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Preparing a Tree-Planting Hole
Planting landscape trees is a simple task that can easily be mastered by gardeners of every experience level and requires only simple skills, a shovel and a few materials.
Step-by-Step Instructions
It’s generally recommended that trees be planted directly in unamended, native soil. This allows their roots to immediately penetrate out from the planting hole rather than circle inside it.
The planting hole should be about 2–4 in. (50–100 mm) wider than the nursery container, burlapped ball, box or transplanted tree’s rootball.
Gather a shovel, measuring tape, root-guard fabric, PVC pipe and cap, a garden trowel, pea gravel, and gloves, and follow these steps:
Digging a Tree-Planting Hole
Measure the rootball’s height from the soil’s surface to its base and the diameter across the rootball. The depth of the planting hole should be the same as the rootball’s height. The hole’s width should be 2–4 in. (50–100 mm) wider than the rootball’s diameter.
Dig the planting hole, reserving excavated soil at a spot at least 3 ft. (90 cm) away from the hole’s edge. You’ll need full access to the tree later, when you straighten and position the tree.
If the planting location is near a paved path, driveway, or structure, install non-woven barrier fabric or sheet plastic root guards to block surface roots from lifting the pavement.
In arid climates, regions with dry seasons, or sites with sandy, fast-draining soils, install a deep-watering tube. Place it at the edge of the planting hole. Block its end with a PVC cap, line it with porous, non-woven landscape fabric to block roots, and fill it with gravel.