How to Plant and Water a Container Grown Tree
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| 303 North Saddle Creek Road Omaha, NE 68131 (402) 558-5900 |
| How To |
When to plant - Spring and Fall are the best seasons to plant in our area. Planting during these periods
allow more time for tree roots to become established so that they can meet the water needs of the leaves in
hot weather. Trees can be successfully planted in summer, but proper watering is especially critical for trees
planted during hot weather.
Picking good planting stock - In general, the smaller the tree, the easier it will be to establish successfully.
Larger trees take longer to become established. Ideally, the top should have a single main stem with
branches distributed along it. Avoid trees whose main stem has been cut back or which have been
excessively pruned up.
Preparing a site and planting your tree - Investing a little time and effort at planting will pay off in terms of
faster tree establishment and better growth and vigor. A good quality tree may still perform poorly if it is not
properly planted in a well-prepared site.
1. Prepare the soil at the planting site. Soils in subdivisions are highly compacted during construction, and
tree roots cannot grow in such highly compacted soil. Most tree roots grow in the upper 1.5 to 2 feet of soil
and spread far beyond the tree's canopy. Your tree will perform best if you can loosen the soil in the
rootzone to a depth of at least 1 ft and a distance of at least 3 ft from the trunk in all directions. You can do
this by spading and turning over the soil with a shovel in the same manner that one prepares the soil in a
garden.
2. Dig the hole. Once you have turned over the soil at the planting site, digging the actual planting hole
will be fairly easy. The hole should be no deeper than the depth of the tree's root ball. The tree root ball
should rest on firm soil at the center of the hole so that the tree will not settle excessively. Make the planting
hole about twice as wide as the pot to allow for spreading of roots away from the rootball.
3. Unpot the tree. Carefully remove the tree from the pot to avoid breaking off roots. Unwind all circling
roots. Circling roots will not straighten themselves out and can eventually strangle the tree as they expand.
Kinked, circled, or knotted roots that cannot be straightened out should be cut off cleanly with sharp
pruning shears. Because roots are critical for tree survival and establishment, try to minimize the amount of
root removal and damage.
4. Set the tree. Gently place the tree in the planting hole, laying roots out so they radiate away from the
trunk. Don't allow roots to kink or double back at the edge of the hole - expand of the hole so that roots can
spread out if necessary. Make sure that when the tree is set in the hole, the top of the root ball is slightly
above the final grade of the soil. The root crown (where the first roots emerge from the trunk) should be set a
bit higher than the surrounding soil so that water doesn't pool next to the trunk.
5. Backfill the hole. Add soil to the planting hole and firm it down moderately with your hand to remove
large air gaps. Avoid creating a sharp boundary between the container soil and the surrounding soil by
gently breaking up the container soil as you refill the hole. Be sure that the tree is set at the proper height as
you fill the hole. After the soil settles, the soil line of the tree in the pot should be the same as the final
planted soil line. Once the hole is filled, water the rootball area with a low flow from a hose to settle the
soil. If the top of the root ball sinks below grade after watering, gently pull it back up to level.
6. Stake only if necessary. If the tree appears stable, staking is not needed (this is more likely to be the case
for smaller trees). If staking is necessary, place stakes beyond the container root ball, tie to tree with flexible
stretch tie. Remove support ties and stakes as soon as the tree becomes established, normally within one
year of planting. Additional stakes or fencing may be needed around the tree to provide protection from
people, pets, and equipment.
7. Mulch your tree. Use 2 to 3 inches of mulch to cover the soil surface at the planting site, but keep the
mulch depth to 1 inch or less next to the trunk. Mulch should extend at least 2 to 3 ft away from the trunk on
all sides. Mulch will help your tree get established by moderating soil temperatures, suppressing weed
growth, and conserving soil moisture. If planting in a lawn, turf should be kept at least 2 to 3 ft from the trunk
of newly planted trees because it suppresses tree growth.
8. Water your tree. Until new roots grow into the soil of the planting site, your tree will be dependent on the
water that is held in the original root ball area. Especially if you are planting in late spring or summer it is
critical that this root ball area does not dry out. In areas with clay soils, the surrounding soil will pull
moisture out of the porous soil mix the tree is potted in, so your tree may dry out much more quickly than
you expect. Check and, if needed, water your new tree right at the root ball every two to three days for the
first several weeks during the growing season. The soil around the rootball should remain moist though not
saturated. Within several months, when sufficient numbers of roots have grown into the loosened, mulched
soil surrounding the rootball, you can direct your irrigation to that area. If you plant in fall, you will probably
need to water your new tree every week during its first summer, more often in especially hot periods. If your
tree is planted in spring or later, you may need to water as often as every two to three days throughout the
first summer. When irrigating, apply enough water to thoroughly wet the root zone to a depth of at least a
foot, but don't water so often that the soil stays waterlogged.
allow more time for tree roots to become established so that they can meet the water needs of the leaves in
hot weather. Trees can be successfully planted in summer, but proper watering is especially critical for trees
planted during hot weather.
