PLANTING TREES AND SHRUBS By Brian Matchett

How do Trees and Shrubs Help Us? Provide shade Provide wildlife habitat Provide food for wildlife Provide lumber –Paper –Houses –Warmth

Where do I get Trees and Shrubs? Purchase from mail order catalogs –Two main problems with mail order catalogs: 1. You do not see the plant before you buy it 2. Plants shipped long distances can be dried out or damaged –Always check the reputation of a mail order source for quality and replacement of damaged plants

Where do I get Trees and Shrubs? Obtain from wild wooded areas –permission should be obtained before removing any plants from these areas! Purchase plants from a nursery or garden center –they grow their own plants –you can go out to their field and pick the ones you want

Where do I get Trees and Shrubs? Purchase plants from a nursery or garden center (cont.) –plants are already accustomed to the area’s climate –almost all nurseries will guarantee their plants

Hints for Buying Stock from a Nursery Deciduous Shrubs –select a dense, well- shaped, healthy- looking plant –a height measurement of 15’-18’ means the plant will grow to be 15’-18’ tall Evergreens –of the spreading variety give spread measurement, not height measurement –of the upright variety give height measurement

Hints for Buying Stock from a Nursery Terms: Specimen - healthy, well-shaped, better-than- average plant Caliber - approximate diameter of the trunk

Nursery Plants Come in one of the Four Following Ways Balled and Burlapped Bare-Root Packaged Bare-Root Container

Balled and Burlapped Plants are dug with a ball of soil around the root system with a burlap wrapper placed around the ball

Balled and Burlapped Evergreens must always be balled Deciduous must be balled when in leaf Plants from the woods are usually balled and burlapped Always carry the from underneath to keep it from cracking or breaking

Balled and Burlapped Procedure Dig a trench around the plant –standard ball size is 1/4 - 1/3 plant height Cut underneath the ball Roll ball onto piece of burlap; secure burlap with bailing nails and twine

Bare-Root Plant is removed from the soil salvaging as much of the root as possible Biggest problem: roots can dry out in a matter of minutes and kill the plant

Bare-Root Cover roots with moist burlap, soil or sawdust to ensure the plant will survive Early spring and late fall are best times Deciduous plants can use this method when they are out of leaf

Packaged Bare-Root Has its root packed in moist sawdust, peat or bark and is wrapped in plastic. This reduces moisture loss. Be sure to remove plastic wrap when planting

Container Plants come in a pot or some other form of a container Many deciduous plants and evergreens come in containers

Containers Keep soil moist in container until stock is to be planted Carefully cut container open when planting stock Cut vertically with knife through soil and roots to prevent roots from growing in circular pattern

Prices of Plants will Vary Mail order plants seem cheep until postage, handling and freight charges are added in Plants may suffer damage from the shipping unless packaged properly which will cost you money!

PLANTING Best time to transplant bare-root plants is: - Latter part of October or early November -Fall, soil is warm and moisture is sufficient -Spring moisture is sufficient, but soil is cold

PLANTING Hard-to-transplant ornamentals should be transplanted in spring to allow longest possible time for root establishment All plants do not do well under same soil conditions –Therefore soil tests should be taken

Obtaining Soil for Testing Take samples from several different areas of lawn Dig out a shovelful of soil about 9-12 inches deep Place a thin piece of soil on a piece of paper –After taking several samples throughout an area, mix them up to get an overall soil test

Testing Soil Sample Soils can be analyzed by the county Cooperative Extension office Results will tell you what you need to do to improve the condition of your soil

PLANTING Dig a hole deep enough so that the roots do not need to be wound around the ball of the hole Hole should be 1-2 feet wider than the ball of a “balled” or containered plant

PLANTING Bare-root plants should have room for the roots to spread out full length Roots grow out to the side as well as down When removing plants from container, wet down the soil to prevent crumbling Balled and Burlapped plants: –Burlap must be loosened, but should stay around the ball –Burlap will rot away with time Always take plants out of metal container and plants should be taken out of paper containers

PLANTING Keep soil level the same on a plant as it was in the nursery Put loose soil in the bottom of the hole Manure or peat moss may be used in heavy soils

PLANTING Do not stamp soil to firmly Leave saucer of earth around edge of hole –This retains water to allow it to soak in around the plant Plant first; then let water hose run slowly for about one to two hours Water helps remove any air pockets around the roots

AFTER PLANTING Manure, peat moss, etc., can be used to conserve moisture after transplanting Fertilizer can be added to a mulch of corn cobs, straw or sawdust to improve bacterial growth

MULCHING WHEN MULCH? –Mulch in spring or fall; BUT, wait until soil is warm in spring WHY MULCH? –To conserve moisture –Prevents runoff and retains moisture WHY MULCH? –Protects the soil from drying due to sun and wind –Maintains more even soil temperatures –Provides some nutrients for plant

PRUNING One-fourth to one-third of the top branches should be pruned –This helps compensate for root loss in transplanting –DO NOT PRUNE the central leader

Transplanting Plants with Foliage They will loose their leaves –This does not mean they are dead –New leaves will develop later on Slight wilting is also common for the first week

PLANT SPACING When a plant is bought, it will come with a spacing guide with three numbers, such as: 16’’ – 18’’ – 2’’ -(16’’) tells you how far from a foundation wall to plant the specimen -(18’’) tells how far apart the plants should be spaced from each other -(2’’) tells how far the plant should be planted from sidewalks or driveways

STAKING When replanted, plant roots are poorly anchored in the soil Roots need time to grow and secure plant Staking keeps plants straight and protects it from strong winds

STAKING Stakes are usually about 8 feet long wooden sticks Wire covered by garden hose is used to attach the stake to the tree –Uncovered wire will damage plant If only one stake is used, it should be placed on side with prevailing winds Trees with a diameter of 2-4 inches should be double staked

WRAPPING TREES Protects them from sun, wind, and insects Use either burlap or special tree wrapping crepe or kraft paper First wrap large branches and move down the trunk Should be left on for two years and can be removed in the following spring rbanforestry/treestemprotection.htm

WATERING Lack of watering during the plant’s first growing season is the major cause of unsatisfactory results of transplanting During the 1 st growing season, water at a 5-7 day interval Water plant slowly and deeply

DEEP WATERING Watering plant to the bottom of the roots Encourages good root development –Watering only the surface encourages shallow root development Use one or two gallons per square foot of root area

CITATIONS Pine Lodge Gardens Doug Baker's Bonsai. Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Improper Planting Injures Trees. Backyard Conservation. Tree Planting.

CITATIONS Tom Kovach. Plant Your Trees in the Spring. Mary K. Reynolds. Planting Trees in Designed and Built Community Landscapes. Benjamin K. Cooper. Tree Stem Protection. December 7, Hometime Projects. Landscape and Garden: Transplanting Shrubs