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

[jimbob]

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.

[ianmcmanus]

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.

[filly]

We have a 12-year-old Maple that really never took off like we thought it should have, but it wasn't doing bad enough to replace. My husband saw this video and dug around the top of our tree and found that a big root was girdling the trunk just like this guy was talking about. Hubby removed that root last Fall and it's now June and the tree is actually looking like it's doing a bit better. We'll know if it's going to really take off by this time next year. BTW, Maples LOVE pine needle mulch.

[adamgeorge]

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.

[Yimpa_Joy]

I love when people who are passionate about what they do explain and demonstrate a topic most are not familiar with. Thank you!

[NehnBellanaris]

My mother (may she rest in peace), whenever she bought new plants for the yard, or ones to put in her flowerpots, she'd tell us every time to loosen up the dirt, so that the root would be able to grow into the ground/new dirt in the pot that they were being transplanted into. If she was re-potting them, the new pot's would be at least 3 times larger than the ones the plants were previously in.
I always wished I was as good at taking care of plants as she was, but mine never last as long as hers did.

[yaxelcastaneda]

Excellent video. Dont see many people showing how to properly plant a tree or shrub. Learned this when i got certified as a landscape inspector.

[voluntaryist]

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.

[johnarizona]

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.

[larryweinberg]

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.

[kjpcncs]

I love being able to see all the roots in the root ball- so rad! I'm an arborist as well- but I work in a different region with a different type of clay soil. According to ISA materials I was always told that gravel being added to the hole doesn't benefit drainage. Now I heard you say that the gravel was to reduce compaction...I sorta get that, but also I'm in the midwest so I'm not sure if this varies from region to region.

[goldistocks]

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.

[geraldkaupp]

I like to auger out a two foot deep by one foot wide hole. Then use half compost, half black soil to fill in the bottom half. With any conifer, since I am out on the prairie loam clay soil, I add gallon of iron Swarf (cuttings from a lathe or milling machine) from my Machinist friend and two gallons ash to the hole mix. The spruce trees in my yard point their branches at the perfect upward angle and are beautiful. The one I didn’t add Iron or Ash to is arthritic looking and lacking the proper posture. You see spruce like that all the time out here. The deep hole allows the roots to penetrate deeper and easier for water. Cheers from Sunny Alberta!

[jay]

I just blast all of the soil away with the hose next to the hole. And I only use the soil that I dug out of the hole to backfill with. I also found that if I have some stubborn soil or mulch that won’t easily come off with the hose will come out if I dip the entire root ball into a large bucket and swish it around. I am essentially planting a bare root tree by the time I’m done.

[erice]

When I was planting in TN clay, I always used landscape gypsum in the hole, . It's supposed to help breakdown the clay over time.

[Frozenwinter]

The way you treated the roots is similar to how we prune and train roots in bonsai, just bigger.

[antoniiocaluso]

thanks...thought this old grower how I've been doing it wrong for 7 decades! Never too-late to learn!!

[ltcajh]

And here I thought screwing with the roots would kill it!

[dubs]

Newly planted trees and shrubs need continued watering throughout the first year. Obviously you would taper down the watering during winter months, but even then, during periods of time when there hasn’t been adequate rainfall or precipitation, you need to water them. Those fine roots hairs need constant moisture.
As a Landscape Designer, I maintain the logic that, we don’t stop drinking water during the winter, and nor do our plants! There’s a saying in the industry, “Sleep, Creep and Leap” which refers to trees and shrubs sleeping the first year as they acclimate, creeping the second year as far as growth goes, and leaping (forward) their third year and beyond. In essence, it takes several years for trees and shrubs to strengthen and establish themselves. Proper planting and water management throughout the first year will ensure beautiful plants for years to come. Great instructional video!

[khrismaly]

Great video thanks for sharing such valuable information. most people don’t realize the importance of the root flare being exposed and not covered