By: Dave Zeldon and Ely Schweyer
Spring and early fall are generally the best times for planting trees. It has been found that newly planted trees thrive when exposed to moderate temperatures and rainfall, as they need time to root and acclimatize before the onset of intense heat and dryness of summer or the freezing temperatures of winter.
Now whilst planting different types of trees differ in detail, all trees eventually end up in a hole. But remember not just any old hole will do.
Let’s Get Digging!
1. Some trees are buried too deeply, causing the tree roots to decline in health and condition. We have a whole other article dedicated to transplanting depth if you wish to read more, but here’s the just of it: Poor tree health results in reduced growth rate, atypical leaf size and colour, increased disease susceptibility, and reduced cold hardiness. Always make sure that the root collar flare is visible after planting; if settling occurs, reset the tree to the proper depth.
👉 Note: Many times, homeowners build a raised bed garden around an existing tree in the yard (thus burying the root collar flare) only to find within a year or two their favourite tree now is in decline. Don’t bury that root collar flare!
2. As a general rule, trees should be transplanted no deeper than the soil in which they were originally grown. The width of the hole should be at least three times the diameter of the root ball or container or the spread of the roots in the case of bareroot trees. This will provide the tree with enough worked earth for its root structure to establish itself.
3. When digging in poorly drained clay soil, it is important to avoid 'glazing'. Glazing occurs when the sides and bottom of a hole become smoothed forming a barrier, through which water has difficulty passing. To break up the glaze, use a fork to work the bottom and drag the points along the sides of the completed hole. Also, raising the centre bottom of the hole slightly higher than the surrounding area. This allows water to disperse, reducing the possibility of water pooling in the planting zone.
4. The backfill soil should be a mixture of composted manure and topsoil. The mixture should then be placed in the hole surrounding the tree just to the height of the ball or slightly lower to allow for some settling. Be careful not to compress the backfill soil as this may prevent water from reaching the roots and the roots from expanding beyond the ball.
Jobs well done by the Eising landscaping team!
Standing On Its Own Roots
Young trees should be able to support their own weight when they are transplanted. If the tree is unable to do so, try thinning out the upper branches to reduce wind resistance. If that is not enough, you may have to stake a tree.
Watering Your New Tree
Newly planted trees should be watered at the time of planting. In addition, during the first growing season, they should be watered at least once a week in the absence of a good rain.
👉 Remember: Regular deep soakings are better than frequent light wettings.
We hope these tips can help you encourage the longevity of your new tree! For more information - and trees - visit our Trees & Shrubs section at Eising Greenhouse and Garden Centre. We hope to see you soon!
By: Dave Zeldon and Ely Schweyer
Let’s get in depth about planting trees too deeply!
Sometimes homeowners find that their newly planted trees start showing signs of stress and become unthrifty a little while after planting, and soon their investment is altogether lost when the plant just dies. Often when we’re asked to inspect a tree in poor health, we know what to suspect.
Although not readily apparent at the time of installation, the long-term effects of improperly placing the root system in the planting hole are substantial. The poor tree health that results manifests itself as reduced growth rate, atypical leaf size and colour, and increased disease susceptibility. Trees in really poor condition exhibit decay, cracks, and excessive deadwood. Sometimes trees show signs of stress within the first year of planting, but it usually takes several years for the problem to rear its ugly head.
The most common reason? Many trees are simply buried too deeply causing the tree roots to decline in health, as they cannot get the vital oxygen from the air that they require to live.
Putting Down Roots
The width of the hole your tree will call home should be at least two times the diameter of the root ball, container, or in the case of bare root trees, the spread of the roots. This will provide the tree with enough worked earth for its root structure to establish itself.
For tree roots to grow vigorously, they require water, oxygen, and warmth. An oxygen level of 25% of the soil volume is considered good for root development.
At a 5% oxygen level, growth stops, and at 2%, roots decline and die.
Since tree roots naturally grow quite shallowly in the soil profile, buried root systems are unable to obtain adequate soil oxygen and water. As a survival response, trees work to get roots closer to the soil surface where there is a more reliable source of both. The energy that a newly transplanted tree should use to overcome normal transplant stress is instead used just to survive.
The tree expends its energy either by forcing its roots to grow upward or by creating totally new roots from dormant buds on the buried trunk, wasting all its prior growth. Some plants can survive being buried too deeply and live normal lives after developing a functional root system, others begin a long, slow decline of health resulting in either premature death or sudden failure during wind or ice storms. Let’s not risk it!
How Do I Know How Deep to Plant?
If you want your new tree to not only survive, but thrive, it needs the best start possible; it is very important that the root collar flare be visible after planting. The root collar is the part of a plant where the stem and root system meet, "flaring" where it transitions between the stem wood and the roots. Always make sure that the root collar flare is visible after planting. If settling occurs, reset the tree to the proper depth.
👉 Note: The backfilling soil should be a mixture of the original soil with composted manure or topsoil and bone meal.
But I Did Leave the Root Collar Visible… When I First Planted It
It has been observed that many times after a perfect tree planting, the homeowner then decides to build a raised-bed garden around the tree (thus burying the root collar flare – we’ve found root collar flares buried to 24 inches in mulch!) only to find that within a year or two, their young tree is dead or dying.
