How easy is it to plant a tree?

[earl]

Quite often Im asked a variation on the same question. Sometimes the question is asked by visitors to my nursery; other times I find the question in my e-mail from a reader of this column. And sometimes the question remains unasked by someone who doesnt want to appear dumb.

This is the question:

How easy is it to plant a tree?

That is most certainly not a dumb question. But often its only half a question. Why? Because when most people ask the question, they really want to know how easy it is to plant trees successfully so that they thrive and grow to maturity.

Another point to remember is that some trees are easier to grow than others, regardless of your level of expertise. Ill have some suggestions for you in this column. But first, lets think about the absolute basics of introducing the tree into your landscape.

Different varieties of trees have different needs, but a non-profit web site operated by American Forests has some excellent general tree- planting tips, including the following:

Select a site with enough room for roots and branches to reach full size. Avoid overhead and underground utilities.

Prepare a planting area as deep as the root ball and three to five times its diameter by loosening the soil.

Dig a hole in the middle of the area and set the root ball even with the ground level.

Use water to settle soil and remove air pockets in planting area.

Stake the tree to flex with the wind only if tree is unable to stand up to wind.

Spread a two to three inch layer of mulch on entire area, but not within six inches of tree trunk. You can find the entire article, along with some helpful diagrams here:

and there is a direct link from this column at my web site. Go to then find this column under The Plant Man heading.

There are ways you can put the odds in your favor when it comes to planting trees that are more likely to thrive and grow successfully. Heres a word I want you to remember: Transplants.

Transplants are hardier, huskier, and more allaround balanced plants than seedlings. When planted in your landscape, the transplant has a greater chance of survival since it has already survived the shock of being transplanted once at the nursery.

With spring in the air, lets think about some beautiful flowering trees that work very well (and are much easier to grow) as transplants.

White Flowering Cherry (Prunus yedoensis). This is also known as Yoshino Cherry and is a rapidly growing tree that is extraordinarily beautiful in Spring when it is covered with white blossoms that resemble cotton candy. These trees can eventually reach

40 ft. and make excellent street trees.

Kwanzan Cherry. Id say this is the showiest of all Japanese trees. I love the awesome bundles of large pink blossoms that last longer than those of other flowering cherries.

Cleveland Select Flowering Pear. If you like to see a lot of blooms, the Cleveland Select seems to have more than other varieties of flowering pear. This variety is hardy, deciduous, disease-resistant and grows more upright than the Bradford to around 30 - 40 ft high.

Forest Pansy Redbud. Something a little out of the ordinary, but well worth planting if you can find it! It is a beautiful ornamental tree that perfect for the small garden as well as more ambitious landscaping projects. Unlike the native Redbud (cercis Canadensis), the Forest Pansy has blooms of a deep maroon color.

Dogwood Kousa (Cornus kousa). Also known as a Japanese flowering dogwood, the Kousa is not as susceptible to disease as the white dogwood, and that=92s a major benefit. Great as a specimen, in groupings or near a patio, it blooms later, around June with a softer petal flower.

So, if youre looking for an easier and more foolproof way of planting healthy successful trees without a lot of worry or risk, remember to look for transplants!

Let me know if I can help you with your specific tree planting challenges. Note that some of the information here appeared in an earlier Plant Man column published in April 2003 and included here by reader request.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to [e-mail] and for resources and additional information, including archived columns, visit www.landsteward.o= rg

[Billy]

[len gardener]

g'day earl,

good info' could i add:

for trees that need good drainage they may need to be planted in a raised position created by haveing up to 1/2 the root ball above the surrounding area, this creates like a mound and improves the drainage for the tree.

On Tue, 7 Apr 2009 12:01:13 -0700 (PDT), " [e-mail]" wrote: snipped With peace and brightest of blessings,

len & bev

-- "Be Content With What You Have And May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In A World That You May Not Understand."

[Bill]

oriented the same way. No real justification just a hunch. Got me thinking about the 10 $ tree and the 50$ hole vs the 50 $ tree and the 10 $ hole. I currently favor the latter.

Bill

[Hrochnick]

You're a ******. Look it up.

[Billy]

Aint't you that blank Czech, lookin' for a potted plant for your patio? I was thinkin' about suggesting a Physalis alkekengi to you but now you've gone all pissy on me.

's the matter with you? You like door to door salesmen or what? We are just gardeners. We ain't tryin' to sell shit to no one. Fuck you and your corner patio.

[Hrochnick]

Blank Czech, clever, I see what you did there Billy and I like it. However, and you'll like this, I'm actually British - I just happen to live in the Czech Republic.

No, I'm not particularly keen on door to door salesmen but you don't have to open the door to them. In the same way that you didn't have to open or read Earl's post. Besides (and regardless of alteria motives) Earl didn't once mention wanting to sell anything, it was all about advice and don't you think there maybe a newbie or two out there (myself included) who really don't know the best way to plant a tree and might have found it an interesting read?. And don't forget, every know and then gardeners do actually need to buy stuff...

Do you think your sarcastic, agressive, I'm holier than thou response was really needed? I've read a few of your other posts and the same theme runs throughout, you just can't help yourself being rude and sniping all over the place. It's really trying and just makes you look like a bitter and twisted old man.

Anyway, I'll apologise for being rude, I just read your post late at night and it made me angry. But I shouldn't have been insulting so for that I apologise.

Thanks for the links, looks nice but the fact that "All parts of the plant, except the ripe fruit, are poisonous" make it a no no for me. I'll keep searching.

So cheers, and chill out...

