Planting Shrubs and Trees

It's easy to plants beautiful trees and shrubs in your yard. Just follow these simple steps:

Materials

Shovel or spade
Burlap-wrapped plant
Tarp
Water
Mulch
Stakes (optional)
Tree wrap (optional)

When shopping for a tree or shrub at a garden center, take a good look at it first so that you don't accidentally buy any with gouges, scrapes, or wounds on the trunk. Also inspect underneath the burlap wrapping for girdling roots surrounding the base of the trunk.
At home, lay down a tarp for the soil and dig a hole with sloping sides. The sides should be as deep as the height of the root ball and half greater than the width. At this point, don't put anything more in the soil or the hole.

If your tree or shrub has an outer wrapping, take this off but make sure you leave the burlap wrapping in place to make it easier to place the plant in the hole without the roots falling out of place. To determine the nicest appearance, untie the branches and position according to the shape of the plant.

Cut off as much burlap as possible but don't worry about leaving some fabric under the ball, as roots grow laterally. The top of the root ball (the place at which the roots come out of the trunk) needs to be at or above ground level.

To fill the hole around the root ball, use the plain, loose soil on the tarp and water it to inhibit the formation of air pockets when the hole is half full.

Fill the hole completely and firm the soil. To make a water reservoir, create a ridge of soil just beyond the edge of the soil. Slowly water and allow the water to penetrate deeply. Fill the reservoir and let it drain.

To prevent weeds and retain moisture in the soil, spread a 2-3 inch layer of organic mulch over the root zone. If the branches are still toed together, unwrap them, but be aware that it will take some time for the branches to relax and look more normal.

Young trees are vulnerable to rodents and sun damage, so it's necessary to use tree wrap to protect the tender bark. Simply follow the instructions that come with the tree wrap.

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