Tree selection, planting
BY LEE MCBRIDE
Welcome back to our fall series on planting trees that stick around.
Now that we have done our homework and carefully chosen the species of tree(s) for our site, it is time to find the best individual plant possible or inspect what the installer has brought to the property for planting.
Look for trees with a strong central stem or trunk. Avoid trees with two or more competing stems except for certain trees, such as crepe myrtle, river birches and zelkovas. Trees that have competing or two co-dominant stems often have expensive structural problems later in life. Pruning one stem out a year or so after planting is acceptable, but finding the tree with the strong central leader is preferred.
Start small. Choose plants that are one to three inches in diameter, measured one foot off the ground (called ‘caliper’), with trees in the 1.5” to 2.5” range being the ideal. This size usually saves money at the nursery and costs less to have installed. Root balls of smaller trees weigh much less than larger plants and are much easier to plant. Smaller trees defy logic in that they take less time to establish than many larger caliper trees particularly if the new tree was field dug or balled and burlapped (B & B). If you think about it, the amount of root system left intact after digging is much greater on a small tree than a large tree in most cases. Vigorous new tree growth occurs after the original volume and mass of the root system has been re-grown at your site. Which is why tree establishment can take one and half to three years.
Carry trees by their root balls. Many trees are doomed in the parking lot by being carried by the trunk or stem, which can break the soil loose from the roots.
If you need a few days before planting, place your trees in a shaded area and water daily. If it is hot, lay the plants on their sides or put some form of mulch against and over the root balls to help hold in moisture.
Next time we will discuss best practices for the planting spaces we are preparing.
