A Smart Start: Tree Care

As with most living things, treat a tree well and it will flourish. Contractors need to keep this essential point in mind when first planting trees from a nursery. If important pre-planting steps are not followed, a tree’s health could hang in the balance.

MATERIAL MATTERS. A sapling’s future as a thriving adult tree is largely determined by the nursery material a contractor begins with. While using only quality material from a reputable nursery seems like common sense, plenty of contractors buy plant material sight unseen, which can leave them with less-than-desirable trees. If possible, contractors should go to a nursery and tag the trees they want, advised Bruce Phillips, president, Treemasters, Fulton, Md.

Choose vigorous trees with a solid trunk, good branch structure and well-established roots, advised Nina Bassuk, professor of urban horticulture and director, Urban Horticulture Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. Also, make sure the trunk doesn’t have any major dings or scratches since damage such as this will hinder the plant’s development, she said.

In terms of resilience, planting a smaller tree with a ½- to 3-inch caliper is generally better since it will recover more quickly from transplant shock than a larger one, Bassuk noted.

Similarly, Dusty Resneck, an independent contractor based in Petaluma, Calif., encourages his clients to plant smaller trees, since they tend to provide a better return on a smaller financial investment and generally acclimate more smoothly than larger ones. Phillips agreed with this approach. “If you’re willing to wait, starting with smaller trees is a good idea,” he said.

Once plant material has been selected, make sure it’s handled carefully. The minute a tree leaves the nursery, the likelihood of damage increases. “This point is when things start to go wrong,” Bassuk warned. Phillips agreed, noting that a tree is handled at least four or five times before it gets into the ground, which provides ample opportunity for damage. A tree should always be handled by its ball or container, not by its trunk. Even if the tree is dormant, it should be transported in a tarped vehicle with the root ball kept moist, Bassuk advised. “Make sure you’re getting it to the site with the least amount of water loss,” she said. Ideally, trees should be planted as soon as possible after leaving the nursery, especially if they’re balled and burlapped (B&B).

PROPER PLANTING. Just as with real estate, location is a primary concern when planting a tree. While contractors don’t always have a say as to where a tree is planted, they can do their best to encourage intelligent decisions, Resneck said. Picking an area with good drainage is vital as is selecting one with good clearance.

Resneck noted that clients have a tendency to pack trees into as small a space as possible or plant flowers or turf immediately underneath a tree, which can hinder full root development. Remember that trees need room to thrive. “Give the roots as much space as possible and try to minimize companion planting,” he advised. “And once a tree is in the ground, respect its space and don’t try and crowd it out.”

When a good location has been selected, proper planting is the next step in giving a tree a head start, since one of the biggest causes of tree failure is improper planting. When planting, think of preparing a site, rather than just carelessly digging a hole, since a contractor has to create a healthy environment in which the tree can take root and thrive, Bassuk said.

When contractors dig into the soil, they need to backfill with existing soil to avoid the “bathtub effect,” warned John Wolski, president, Ski Landscape, Indianapolis, Ind. “If you dig a hole in heavy clay soil, in particular, and then plant a tree, the first time it rains, all the water will sit there and take a long, long time to drain away,” he said.

For containerized trees, make sure the roots are pruned prior to planting. If the roots are too thick, they can be root-bound and choke themselves, Phillips said.

Wolski advised deep watering with a probe and then floating the tree in the hole to eliminate any air pockets that might become water pockets that could eventually kill the tree. “This ensures compaction, tightening a loose root ball and eliminating the need for staking and guying,” he said.

To remove any air pockets, Bassuk recommends taking the handle of the shovel and tapping the ground gently while backfilling to let the soil settle naturally, she said.

Make sure the hole isn’t too deep, since that will eventually drown the tree or cause root rot, Resneck pointed out. The hole should be twice as deep and three to five times the width of the root ball if it’s a smaller tree, according to Bassuk. “Plant the tree so you can see the flare of the trunk going into the root system,” she advised. “See where the flare and root starts. If the trunk’s like a telephone pole going right into the ground, remove it and replant. Plant the tree at same depth as it was planted at the nursery.”