A common practice, often referred to as ‘volcano mulching,’ also contributes to this problem. In addition to subjecting trees to the problems associated with planting too deeply, heat from the composting mulch can literally cook a tree's trunk.
So, What is ‘Planting Proud’ Then?
The transplanting rules are amended if planting in the heavier clay soils where the practice of planting your new trees "proud" is advised. Planting proud essentially means that the root ball is left higher out of the ground level, producing a hilled effect. The soil that is normally used for back-filling is used to help to create a mound. Planting your trees this way in poorly draining clay soils prevents the ground water from collecting in an otherwise deep hole and drowning the roots of your new planting.
But, as a general rule, trees should be transplanted no deeper than the soil in which they were originally grown, and the soil level shouldn’t rise after planting. Two to three inches of wood chips is the optimum depth to mulch - and keep it an inch or two away from the trunk. If it is really desired to have the tree as a focal point in this newly built garden, then possibly a 3 foot well could be made around the tree to keep the root collar flare open to the air.
So, remember to give your tree a strong start and long life by not planting too deeply, but by leaving that root collar flare exposed! We hope these tips can help you encourage the longevity of your new tree. For more information - and trees - visit our Trees & Shrubs section at Eising Greenhouse and Garden Centre. We hope to see you soon!
You’ve selected your annual and perennial plants, chosen their location in the garden, amended the soil and everything is planted. Or close to it! Now what? How can you take care of them to maximize their potential? A bit of simple and easy maintenance will keep your plants healthy and blooming.
Once they start blooming, most annuals will flower all season long, until cold temperatures or frost put an end to their display. Many perennials will bloom for several weeks. We listed some of our favourites in this article if you missed it.
Here are some simple tips to keep your plants looking great!
Water
Newly planted annuals and perennials, even drought tolerant plants need to be watered at planting time.
Perennials will need water every week for the first two weeks and during periods without rain. Most perennials do well with a minimum of one inch of water per week.
Water is absorbed through the roots, so water the soil and not the foliage. Low (pressure) and slow (volume) allows water to adequately soak into the soil instead of running all over the place! It’s also best to water in the morning rather than at night because foliage that stays wet all night is susceptible to rot and foliar diseases.
Annuals planted in containers will need to be watered more frequently than annuals in a flower bed. Hanging baskets and planters will most likely need water daily, and in the heat of summer twice a day. For hanging baskets, the water should run out of the bottom.
In planters or the garden, use your finger in the soil to test it out - if it feels dry, your plant needs water.
Mulch
Mulch is always a very good idea to maintain soil health in the garden no matter what you’re planting!
An organic mulch will help enrich your soil, and keep it moist. A layer of at least 2 inches of mulch will also suppress weeds. Who doesn’t love that? The only caveat: don’t allow the mulch to touch your plants.
Deadhead
Deadheading or removing flowers that have finished blooming is important for many plants. Doing this allows the energy from the plant to be sent to producing new blossoms in annuals, and some perennials.
How do you do it? Take sharp, clean scissors or pruners, and cut off any dead flowers just below the base of the flower or above the first leaf. With some plants you can simply break off the spent flowers.
Bonus: your plants will look much better without dead flowers on them!
Note: some annuals don’t need deadheading. For example, Verbena, Lantana, Lobelia, Impatiens, Petunias, and Begonia.
Fertilizer
Let’s face it, fertilizer packaging can be confusing. They often feature three letters and three numbers. What does it all mean? What is N-P-K? This Eising article explains all you need to know about fertilizing and is worth the read.
However, in a nutshell, this is a really easy way to remember the function of N (nitrogen), P (phosphorous and K (potassium) when it comes to fertilizing. The numbers are the percentage of each of those nutrients that the fertilizer package contains.
N = UP - foliage and blooms
P = DOWN - roots
K = ALL AROUND - overall plant health
If you used an organic, slow-release fertilizer when you planted your annuals or perennials in the ground, you shouldn’t have to fertilize again during the season.
Most potting soil in planters or hanging baskets contains the nutrients needed to help your plants get started. An easy way to maintain nutrients throughout the season is sprinkling Shake n’ Feed Ultra Bloom 10-18-9 slow release fertilizer on top of the soil. It will slowly feed your plants for three months. For heavy feeders like petunias or plants that are hungry, looking light, and in need of an instant boost, use a water-soluble fertilizer with an NPK ratio of approximately 20-20-20 every two weeks to keep them blooming.
For perennials, trees and shrubs that need more nutrients during the year, Shake n’ Feed slow release 18-6-12 fertilizer can be applied in the spring and it will feed your plants for three months during the growing season. The same fertilizer can be used for trees, shrubs and perennials in subsequent seasons.
As a rule of thumb, it’s better to under-fertilize and watch how your plants respond. Over-fertilizing can lead to sick plants that have yellow or brown leaves. In your garden, the only way to know what your plants need is to test the soil. Otherwise you’re guessing! To test your soil in Ontario, samples can be sent to The University of Guelph.
