How to Plant Trees

There is something quite fulfilling and ecologically important that you can do, and all you need is a patch of land and a shovel: You can plant a tree.

1. Select a tree from a local nursery; consider choosing a species native to your area. Native trees have the greatest chance of thriving and will help to re-establish the natural local ecosystem. They also provide essential habitat and food for the native wildlife.

Take a good look at your space and make sure that the tree you plant will fit, even after it grows up. Also consider what you want the tree to do; an evergreen can provide shade all year around; a fruit tree will have blossoms in the spring and fruit in the summer. An oak is gorgeous but does grow slowly. Think about what would work best in the space and be most beneficial to the environment.

2. Minimize the stress on the sapling when you transport it to your planting site. Wrap it in burlap or blankets for the ride. Ensure the branches are protected and that the root ball is in a pot or at least wrapped up carefully and not allowed to dry out. If you can’t plant it as soon as you get it to the planting site, store it upright in the shade, and make sure that you keep it watered.

3. Prepare the planting site. Dig a hole as deep as the root ball and two to three times as wide. Dig up the soil at the bottom and sides of the hole so that it is loose and easy for the roots of your tree to work their way into the earth.

4. Dig some compost into your hole and add some bone meal fertilizer. You can get this at most garden centers, or you can throw in a few washed and clean beef soup bones that have been cut up. This contains phosphorus and will help the roots develop and get established. Don’t go too crazy with fertilizers or extra soil amendments, however.

5. Carefully position your new tree near the hole and tip it out of its container. Make sure it is standing vertical in the hole. The top of the root ball should be level with the ground. The point where the roots meet the trunk needs to be at or just above ground level. Burying it too deep can cause it to rot.

6. Fill in the hole with soil and gently press it down to tamp out air pockets and ensure that the tree is secure in its new home. Leave a bit of a depression around the base of the trunk to collect water.

7. Water the new planting as soon as you plant it, and check on it at least once a week to make sure the ground around it is moist. Two or three large buckets of water should do the trick, or you can leave a slowly trickling garden hose near the base of it for fifteen to twenty minutes. If the water is pooling and / or not absorbing into the ground, your tree may be getting too much water.

Some natural mulch around the base of your tree will really help with water retention and weed control; just remember to leave about three inches of space between the mulch and the trunk — piling it too close can cause rot.

8. Do not prune your tree for at least three years unless it has damaged branches or a disease. Let it grow as naturally as possible. Do not worry about staking the tree unless you are planting it in a windy spot or on a steep slope. If you must stake it, make sure that you remove the stake as the tree grows.