When planting a B&B tree, be careful not to destroy the root ball’s integrity, Bassuk said. Also, remove the wire basket or at least the top half if possible, and take off any ties or guide wires around the trunk. Otherwise, the wires can strangle the tree as it grows, Phillips warned.

Resneck advised hand digging the hole since that would create a rougher surface than a machine-drilled hole, which can be smooth, shiny and not conducive to root growth. “If that’s the case, you don’t have as many surfaces for the tree to take root,” he pointed out.

Don’t stake the tree if it can be avoided. “There should be trunk movement,” Bassuk noted. “If the trunk is rigid, the tree doesn’t grow as well.”

Resneck agreed. “The more the tree moves and sways, the better the root stimulation,” he said, adding that he recommends supporting the root ball with low stakes.

POST-PLANTING CONSIDERATIONS. To seal in moisture, discourage weed competition and protect the tree from mower damage, mulch should be applied around the base of the tree immediately after planting. Bassuk advised placing 3 to 4 inches of shredded organic bark or chips in a 2 foot or more radius from the tree. Spread the mulch evenly and avoid making a “volcano” of mulch around the tree’s base, she said.

In terms of other post-planting issues, pruning isn’t necessary for a newly planted tree, except for removing dead, diseased or damaged branches, according to Bassuk.

“Hold off on pruning and give a tree a year or so to settle in,” Phillips added.

Fertilizer is also generally unnecessary unless a soil test indicates it is required, Bassuk said, noting that contractors have a tendency to overfertilize, which can actually hurt a tree, halting its growth. “Most soil should support tree growth. Ninety-nine percent of the time you don’t need fertilizer,” she said. Phillips agreed. “I wouldn’t use any fertilizer during the first year,” he said, pointing out that root stimulants or soil amendments are acceptable to use in moderation. Similarly, Resneck uses a small amount of inoculant at the time of planting to ease transplant shock, he said.

The most important concern with a newly planted tree is monitoring and maintaining a good moisture level. “After planting, checking the moisture content is a must,” Wolski said, pointing out that one of the biggest reasons newly installed trees fail is overwatering.

“Plants need a perfect balance of air and moisture for good root growth and health, Wolski noted, advising contractors to check the soil around the tree on a regular basis.

“If the soil is moist and cool and you can make a soil ball with your hand, then the tree has plenty of moisture,” he said.

THE WAITING GAME. Once the key pre-planting and planting steps are addressed, there isn’t much for contractors to do but wait for a tree to adapt to its new environment. “Once a tree is in the ground, leave it alone,” Resneck urged.

Wolski agreed. “The main concern with a new tree is pre-planting care,” he said. “From there, it’s Mother Nature’s.”

Since a large portion of its root system is stressed during the transplanting process, a tree needs time to recover and settle into a new home, Bassuk pointed out. After a tree is transplanted, it’s set back for a number of years and must take time to recover from transplant shock, she said. In the Northeast, for example, a tree generally requires one year per caliper inch to outgrow any setback from transplanting. In the South, with a longer growing season, the recovery happens faster, according to Bassuk.

Contractors should periodically monitor a newly planted tree to ensure its progress. “You don’t just water it once and walk away,” Bassuk said. Examine a tree periodically for signs of stress. Phillips advised looking for suspicious developments such as leaf discoloration, pests or diseases.

In addition, Resneck often looks at the undersides of leaves for any insect damage, which can often be indicative of a larger problem. “Oftentimes, pest problems are a secondary invasion,” he said. “Insects are opportunistic and can come in after a tree is stressed out from other causes.”

Generally, a healthy tree should experience 3 to 5 inches of growth one year after planting, according to Phillips. Since the first two years is a critical time in a tree’s development, Phillip’s rule of thumb is if a tree survives its second hot summer after transplanting, “it’s going to make it,” he said.

Overall, contractors should keep in mind what they can and can’t control when tending to trees, Resneck pointed out. As fate would have it, sometimes a tree just fails and there’s nothing a contractor could have done, he said. “It may just have bad genes.”

The author is Associate Editor of Lawn & Landscape magazine.

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