For Release March 20, 2005

Common Tree Planting Mistakes

AGRI-VIEWS
by Chuck Otte, Geary County Extension Agent

How hard can it be to plant a tree? You dig a hole, you stick the tree in it, backfill it and that's that, right? Well, as simple as it may seem, there are a lot of mistakes made in the planting of many trees by homeowners. Here are some of the common simple mistakes that people make and how to prevent them.

The first mistake is simply poor selection. That may be the wrong tree for the location, the wrong location or simply selecting a low quality tree. A bad looking tree is probably always going to be a bad looking tree and a tree with problems in the nursery will have problems when you plant it in the yard. Select a well structured good looking tree of the right species and place it in the right location. The wrong location includes, under a utility line. If you look up and see a line, don't plant. If you have sandy soil, plant a drought tolerant tree. If you have heavy clay soils, plant a tree that can tolerate wet soils.

Another common mistake is planting a tree with root problems. This could be a root ball that isn't big enough. A good rule of thumb is one foot of root ball for every inch of trunk diameter. A big top and small roots will create scorch and stress and often a dead tree. If the tree is in a container, look and see if the roots are spiraling around the pot. This indicates the tree has been in the pot too long and serious work will need to be done at planting to prevent problems.

Likewise, if the tree is balled and burlapped, remove the burlap and any wire cages holding the roots together. They always tell you that the burlap will rot away, but too many of our soils aren't acid enough or wet enough to rot the burlap in a timely fashion and then you have trapped roots. Remove all the coverings and make sure that the roots are moving away from the trunk, not circling it.

Planting holes create a lot of problems. They are too often not wide enough, but too deep. The planting hole should be no deeper than the root ball, in fact if you have a heavy clay soil, the planting hole needs to be just slightly shallower than the root ball to encourage drainage away from the tree. By making the planting hole twice as wide, you can amend the soil where the roots will first grow and encourage the new tree to develop a good root system. Remember, most of the tree's roots will grow in the top two feet of the soil. Trees have extensive root systems, but they are rarely deep root systems. Be more concerned about the soil around the root ball than under the root ball.

Mulching a tree with a good organic mulch is a great method to help the tree. That mulch area should be twice as big as the root ball, three to four inches deep but not quite touching any of the trunk. While every tree should be mulched, not every tree needs to be staked. Smaller trees or trees in sheltered areas do not need to be staked. The purpose of staking a tree is not to keep the tree from moving in the wind, but to anchor the root ball and keep it from rocking.

Finely, make sure you water the tree regularly and what regularly means depends on the site, the tree species and the weather. It may mean once a day, it may mean every 7 to 10 days. Always keep an eye on the condition of that tree, checking for corrective pruning the first ten years and any disease or insect problems that may require treatment. Good trees occasionally happen with no intervention. But with a little care, every tree in your yard can be a great tree!

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