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. |
