How To Plant A Tree

If you're a homeowner, you're probably always on the lookout for ways to improve your landscaping, and for this reason it is important to know how to plant a tree. Trees add to the beauty of your home and, when fully grown, can benefit your home in practical ways. A leafy tree in the summer will provide shade for your house, thus reducing cooling costs, and attractive trees can increase the property value as well.

So how do you plant a tree? A lot of people make the mistake of just digging a hole and sticking the tree in it. The truth is that trees need some careful attention from you to ensure that they will grow into maturity. Don't want your trees to die before you have a chance to enjoy them? Then keep reading to learn how to successfully plant a tree.

Tools that you will need:

• Shovel
• Pick
• Pitchfork (optional but handy)
• Hose

1. First, choose an appropriate season for planting. For most of the United States, that means the spring and fall. If you live in a warm climate, then it is possible to plant during the winter, but spring and fall are still a better bet. Plant after the leaves have fallen in the fall, or before buds have emerged in the spring.
2. Dig a hole, but not just any hole. Make a round hole that is just deep enough to cover the soil that the tree originally grew in. If the whole is too deep or too shallow, your tree won't be able to properly take root. Also, the center of the whole should be slightly elevated, and the edges should be slightly lower; this shape allows the roots to get a head start on dropping down and out from the center of the tree.
3. Loosen the soil around the hole. This is especially important if you have a high level of clay in your soil. Jabbing the pitchfork into the edges of the hole will make it easier for the tree to send its roots out.
4. Place the tree in the hole and cover the roots. Pack soil over the whole hole, and compress it gently but firmly. Compressing the soil gives your new tree a firm foundation and support, but too much compression will make it more difficult for the tree to grow. Make sure the tree is straight at this point.
5. Mulch around the trunk. Aim for one to two inches of mulch. Leave a gap of two inches around the base the the trunk.
6. Water your new tree. Moisten but don't soak the soil. Overwatering will cause the tree's leaves to yellow and fall. Water once a week (unless it rains) or more frequently in hot weather. Once your tree is established, you'll only need to water it in extremely dry conditions.

That's it! Planting trees around your home will greatly add to the overall beauty of your property.