Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite: Best planting practices for trees and shrubs
We discussed planting bare-root trees and shrubs last week, today we’ll talk about planting container grown. Conventional wisdom was to plant at the same depth your plant came in but studies have shown that sometimes our plants have been placed in their containers too deeply. That means you need to pull the plant out of the container and remove the soil to the trunk flare or graft.
Experts recommend planting this about an inch ABOVE the soil surface. The primary roots, those that take up water, nutrients and oxygen are in the top 3 to, at most, 6 inches of soil. Anchoring roots grow much deeper.
Another way to ensure great growth is to widen the circle. Rather than digging a hole TWICE as wide, try 3 maybe even 4 times wider. Taper the hole so the widest portion is near the top where the primary roots will grow. To assist roots even further, use a mallet and a dowel, punch holes in the sides of your planting site about 4 to 6 inches apart, depending on the size of the purchased plant, around the circle you’ve dug. I know, it sounds like a lot of work, but you’ll be rewarded when the roots say thank you and grow into the soil more easily. And you’ve given your plant a great foundation for success. This is especially true in compacted soil.
Place your plant in the middle of the hole, backfill with soil and tamp it down with your feet, a spade and water. Water thoroughly. Place 3 to 4 inches of mulch around the new planting like a donut.
This video is a segment I did for my tv show Dig In Minnesota in 2013. I bought the above tree from Knecht’s Nursery that same year, the photo below is when they first planted it for me… I know it’s small.
