Planting trees, Part II

In last week’s column were some reasons autumn is the best time to plant trees in the landscape. After trees have been purchased or trees have been prepared to be moved in the landscape, these are the steps to take to give the tree its best chance to survive and thrive in its new location.

• Location. Consider the size of the tree at maturity. Although trees are small when young, some will grow to massive proportions and need to be placed where they will have ample room to spread into their natural form. We have all seen trees that potentially have beautiful form but because they were misplaced have been pruned as though the tree was coaxed into a smaller growth habit. This is never successful.

Avoid planting too close to homes, to doorways, sidewalks, streets, corners. Trees should have 15 feet from sides and corners of buildings.

If a small space is to hold a tree, then select a tree that at maturity will be smaller, shorter or narrower.

Avoid planting near or under utility lines. Seems every winter a power outage is caused when trees heavy with ice fall onto a power line, disrupting power until the lines can be restored. Avoid this pitfall by placing far enough away to not be a potential problem.

• Hole preparation. A large enough hole to allow for new root extension is critical. Dig a hole 3 times the diameter of the root ball and at least 1 and a half times as deep as the ball. Sides of the cavity should be scruffed up with a shovel; this too is critical. A shovel can create a barrier to root growth if sides of the cavity are smooth. Break apart the sides so that new roots can easily penetrate the surrounding soil.

• Backfill the bottom of the hole with sufficient soil to be even with the base of the ball, otherwise the ball may sink when watered. The point of roots extending from the crown of the tree trunk is known as the root flare. It is critical that the root flare is at the soil surface and is not sunken under the soil. Add sufficient soil under the ball to ensure that the root flare of the newly placed tree is visible.

Part III of fall-planted trees follows next week, with root ball preparation and proper staking.