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Landscape design and construction

Landscape Design and Construction

Plant Installation

Typically people believe that trees should be planted with miniature volcanoes of mulch, planting the root ball above the soil line while making sure to stake the trees. This is not considered to be a sound horticultural practice.

When planting any plant one needs to evaluate the site conditions; soil type, moisture level of the soil and exposure. Knowing the site conditions will help you determine what plant best suites the conditions and what type of amendments may be required. After location is determined and is the proper space for the plant you can start to dig the hole. Industry standards state the root ball should be placed in a hole twice the size of the root ball. When back filling the soil, it should be done in lifts compacting at each level this allows for proper stability. Properly compacting the soil back into the hole when the tree is placed should alleviate the need for staking unless unusually high wind conditions are present. Keeping the plant at or just above original soil level is a good horticultural practice, this allows for any settling to occur, but if the hole is dug appropriately vary little settling should happen.

Prior to mulching the root ball of the tree, the metal cage of the tree needs to be removed from the top of the root ball along with the burlap and any wire or twine.

Mulch volcanoes, as we call them in the industry, do not increase water retention but can eventually cause rot as the much starts to decay around the trunk. Additional mulch applications, year after year increase the height of the mounds increasing the trees susceptibility to this issue. Mulch should be pulled away from the trunk and be spread out over the root ball equally, this allow for an equal decay rate of the organic material and allows for proper gas exchange between the soil and the air above.

Proper maintenance should be performed at this point to prevent future problems. Corrective prunings, removal of any wire tags and twine that can cause girdling in the future are just some of the small steps that should be taken in order to secure the tree a healthy start in its new home. Remember transplanting any plant will cause stress and any further stresses may harmful to the plant’s future.