Fall is a great time to plant trees and shrubs
Many years ago there was a green industry campaign called “Fall is for Planting.” This was to help promote sales in garden centers in the fall but also to let people know that you can plant in the fall.
The campaign was primarily focused on planting trees and shrubs and it still holds true today. Fall is an excellent time to plant woody ornamentals and evergreens if you follow a few simple guidelines.
As long as you can dig the soil, you can plant trees and shrubs. However, and this is critical for success, they must be watered after planting.
If it’s dry when you plant, be sure to thoroughly water the root ball and surrounding soil. This promotes root growth and helps to ensure survival.
When planting trees, dig the hole just the depth of the root ball. Be sure that the root flare, the part of the plant where the trunk transitions into roots, is just at or slightly above ground level. This means that you might have to do a little excavating of soil to determine the location of the root flare.
When planting a ball and burlapped tree that is in a wire basket, be sure to remove the top portion of the wire basket AFTER the tree is in the ground. Do not remove it before or you risk damaging the root ball and the integrity of the trunk.
Some sources say use wire cutters but in the past, I have had to use bolt cutters to cut the basket. You don’t have to remove it entirely, just within the top 12 inches of the root ball.
Experience has shown that these wire baskets don’t always break down and rust away. The result is a root that can be girdled by the wire. Since roots grow in the top part of the soil, removing the wire below this area decreases the potential for girdling roots.
If it’s balled and burlapped with no basket, remove the top portion of the burlap and any strings to below the 12-inch soil depth as well. The burlap used is synthetic and doesn’t necessarily break down.
The ropes and burlap can also be a potential for girdling the trunk of the tree.
If the plant is in a container, once again locate the root flare and dig the hole to the depth of the root flare. Because they are growing in a container, the roots tend to grow around the root ball and need to be loosened up so that they grow out instead of continuing the circular path.
Loosening can be done either by hand or by cutting four to five slices down the sides of the root system.
If you are not sure about proper planting of trees and shrubs, contact your local Ohio State University County Extension office for directions.