Can I plant a Cherry tree now? Cut the rootball??

5 years ago

I bought a Stella Cherry sapling for my mom and its still in the pot from the store. I'd like to plant it but I've read they should be planted in late Fall or early Spring. Its early Summer, do I need to wait? We had good rain for 2-3 days so the ground should be softer now. Also I'm wondering if I should back-fill with the soil I remove from the hole or buy something else since our soil is very clay-like.

The Instructions that came with the tree state:

Dig a hole at the depth of the soil in the pot and six inches wider.
Cut the rim off the pot and place tree in the hole at ground level.
Backfill with top soil, tamp and then water generously.

DO NOT REMOVE FIBRE POT!!!

The tag has Semi Dwarf and Dwarf on it with a spot to tick off which it is but neither is marked so I don't know which type it is. I've read about rootstocks and how they limit the size of the tree. Is the fibre pot used to restrict the growth of the tree? It states the size should be 8 - 10 feet tall and 10 feet wide. We don't have a huge backyard so we don't want a tree bigger than that.

Also the sapling is crooked. Is there a way to get it to grow straight? I'm planting on a slight incline so I'm going to be planting it tilted slightly so the base/trunk is as straight as possible. I've read about burying a banana and egg with plants so they compost and give nutrients to the plant, is that something I can do with a sapling? I really don't want to kill this tree!! Mom was so disappointed when she went home after 30 years and the old orchard was gone. I want her to be able to pick cherries in her backyard again!

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!!!

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

5 years ago

Yes, you can plant now but you will need to monitor watering very carefully for the rest of the season.

I would ignore those instructions from the nursery :-) They are out of date and inaccurate. With clay soils, you want a very wide by quite shallow planting hole and to site the rootball high: "Dig a shallow bowl-shaped hole slightly more shallow than the height of the rootball (from the bottom of the rootball to the root flare). The root flare of your tree or shrub should lie just above the surrounding grade after planting is complete. Don't leave loose soil in the bottom of the planting hole. If the hole is accidentally dug too deep, fill the bottom of the hole and use your foot to firm the soil before moving the plant into the hole. Leaving loose soil below the rootball can negatively impact drainage and lead to rootball settling. The diameter of the top of the planting hole should be at least twice the diameter of the rootball. Wider holes are even better, especially in harder more compact soil. If planting a bare root tree or shrub, a cone of soil can be left at the bottom of the planting hole on which to place the root system. When planting in clay or wet soils, roughen the edges of the planting hole with the tip or edge of your spade to reduce the interface/boundary often formed by compacted/glazed soil resulting from the digging tools pressing against the sides of the hole."

Personally, I would remove the fiber pot but not until the tree was sited correctly in the planting hole. It will break down eventually but IME, not nearly fast enough to accommodate good root growth. If you are concerned about removal, do cut off the top portion of the pot so that none of it is showing above soil level. And be sure to slash the sides to allow the roots to spread easier (and the pot to rot faster).

The banana and egg stuff is also old wives' tales material :-) Just plant the tree in the hole as described above, backfill with whatever soil was removed and water in well. It won't need any fertilizer until next spring, if it needs any at all.

And you can attempt to straighten the tree just by a slightly angled placement in the planting hole but not really necessary.....the tree will straighten itself as it grows.

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