When planting trees, first thing you need to take into consideration before choosing a location may be the mature height and spread of the tree. If you may be tempted by all the different species that are offered, take care to choose carefully, especially if you have an average size yard, because crowding spoils the growth and appearance of trees, particularly specimen trees.
It really is typically most economical to plant young trees. Planting an adult tree is difficult and can be expensive if done professionally. It may well justify the trouble, however, in case a mature tree is badly necessary for a terrace or for screening. What you are paying or is the time it takes an inferior tree to mature.
Additional resources to transplant a tree is in the first spring or late fall. It is possible to plant trees in full leaf with the aid of wilt-proof sprays that seal the leaves against moisture loss until the roots are established, but this costs money and entails greater risks than buying your tree and planting it in planting season.
When planting a tree over 6 feet high, it will suffer less setback if moved with a bur lapped root ball.
Since the root system needs fertile soil when it is planted, special steps should be taken. Dig the hole 2 feet deep and at least 1 foot wider than the full spread of the roots in each direction. Underneath should be broken up with a pitchfork and thoroughly mixed with peat, leaf mold, loam, etc.
Manure can be used sparingly and should only be spread at the top of the hole or it can burn the roots. The deeper you cultivate the hole, the higher for your tree. Once planted, you can cultivate around it but not under the roots. If you hit a layer of building debris or clay, that is not at all uncommon near a residence, you must remove this layer and replace it with good soil, or better still, garden humus.
Should you be planting a bare root seedling, you should protect it by "heeling in" a vacant flower bed where it could be kept before planting provided that it is dormant.
This implies laying it on its side at an angle to the bottom and within the roots with good soil. If you are ready to go on it from the soil, give it a mud bath or "puddle" it. This protects the roots from contact with air before planting and also from any air pockets which may exist round the roots after planting. After filling the hole to the depth required by the roots of the plant, flood it with water to settle the soil in the bottom; when this has drained away, place the tree in the positioning in which it is to grow and fill in the soil around it.
Work the soil around the roots utilizing a stick or shovel handle, and make certain you can find no air pockets. Spread the roots naturally, planting the tree at around the same depth as its former location. When the hole is two-thirds, of just how full, tramp it down and fill with water again. Fill in the rest of the soil without tramping it down, so the water will drain towards the trunk.
A balled-and-bur lapped tree is one which has been dug with a solid ball of soil where it's been growing in, its root system is thus amply covered and protected. The ball is held in place by a secure covering of burlap and twine. To plant it, set the tree in a hole slightly lower than it stood in the nursery. Work the soil beneath this depth, as described previously.
If the bottom is dry, fill the hole with water and allow it soak in before planting. Cut the burlap at the top once you put the tree in place, and roll it back several inches. You will plant the burlap and all. The burlap will soon rot away.
After the tree is planted you can cut it back sharply. If necessary brace the tree with wire ropes. For the first year, the more cultivation around the tree the better, keeping weeds away, too, with straw or mulch, in the spring and fall will help keep carefully the moisture in the ground.