Released: April 02, 2002

Ten Rules for Planting Trees

MANHATTAN, Kan. – As landscape nurseries fill their lots with trees for spring planting, buyers can prepare themselves to take their purchase home for successful planting.

"Proper planting will allow for quicker establishment," said Ward Upham, the director of Kansas State University Research and Extension’s Horticulture Response Center. "The things you do wrong while planting may not be able to be corrected later. So those first steps have a big effect on how quickly the tree grows."

As the spring landscaping season draws near, Upham provides some tips on planting trees:

1. Select the right tree for the home site by choosing trees adapted to specific locations. Consider nuisance fruit or disease-resistant varieties. For example, many crabapple varieties are resistant to apple scab and rust diseases. Keep in mind the mature tree size to ensure enough room. Talk to your local Extension office or nurseryman for suggestions.

2. Keep the tree well watered and in a shady location until planting. When moving the tree, lift it by the root ball or pot and not by the trunk.

3. Prior to planting, remove all wires, labels, cords or anything else tied to the plant. If left on, they may eventually girdle the tree.

4. Dig a proper hole. Plant the tree on solid ground, not fill dirt. In other words, don’t dig the hole too deep and then add soil back to the hole before placing the tree. Make the hole deep enough for the tree to sit slightly above nursery level. The root flare, or the point where trunk and roots meet, should be visible. The planting hole width should be three times the width of the root ball. Loosening the soil five times the diameter of the root ball will allow faster root spread.

5. Remove all containers from the root ball. Cut away plastic and peat pots. Roll burlap and wire baskets back into the hole and cut the excess away. If you can remove the wire basket without disturbing the root ball, do it. If roots have been circling around in the container, cut them and spread them out so they do not become girdling roots later in the life of the tree.

6. Backfill the hole with the same soil that was removed. Amendments such as peat moss likely do more harm than good. Loosen the fill soil to ensure no clods or clumps. Add water to insure good root to soil contact and prevent air pockets. There is no need to fertilize at planting.

7. Don’t cut back the branches of a tree after planting except those that are rubbing or damaged. The leaf buds release a hormone that encourages root growth. If the tree is cut back, the reduced number of leaf buds results in less hormone released and therefore fewer roots being formed.

8. Water the tree thoroughly and then once a week for the first season if there is insufficient rainfall.

9. Mulch around the tree to a depth two to four inches to cover an area three times the diameter of the root ball. Mulching reduces competition from other plants, conserves moisture and keeps soil temperature consistent.

10. Stake only when necessary. Trees will establish more quickly and grow faster if they are not staked. However, larger trees or those in windy locations may need to be staked the first year. Movement is necessary for the trunk to become strong. Staking should be designed to limit movement of the root ball rather than immobilize the trunk.

-30-

K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Lucas Shivers, Communications Assistant
lshivers@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News