Introduction
When you want to plant new trees in your yard, you have a few options. You can either plant the seed and painstakingly wait for it to sprout under the right conditions, opt for a bare-root sapling from the store or grow one in a container. On the other hand, you can search for “tree service near me” and hire pros to plant a tree for you. Let’s figure out how you can improve the transplanting success of container-grown trees.
The Details
- Ideal planting time – The ideal time for transplanting a tree from a container to the ground is usually the fall and winter seasons. During this period, plants don’t have a lot of demand and that means tree roots have plenty of time to establish themselves in the ground without exhausting themselves, always drawing water and nutrients from the soil. During the hot seasons, this becomes very difficult due to the drastic increase in water demand.
While you can transplant trees successfully during the hot seasons, you need to make sure that the plant gets ample water during the first few weeks. You also need to grow your tree properly in the container before transplanting them. If a tree has been pruned too much without enough nutrients, it won’t survive the transplant. You need to make sure that there are no signs of root decay and trunk wound before you transplant the tree.
- Pick good planting stock – As a general rule, smaller trees have a higher rate of success since they are easier to establish in the ground. Large trees take a longer time to establish themselves in the ground. You’ll know a tree is ready for transplanting when it has grown up to at least a third of your height and has an uninjured main stem with branches distributed on it.
If the main stem has been damaged or the branches have been excessively pruned, the tree may not survive the transplant. You’ll also need to trim circling roots since they would never straighten out and strangle the tree in the future. Pay most of your attention to inspecting the healthy growth of the root and main stem while you grow your plant in the container in ideal indoor conditions.
- Prepare the planting site – Soil in the lower layers is heavily compacted during construction and that’s why tree roots may not reach deep underground. That’s why you need to increase the probability of transplanting success by loosening the soil in the root zone. The roots will reach further than the canopy of the tree and that’s why the soil needs to be loose enough to allow that. You can use trenchers, backhoes, or rototillers for the job. Do it till a depth of 2 feet and across an area at least 1.5 times the expected size of the canopy when the tree matures.
- Dig a hole and unpot the tree – Once you have loosened the soil, digging the planting hole should be easy enough. The hole should be as deep as the root ball of the tree. Make sure the root ball rests on firm soil so that the tree doesn’t settle further into the soil. You don’t want to suffocate the main stem. Make sure you dig a hole that’s at least twice the width of the container pot. This allows you to spread the roots away from the center.
After digging the hole, carefully remove the tree without breaking any roots. Unwind the circling roots and if there are stubborn roots that won’t straighten out, trim them off. Those roots won’t straighten out in the future either and would slowly strangle the tree under the ground. However, don’t go overboard on the trimming and keep damage to the root system to a minimum.
- Set the tree and fill the hole – After removing the tree successfully and trimming the stubborn roots, gently place it in the hole and lay out the roots to radiate away from the main stem. Don’t allow the roots to kink back around the edges. When the tree is set in the hole, the root ball should be slightly above the top surface. Make sure that the area where the first root emerges(root crown) is set just above the surrounding soil so that it doesn’t get pooled by water around the trunk.
After that, it’s time to fill the hole and firm it down with your hand to remove large air gaps. While you firm up the soil, make sure not to make a sharp boundary with the surrounding soil. After you’re done, the soil line should be the same at all places. After the soil settles, water the root ball area at very low pressure. If you see the tree sink deeper into the ground, pull it back up to the previous level.
- Stake if necessary – If the tree appears stable, you can move on to mulching. Otherwise, you may use a wooden stake to stabilize the tree during its initial growth. Make sure the stake is away from the root ball so that it doesn’t rub against the branches or the delicate roots.
- Mulch and water – Finally, it’s time to mulch the tree with a few inches of organic mulch like wood chips or dry leaves. It will protect your tree from diseases and the cold temperature during the winter season.
After you’re done mulching, you need to water the plant at regular intervals to help the root establish itself. Depending on the local temperature and soil drainage, you may need to water more frequently or fewer times every week. It’s best to get help from a professional about your plant’s water needs.
Conclusion
Container-grown trees get a bad rap for transplanting success. However, that mainly happens when people choose the wrong time and location to transplant a tree and don’t trim down the roots. To increase the success, the best option is to hire professionals for the job by searching for “tree service near me”.
