Plant Trees Like An Arborist- Avoid This Common BIG MISTAKE!

This is EXCELLENT advice. I planted a tree about 25 years ago whose roots were encircling the trunk and literally strangling it. An arborist advised corrective action to preserve the beautiful, but declining, live oak tree about five years. Believe me, it's much, much cheaper to take corrective action when planting. Also, it's far less traumatic to the tree, though my tree is once again looking great.

One of the things that my Dad taught me is that once you have dug the hole, 3 x the size of the root ball, and before you put the tree, shrub or plant in the hole, fill it with water, let it drain away and then do this two or three times. That way, the roots stay moist and have access to water for the first few days. We also put a handful of appropriate fertilizer in the bottom of the hole. Using this method, we have NEVER lost a plant and they have always got off to a good start. Even planting in Summer here in Australia.

101 When you dig a hole put the dirt on a tarp instead of walking on it and killing the grass. You will leave the job clean that way. The root bags can also be removed and reused rather than cut away.

Water is fine instead of air spade. Less shock to tree. Nursery industry should offer discounts to root bound trees. Planting smaller trees that are not root bound is way to go, but is not part of commercial nursery industry. I have planted 3’ trees that were equal to or bigger than 8’ ers after 3 years because they did not shock out.

for an of you home owners out there, you can use your garden hose to clean the root ball out. it gives similar results to his airspade just wetter.

Preach man, this problem is pervasive. It’s a self induced tree epidemic. Find the flare is what I tell people. There are hundreds if not thousands of trees planted too deeply in my town and the surrounding towns. It’s not just the girdling roots that kill the tree, it’s the fact that trees breathe through their root collar, and when it’s covered they suffocate. Also, the trunk rots when in contact with soil.

I learned the folly of buying saplings 50 years ago from a good friend who owned a nursery he sold when he learned trees grow BEST from seed planted directly in their permanent home. Also, he shielded the sprout with a clear mylar cone, hole at the top, watered once. The seed caught up with a 3-year nursery tree in one year. And no root to untangle, no special hole, no fertilizer. I add heavy wood mulch to avoid bare ground eco-system, hold in moisture, encourage fungi. Some trees have tap roots, some trees have roots that grow laterally, spreading out near the surface. This calls for watering that meets their uniqueness.

I always transplanted trees in the fall,after they have gone dormant for the winter. Way better survival rate when you do. The shock to the trees is very minimal when planting in the fall. Then come spring , the tree can wake up and do its cycle normally.

Question: Aren't you creating a bathtub effect by planting w a girdle of better soil + gravel in heavy clay?

As a farm kid we learned the way to kill an existing tree was to pile dirt around the base and cover the flare, two years later the tree was dead and we would cut it down, buck it up into pre dried firewood.

We have heavy, black turf clay. We've learnt to make a tree planting hole 1 metre x 1 metre and square with very sharp corners, this lets the roots fill the planting soil and eventually escape at the corners. Round holes cause the same root ball as being in the nursery bag/pot.

Why destroy the planter bag? Those bags are not cheap and that bag looked perfectly reusable. I'm new to this red clay soil and have to wonder if you amend the soil around the tree does that prevent it from sending roots into the clay? Will it treat it's hole like a giant pot and stay within?

why is the tree planted so the root collar is above the level of the ground when in nature, I see trees growing with the root collar level with the ground?

Any proof the tree survived ??

First mistake. Did you have to cut a perfect bag up. I have planted many trees and the way you get the tree out of the bag is put it on its side and gently roll it while pushing down the side. It will slip right out after the soil is loosened and ready to meet the hole.

I just planted 4 trees about that size 2 weeks ago I wish I saw this before just dug oversize holes and mixed soil with potting soil and native fertiliser didn't go deep just wide didn't touch the root ball at all is there any thing I can do now or is too late

I live in Moldova where I volunteer with Foster families and refugees. I live at the main Foster center where there are 12 homes on a large piece of land. There are hundreds of trees here. Almost every single one of the trees is bare root and planted about a foot too deep for 'support'. Oh, it is so aggravating. When I was explaining how to plant a tree properly, there response was, "Maybe that is the American way."

that tree is gonna fall on the first strong wind!

You could have laid that tree on its side and pulled the bag off. Great bag to save to use for yard work!

The hole was too shallow. Especially if it's clay. I have developed a vertical axe using a big leaf spring off a truck just to dig holes in difficult Hereford UK clay..