Finally, spring is on our doorstep. While it is too early to plant our tender annual flowers and vegetables, April is a great month to get started on planting hardy trees and shrubs. Sadly, in my line of work, I get to see a lot of dead shrubs and trees that have died within a few of years after being planted.
I always like to look them over to see what went wrong. A pattern has become apparent...most were simply planted too deep. You can still see the dirt on the stem way above the crown of the plant.
If the stem or trunk above ground is covered with soil or mulch, it hinders the plant’s ability to pass moisture and nutrients from the root system up through the bark to the branches and leaves above. It may take a year or three, but it is usually fatal.
Let me walk you through the process of planting a tree or shrub.
First, dig the planting hole a little bit wider than the plant’s root ball but only as deep as the root ball or the pot that contains the roots. If you’ve dug the hole too deep, fill it in a bit. Add compost or just the original soil to build up the bottom of the planting hole to ensure that the stem isn’t buried too deeply.
This is also a good time to add Bio-Tone to the planting hole. Bio-Tone provides gentle organic nutrients for the tree. Perhaps more important, Bio-Tone also adds beneficial soil microbes and several strains of Mycorrizal fungi. The spot on the tree trunk where the soil is in the pot or ball needs to still be visible after planting.
Next, place the tree or shrub into the hole and check again to make sure you’re at the proper planting depth. The spot where the trunk of the tree meets the soil of its ball or pot should exactly match the level of the soil around your planting hole. The easiest way to check this is to lay a stick (the handle of your shovel works) across the planting hole and make sure that the top of the root ball is level with the ground. This seems trivial, but it can make all the difference to the plant’s health and survival.
Once you’ve made sure that the crown of the plant is at the proper level, fill in the rest of the planting hole. This is the point where inexperienced gardeners make another mistake.
When you dig a hole, then fill it with a root ball, there’s going to be soil left over. What to do with it? Many will opt to pile it up around the trunk or stem. DON’T DO IT! It will have the same negative effect as planting too deeply. Use the extra soil to build a dish-shaped dike or berm out away from the stem of the plant. The dark soil where the stem met the soil in the pot should still be just visible near the trunk of the tree. You haven’t planted too deeply as long as you can see the original soil that the tree came in. The berm will collect water and direct it down to the root system below. Finally, water heavily after planting to remove any air pockets from the soil.
You should also take care when applying bark and other mulches not to pile them up against the stems and trunks of plants. Remember: roots are roots and stems are stems. Bury the roots but let the stems be free to breathe.
Thanks for the read!
