Setting the Tone for Healthier Plants

Even after proper plant and site selection and careful soil preparation, it is vitally important to plant properly. How a plant is actually put into the ground can set the tone for whether or not that plant will prosper. That’s why it’s crucial to understand and practice proper planting techniques.

Measure the width and depth of the root mass before starting to dig. The hole that you dig for larger perennials, shrubs and trees should be at least one foot wider that the root ball of the plant all the way around. In other words, the diameter of the hole should be two feet or greater in diameter than the ball of the plant, and the depth of this hole should be about one to two inches less than the height of the root ball. Your goal is to have the ball slightly higher than the surrounding soil and on solid ground to prevent settling. I even prefer to make the planting hole slightly convex in the bottom to give the root ball a solid platform to rest on. The reason for this is that, for the most part, roots grow laterally in the upper oxygen-rich levels of the soil. If you plant too deeply or the root ball settles, the roots must grow up toward the oxygen and may suffocate before they get there. Obviously, it is simpler and less stressful for the plant to place the plant correctly in the first place. As a rule of thumb, you should practically never put a plant deeper in the ground than it was in the field or the soil level of the container in which it grew. You want to be sure that your placement is not too
shallow either. If too much of the root ball is above the surrounding surface, the plant’s roots may dry out too quickly or literally bake in hot weather. I’m not advising against planting on mounds, but I am saying that if so, it must be done properly; wider and lower mounds are more forgiving.

Next, startling as it may sound, I’ve seen more plants die after transplant from too much water rather than too little. One well-meaning gentleman managed to raise the water table in his yard to within one inch of the surface by watering every other night. Unfortunately, he killed the tree in less then five weeks. So, the moral here is water thoroughly when doing so and yet at appropriate intervals, allowing the plant to become nearly dry between waterings, and provide the plant with proper drainage if the surrounding soil is very dense. Making the bottom of the hole slightly convex helps water to drain away correctly from the root system. For larger trees, you can also use a posthole digger and go straight down beneath the bottom of the deepest part of the hole and fill that narrow, but deep shaft, with gravel which usually allows excess water to escape. All this may sound like you’re taking water away from the roots, but this is not the case. In fact, I recommend using some of the excess soil from the hole to create a saucer-like shape on top of the edges of the root ball. This will retain water and force it to percolate down through the root ball area, thus a more thorough watering of the roots. This, in combination with the steps you have taken to insure proper drainage, will help to create a flow of water around the root system allowing for just the right amount of moisture to be retained. After the plant is sitting in the hole and after you have filled in the bottom one-third with prepared soil, water the root ball. Then cut any twine around the trunk of the tree and remove the top two-thirds of the plastic burlap that may have been placed around the ball. If there is wire present, remove the top two-thirds of it also. Be careful to not disturb the root mass itself. Keep in mind that natural burlap will normally biodegrade very quickly and can be safely left on. It plastic burlap is not removed, though, the roots are not free to grow and expand as they need to and water may not penetrate the root mass. It you are not sure which you’re dealing with, ask at the garden center or try burning a small piece; natural fiber will burn; plastic melts. Along these same lines, if you are transplanting a plant that is root-bound, make ¼ inch to ½ inch deep, vertical cuts every four to six inches around the plant’s root ball from top to bottom. This opens up the root ball and gives the plant’s roots much better conditions for absorbing water and that procedure also stops the roots from spiraling around the trunk during subsequent growth.

These things done, you need only to fill the hole with well-prepared soil, create the saucer shape around and directly above the edges of the root ball, place two inches of mulch over this – stopping short of having mulch touching the trunk. Water thoroughly both the day of the planting and the day after. Then, you can water once every five to twenty-one days depending of your soil type, its water holding capacity and the plant’s needs. If necessary, push an unpainted dowel rod into the ground to full root ball depth, pause for a few seconds, then remove it. Check for signs of moisture on the stick to see if it’s time to water.

In this article I have dealt generally with planting trees, shrubs and larger perennials. The process is the same, though with any plant. You need only to change the measurements I’ve suggested to keep them in proportion with the size of any particular plant.