a few inches beyond the canopies until I knew the roots were reaching far beyond the canopies. Keeping the area within the basins clean and free of grass or weeds was time consuming but necessary. Instead of tramping under the trees, I used a piece of plywood to distribute my weight while kneeling/working under and around the young trees. The plywood also allowed me to use a ladder up close to the tree without makeing gouges in the soil.

More than you asked for ... don't worry about the tree getting dug up. Hope you won't be using manure. Welcome to the forum.
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No worries - it is a new planting, so you can disturb it now without any long term effects than later. I have gone back and pulled out a tree 2 weeks after planting to set it correctly. Definitely go ahead and replant it - I let a Meyer lemon be in the situation you described (in a downward sloping part of the yard where water pooled around its roots) and it stopped growing for several years. It is fine now after I recently transplanted it.

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