Top Tips for Tree Planting
1. When your plants arrive, trim roots and stems that are damaged. Clean cuts lessen the chance of disease.
2. When you dig your planting hole, reserve the topsoil for when you are filling in around the roots. The less good stuff will go back in the bottom of the hole…
3. It is good to improve topsoil with well rotted compost or manure. It works wonders for the structure of your soil. Adding sand, grit or even straw improves the drainage of clay soil.
4. Always make a small "molehill" in the bottom of the planting hole to put the roots on. This, quite simply, stops them becoming waterlogged and rotting before they have started to grow away.
5. Square planting holes prevent roots from "circling" and so are better for root development.
6. Use mycorrhizae . These friendly fungi are an incredible help to the establishment of a tree.
7. Always step back from the tree before returning soil to make sure you have planted it so it looks its best. It is going to be there for a long time and you don’t want to spend the rest of your life saying " if only…"
8. Try to make some provision for watering. We generally bury a bit of drainpipe or drainage hose while we are planting so that it is really easy to get water down to the roots while the tree is establishing.
9. Backfill around the roots using the improved topsoil.
10. Guard your tree. Not only do rabbits and deer take chunks out of it, so do strimmers and lawnmowers.
11. Use a stake and a good tree tie to stabilise your tree. You can get rid of it after the second year. Always tie the tree low down otherwise the head can snap off in a gale.
12. Give your tree a good mulch after planting or use a hemp mulch mat which is biodegradable. Either will reduce weed competition (the mat removes it entirely) and both help water retention.
Sit back and watch your trees grow
September 13th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Love your site it is very informative am going to research the other posts to see what else I can learn, cheers! and keep up the great work!