When Should You Plant Trees And Shrubs?

You should plant your trees and shrubs immediately after purchase if at all possible!  This is especially true of bareroot trees and shrubs. Bareroot trees and shrubs must be planted before the leaves emerge. If you must wait, be sure to water your new nursery plants.  Do not let the roots dry out.  This may mean watering daily.  In the case of bareroot stock, keep the mulch around your bareroot stock moist, and do not expose the wrapped roots to sunlight or freezing temperatures.

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How To Plant Your Trees And Shrubs

Follow the links at the top of the page for our recommended planting practices.

The most common mistake made when planting trees is burying the tree too deep.  When you are done planting, the top of the root system should be right at the soil/air boundary.  Do not bury any part of the trunk.

Most trees will receive too much water (especially after they are established) if planted in a lawn as opposed to on the perimeter of a lawn or within a bed. To offset this problem, trees planted within lawn areas should be planted 2 to 3 inches “proud” – the top of the root ball should be 2 to 3 inches higher than the surrounding grade.

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Adding Soil Amendments To The Backfill

Soil amendments include garden compost, composted manure, soil pep, peat moss, etc.  Soil pep is our favorite and is available in bags or bulk.  There are several benefits to adding soil amendments to your planting area.  Soil amendments will lower the pH of your soil, thereby allowing plants to take up trace elements (e.g., iron) which your plants need to be healthy.  If you have clay soil, adding soil pep will increase drainage: if you have sandy soil, soil amendments will increase water retention.

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Watering And Fertilizing After Planting

We recommend using Age Old Root Rally when you plant your new trees and shrubs.  Root Rally is a complete blend  of beneficial mycorrihzal  spores and other plant nutrients.  This will reduce transplant shock, encourage root growth, and increase the water and nutrient uptake abilities of your plants.  apply 1/4 to 1/2 pound or Root Rally per inch of trunk diameter, or 2 to 4 Tablespoons per gallon of container size (e.g., a plant in a #2 container would receive 4-8 tablespoons of Root Rally).  Dust around the root system at planting time.

Water your trees and shrubs after planting.  We suggest that after watering with regular water, you should water each plant with a gallon of Age Old Fish and Seaweed mixture.  Fish and Seaweed contains a modest amount of nitrogen.  More importantly , Age Old Fish and Seaweed is a bio-stimulant.  It stimulates the beneficial mycorrhizae  in the Root Rally to grow and reproduce.  Apply 2 to 4 ounces per gallon of water.

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Staking Trees

Staking is done to prevent the root ball from moving around in the soil and is necessary  when planting bareroot trees, very large tree’s, or trees with lots of surface area (e.g., evergreens).  You should use straps designed for this purpose and should stake the tree loosely.  Do not leave straps on for more than one year!