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National Gardening Association How to Buy and Plant a Tree
by Lance Walheim

The list of benefits trees provide is so long you might believe it's exaggeration. But it's not. Reduced pollution, erosion control, wildlife habitat, energy saving and enhanced human comfort and well-being are all documented long-term consequences of tree planting. But too often the focus is on the quantity of trees to plant rather than their individual quality and proper planting. It is important to know you are planting the right tree in the right place the right way. These are the issues that determine an individual tree's health and longevity.

Choose a Tree Adapted to Your Site

Use all available resources to make a list of trees adapted to your area. Many books with general information about tree adaptation are available at libraries. Also, check with your Cooperative Extension agent, master gardener or parks department for a list of locally adapted trees. Factors to consider include tree size, shape and growth rate; whether it is deciduous or evergreen; climate adaptation; soil and water requirements, pest problems and the amount of litter produced. Naturally, a tree's ornamental characteristics -- flowers, fall color, foliage texture and other features -- are also important.

Once you have a list of candidates, check it with advisors at local nurseries. Your list will narrow quickly, and you can use factors such as flowers, flowering time or fall color to make the final selection. Finally, locate in your area a mature tree of the species you think you want and ask the owners their opinions about it.

If the tree you choose is not readily available, place a special order for it, or order it from a mail-order supplier. It is more important to get a healthy specimen of the right tree than to plant right away.

Choose a Healthy Tree

It pays to be a smart shopper when buying trees. Although reputable nurseries and garden centers take excellent care of their plants, the longer a tree has been in the nursery, the greater the chance for something to go wrong. A missed watering here, not enough fertilizer there, and a tree will suffer. Such trees are likely to grow slowly or poorly once they're planted in the landscape.

Trees are sold three ways: bare-root, balled and burlapped (B and B) and in containers. What these plants look like and brief descriptions of the advantages and disadvantages of each are explained below.

Examine a tree carefully before buying. The largest specimens in a group may be too large for their root-balls. The smallest trees of a group may be stunted from some type of stress. In general, select a tree of modest proportions. Look for trees with a balanced canopy and evenly spaced branches extending out in all directions.

The trunks of some trees have been cut back, which causes several branches to grow from just below the cut. Such a tree may appear attractive and in good proportion, but for large-growing trees the branches may be too low and weakly attached unless most are pruned out.

Foliage growth along the lower trunk contributes to trunk strength. The trunk should be straight and evenly tapered from top to bottom. Ideally, the tree should be able to stand up by itself without staking. If not, it will require staking for a longer time after planting. Avoid trees with broken branches, wounds on the trunk, poorly colored foliage, obvious signs of insects or disease, or if last season's growth was less than six inches.

If you can't plant as soon as you get your tree home, make sure you take care of it until you can. Temporarily store all types of young trees in a shady location. Partially bury the roots of bare-root trees by digging a shallow trench, placing the roots in the trench and covering them with moist soil or organic matter. Take care to ensure that the rootballs of B and B and container-grown trees don't dry out.

Lance Walheim grows citrus trees and writes in Exeter, California. He wrote about new roses in this year's January/February issue.

Before Selecting a Tree Bare Root

Available during dormant season. Lightweight, easy to handle: the most economical way to purchase trees. Easy to check for damaged, soft, broken, mushy or circling roots.

Balled and Burlapped

Dug and sold during the dormant season but with rootball intact and wrapped. Check for major cracks or breaks in the rootball, and be sure the trunk does not move independently.

Container Grown

Container-grown trees are easy to handle, and are available year- round. Check for circling or densely matted roots.

Planting Steps: 1) Dig a test hole a few days or weeks before planting. Fill the hole with water, let it drain, then fill it again. Time how quickly the water drains. If it hasn't drained completely in 24 hours, you have a drainage problem. Solutions include planting elsewhere, planting in raised beds or mounds, or installing a drainage system. You may be able to improve the drainage by drilling through the hardpan in the bottom of the hole.

In all cases, make the planting hole at least two to four times the diameter of the rootball, and just deep enough for the rootball to sit an inch or two above soil level. Use only soil excavated from the hole for backfill. Don't cover the top of the rootball with backfill because it might prevent water from reaching the roots.

2) How to plant a bare-root tree. Set a bare-root tree in the center of the planting hole and spread roots down and away without unduly bending them. Identify original planting depth by finding the color change from dark to light at the base of the trunk. If the tree is grafted, position the inside of the curve of the graft union away from the afternoon sun.

How to plant a balled and burlapped tree. Handle the rootball carefully so it doesn't break or crack. Lift soil ball and position in center of planting hole. Add enough backfill to stabilize rootball, then remove burlap. Continue backfilling, and gently tamp soil to remove air pockets as you fill.

How to plant a container-grown tree. Lift out of container prior to setting rootball in hole. Eliminate circling roots by laying rootball on its side and cutting through them with shears or a knife to a depth of one to two inches.

3) Water after planting. Create a watering basin at least four to six inches high just outside the rootball. Fill it with water, let it drain and repeat. Recheck the planting depth. If the tree has settled below the surrounding soil level, it should be raised. For bare-root trees, gently pull up on the lower trunk. For container or balled and burlapped trees, carefully push a shovel under the rootball and pry it upward while lifting up on the lower trunk. In each case, moist soil will settle under the roots and raise the planting depth.

4) Stake if necessary, and mulch. A tree with a strong trunk stands on its own without staking. However, if the tree was staked in the nursery or if you are planting in a windy location, proper staking will support the tree during its first years in the ground. Drive in two stakes, one on each side of the tree and just outside the root-ball. Position the stakes so that a line drawn between them is perpendicular to the strongest prevailing wind when the tree is in leaf. Tie the tree to the stakes with wide, flexible ties. Use wide ties to reduce damage to the trunk, and don't tie the tree too tight. Determine how high to attach the ties by running your hand up the trunk from the base. The minimum height at which the top of the tree remains upright is where to secure the ties. A tree that can sway somewhat in the wind will develop a stronger trunk. Remove support stakes soon after the tree can stand on its own.

Protect trunks of young trees from sunburn and injury with paper or plastic tree wrap.

Apply three to four inches of organic mulch around the base of the tree to conserve moisture and reduce weeds. Keep it at least six inches away from the trunk.

After Planting:

Watering. Bare-root trees don't need to be watered again until two to four weeks after leaves sprout. Container-grown and B and B trees need regular watering until their roots grow into the surrounding soil. During hot weather, these trees may need to be watered every two to three days to keep the rootball moist. Occasionally wetting the soil outside the basin will ensure that roots develop into the surrounding soil. Expand the basin as the tree grows.

Pruning. Most new trees need no pruning the first season other than removing broken branches. Pruning more than that may retard growth. If large, vigorously growing branches are too low or competitive with more desirably placed branches, you can safely cut them back. This preserves some foliage but reduces competition. Eventually they can be removed. Prune for shape after the start of the second season.

Pinch out the tips of vigorous growth in order to stimulate side branching. If the leader is growing vigorously and no laterals are forming at a height you would like, pinch out an inch or so of the tip growth when it reaches the height at which you would like a permanent branch. Several shoots will grow from below the pinch. When the new shoots are three to four inches long, select the most vigorous for the leader and pinch back the others.

Fertilizer. If young trees are growing slowly and have poorly colored foliage, they may benefit from a small amount of nitrogen fertilizer added to the watering basin early in the season.

Copyright NGA

Reprinted with permission HouseNet, Inc.

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