[enigma]

Hrochnick wrote in news: [e-mail]:

you know, that also describes tomatoes... how old are your kids? by age 3 you should have them trained not to put any plant matter in their mouth without your express permission first. i grew castor bean plants when i was 8 & my baby brother was 2. he knew not to eat the seeds (and if you don't want seeds, just pick off the flowers anyway). many common garden plants are poisonous in some manner, so teaching kids/pets not to nibble is a priority. just sayin'... lee

[Hrochnick]

My kids are 2 and a half and 10 months. Yes, the 2 year old knows better, but it's a different story for the young 'un. And I'm not prepared to take that risk just yet, not for a plant that will sit within such easy reach at any case.

Billy, I thought my apology would put an end to it but it seems not for your sorry arse. I'll respond properly to you tomorrow, I cant let your further insults lie. Shame on me as that may be but I've rarely met such a **** as you and if you want to trade insults, I'm your man. I'll come down and live at your level for as long as you want.

[Dioclese]

This is the question:

How easy is it to plant a tree?

That is most certainly not a dumb question. But often its only half a question. Why? Because when most people ask the question, they really want to know how easy it is to plant trees successfully so that they thrive and grow to maturity.

Another point to remember is that some trees are easier to grow than others, regardless of your level of expertise. Ill have some suggestions for you in this column. But first, lets think about the absolute basics of introducing the tree into your landscape.

Different varieties of trees have different needs, but a non-profit web site operated by American Forests has some excellent general tree- planting tips, including the following:

Select a site with enough room for roots and branches to reach full size. Avoid overhead and underground utilities.

Prepare a planting area as deep as the root ball and three to five times its diameter by loosening the soil.

Dig a hole in the middle of the area and set the root ball even with the ground level.

Use water to settle soil and remove air pockets in planting area.

Stake the tree to flex with the wind only if tree is unable to stand up to wind.

Spread a two to three inch layer of mulch on entire area, but not within six inches of tree trunk. You can find the entire article, along with some helpful diagrams here:

and there is a direct link from this column at my web site. Go to then find this column under The Plant Man heading.

There are ways you can put the odds in your favor when it comes to planting trees that are more likely to thrive and grow successfully. Heres a word I want you to remember: Transplants.

Transplants are hardier, huskier, and more allaround balanced plants than seedlings. When planted in your landscape, the transplant has a greater chance of survival since it has already survived the shock of being transplanted once at the nursery.

With spring in the air, lets think about some beautiful flowering trees that work very well (and are much easier to grow) as transplants.

White Flowering Cherry (Prunus yedoensis). This is also known as Yoshino Cherry and is a rapidly growing tree that is extraordinarily beautiful in Spring when it is covered with white blossoms that resemble cotton candy. These trees can eventually reach

40 ft. and make excellent street trees.

Kwanzan Cherry. Id say this is the showiest of all Japanese trees. I love the awesome bundles of large pink blossoms that last longer than those of other flowering cherries.

Cleveland Select Flowering Pear. If you like to see a lot of blooms, the Cleveland Select seems to have more than other varieties of flowering pear. This variety is hardy, deciduous, disease-resistant and grows more upright than the Bradford to around 30 - 40 ft high.

Forest Pansy Redbud. Something a little out of the ordinary, but well worth planting if you can find it! It is a beautiful ornamental tree that perfect for the small garden as well as more ambitious landscaping projects. Unlike the native Redbud (cercis Canadensis), the Forest Pansy has blooms of a deep maroon color.

Dogwood Kousa (Cornus kousa). Also known as a Japanese flowering dogwood, the Kousa is not as susceptible to disease as the white dogwood, and that?s a major benefit. Great as a specimen, in groupings or near a patio, it blooms later, around June with a softer petal flower.

So, if youre looking for an easier and more foolproof way of planting healthy successful trees without a lot of worry or risk, remember to look for transplants!

Let me know if I can help you with your specific tree planting challenges. Note that some of the information here appeared in an earlier Plant Man column published in April 2003 and included here by reader request.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to [e-mail] and for resources and additional information, including archived columns, visit

-------------- The only thing I wish to add is not to "spoil" the new sapling. Let it accomodate to the location and temp/weather, soil and competition environment. In the long run (a tree is a long-term thing), the tree willl benefit by your non-interference.

Consider using a genuine news server vice an HTTP pseudo-news server to the poster. Such approaches spam.

[Billy]

The preceding spam was presented to you by Dave.

Tune in next time for answers to more questions that you haven't ask. Maybe it will be, Q: "How do I prune a kudzu?" A: "To the ground".

If you care to have a response from a live human being, rather than answers posed by a commercial monthly news letter, just post your question here. As to the number of personalities here, your answer may require more than one respondent.

The alternative would be to Google your question,"How to (fill in the blank)". The response may require you to look at more than one site.

Shopping for a question? Maybe drop in on

They have a forum with all sorts of questions.

Good gardening ;O)

[Dioclese]

Getting personal again, eh Billy?

[Billy]

Sorry Dave. Did you or didn't you repost a commercial solicitation? Does Earl accept Visa, Master Card, and Verisign? Does Earl respond to posts in this newsgroup? Is "Land Steward" not sponsored by Earl?

For a comparison, take a look at

. If you scroll to the bottom, you will find a link to a commercial site but it is for "sound recording". Len's garden site appears to be a genuine labor of love, not commercialism.

Personally, I resent solicitations of oil, shoes, hoochi coochi girls, prostate treatment, or any other solicitations for sales. Anyone facilitating them, I would consider a shill.

Most posts here have to do with the transfer of information with no ulterior motive except to inform. Often sites are suggested by responding posters which address the problem of a poster seeking help. This isn't the case with Earl, who may have many good qualities (or not), Earl's posts here are mercenary in that he is seeking customers, and offers unrequested information as a lure.

If that is getting personal, so be it.