Picking good planting stock - In general, the smaller the tree, the easier it will be to establish successfully.
Larger trees take longer to become established. Ideally, the top should have a single main stem with
branches distributed along it. Avoid trees whose main stem has been cut back or which have been
excessively pruned up.
Preparing a site and planting your tree - Investing a little time and effort at planting will pay off in terms of
faster tree establishment and better growth and vigor. A good quality tree may still perform poorly if it is not
properly planted in a well-prepared site.
1. Prepare the soil at the planting site. Soils in subdivisions are highly compacted during construction, and
tree roots cannot grow in such highly compacted soil. Most tree roots grow in the upper 1.5 to 2 feet of soil
and spread far beyond the tree's canopy. Your tree will perform best if you can loosen the soil in the
rootzone to a depth of at least 1 ft and a distance of at least 3 ft from the trunk in all directions. You can do
this by spading and turning over the soil with a shovel in the same manner that one prepares the soil in a
garden.
2. Dig the hole. Once you have turned over the soil at the planting site, digging the actual planting hole
will be fairly easy. The hole should be no deeper than the depth of the tree's root ball. The tree root ball
should rest on firm soil at the center of the hole so that the tree will not settle excessively. Make the planting
hole about twice as wide as the pot to allow for spreading of roots away from the rootball.
3. Unpot the tree. Carefully remove the tree from the pot to avoid breaking off roots. Unwind all circling
roots. Circling roots will not straighten themselves out and can eventually strangle the tree as they expand.
Kinked, circled, or knotted roots that cannot be straightened out should be cut off cleanly with sharp
pruning shears. Because roots are critical for tree survival and establishment, try to minimize the amount of
root removal and damage.
4. Set the tree. Gently place the tree in the planting hole, laying roots out so they radiate away from the
trunk. Don't allow roots to kink or double back at the edge of the hole - expand of the hole so that roots can
spread out if necessary. Make sure that when the tree is set in the hole, the top of the root ball is slightly
above the final grade of the soil. The root crown (where the first roots emerge from the trunk) should be set a
bit higher than the surrounding soil so that water doesn't pool next to the trunk.
5. Backfill the hole. Add soil to the planting hole and firm it down moderately with your hand to remove
large air gaps. Avoid creating a sharp boundary between the container soil and the surrounding soil by
gently breaking up the container soil as you refill the hole. Be sure that the tree is set at the proper height as
you fill the hole. After the soil settles, the soil line of the tree in the pot should be the same as the final
planted soil line. Once the hole is filled, water the rootball area with a low flow from a hose to settle the
soil. If the top of the root ball sinks below grade after watering, gently pull it back up to level.
6. Stake only if necessary. If the tree appears stable, staking is not needed (this is more likely to be the case
for smaller trees). If staking is necessary, place stakes beyond the container root ball, tie to tree with flexible
stretch tie. Remove support ties and stakes as soon as the tree becomes established, normally within one
year of planting. Additional stakes or fencing may be needed around the tree to provide protection from
people, pets, and equipment.
7. Mulch your tree. Use 2 to 3 inches of mulch to cover the soil surface at the planting site, but keep the
mulch depth to 1 inch or less next to the trunk. Mulch should extend at least 2 to 3 ft away from the trunk on
all sides. Mulch will help your tree get established by moderating soil temperatures, suppressing weed
growth, and conserving soil moisture. If planting in a lawn, turf should be kept at least 2 to 3 ft from the trunk
of newly planted trees because it suppresses tree growth.
8. Water your tree. Until new roots grow into the soil of the planting site, your tree will be dependent on the
water that is held in the original root ball area. Especially if you are planting in late spring or summer it is
critical that this root ball area does not dry out. In areas with clay soils, the surrounding soil will pull
moisture out of the porous soil mix the tree is potted in, so your tree may dry out much more quickly than
you expect. Check and, if needed, water your new tree right at the root ball every two to three days for the
first several weeks during the growing season. The soil around the rootball should remain moist though not
saturated. Within several months, when sufficient numbers of roots have grown into the loosened, mulched
soil surrounding the rootball, you can direct your irrigation to that area. If you plant in fall, you will probably
need to water your new tree every week during its first summer, more often in especially hot periods. If your
tree is planted in spring or later, you may need to water as often as every two to three days throughout the
first summer. When irrigating, apply enough water to thoroughly wet the root zone to a depth of at least a
foot, but don't water so often that the soil stays waterlogged.
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