Avoid common mistakes and ensure that your tree is in the best possible shape going into winter
gloaming is one of the absolute in force time for planting . This rings true for those of us in the South wanting to bring tree , bush , or more herbaceous perennial to our landscape . For the average base nurseryman , autumn ’s advantage over spring or summertime is in the ease of up - front maintenance for fresh add up plants . This mostly comes in the form of not needing to irrigate new additions quite as much .
The first caution to take in fall planting , however , get with planting anything in fall that may be only marginally hardy in your area . This could take the form of a tree that might sustain an hurt if you have a colder than mean winter . In my area of Tennessee , this includes crape myrtle ( Lagerstroemiaspp . and cvs . , Zones 7–9 ) . If you populate farther south , it might be things like alive oak tree ( Quercus virginiana , Zones 8–10 ) or various dauntless palm .
Common Mistakes When Planting Trees
When a tree or bush die in the landscape , in some slip the death could have been forbid at plant . It ’s not just homeowners who make error . Because of supposed efficiency , or want of training , professional landscape painting installers often do not take the steps needed to ensure long - terminus survival of industrial plant material . Because trees tend to require the greatest up - front investment and because they are often installed incorrectly , the subject of proper planting merit review . Jason Griffin from Kansas State University provides a very good in - depth face at how you should embed trees based on their promotion inissue 119 ofFine Gardening .
Thou shalt not plant too deep
When set trees , you need to eff what a root flare and and a graft union are . Not all trees have a graft union , but they all have a root flare . The transplant trades union is where a worthy scion has been joined with an acceptable rhizome . Sometimes , but not always , you’re able to see a slight bulge on the stem where the graft take place . This can be near footing level or several base up .
The ascendent flare is a set of buttressing ancestor that anchor the tree and signalise the start of the tree ’s source system . They are aboveground structures and need to stay above undercoat . The next time you chat a raw expanse , take greenback of the trees . My guess is that you will see the root flare on almost every Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . Your finish is to check that this remains at or slenderly above your original grade of soil . Because of how trees are handled at the glasshouse , sometimes you may even want to reveal the root flare to ensure you are at the right depth . If you are unsure , err on the side of planting your tree diagram slightly above course .
Get to the root of the problem now
Without a incertitude , ideas on how tree root should be treated when planting have develop over time . The condition of the roots is often dictated by the type of container or packaging your tree is in when you purchase it . The most common tree packaging for homeowners is the shaping potbelly . When tree roots grow inside these types of container , they are subject to issues include “ circle ” and “ diving event ” as they make inter-group communication with the edges of the raft . To avert girdling and to protect the overall structural unity of a tree in the future , this should be right at planting . tree can be very resilient , and you should not be afraid to prune the root of a tree before planting . received advice has been for gardeners to add three or more vertical slits cut on different side of the root mass of containerized trees to ready them for imbed . This is not risky advice and will prevent some problem . However , newfangled research shows that “ root shaving ” may increase your chance of Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree survival even more specifically for containerized tree diagram . rootage shaving involves removing or “ paring ” a little outside portion of the antecedent mass in its entirety ( all position and bottom ) . Depending on the sizing of the plant , this can be done with a serrated knife , pruner , or a sharpened flat shovel .
Don’t miss your window
For most of the South , the ground does not freeze square , if at all . This broadens the fall or early winter planting window . call back , though , that every Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is dissimilar , and you should search the planting needs of each individual species you are go to institute . former fall can be dry , so ensure to take after up with appropriate lacrimation as need with anything you plant in fall . Even though planting a tree perfectly does not to the full guarantee success , it greatly improves the betting odds that your tree will be around for genesis to make out .
— Andy Pulte is a faculty member in the plant sciences department at the University of Tennessee .
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Photo: Virginia Small
Roots defects caused by your tree’s original packaging or container can lead to structural problems for the tree later. Here, girdling roots exposed below the soils have surfaced, showing problems that were not corrected at planting.Photo: Andy Pulte
Photo: Andy Pulte
Shaving roots off the edge and underside of a containerized tree helps remove some possible root defects that could impact the tree later.Photo: Andy Pulte
If you buy a tree in a large container, odds are that it has been in several different containers during the production process. When planting, look for root defects such as girdling throughout the root mass.Photo: Andy Pulte
