I began my career as a horticulturist in the late 1980’s, it wasn’t intentional, it just kind of happened. In the 90’s I left the dirt and got into the trees and by the 2000’s I moved into education. During that time I had become involved in an American based organisation (the International Society of Arboriculture) and I started travelling to the USA two or three times a year. One of the many projects they were working on was the development of planting specifications. I had been planting trees and shrubs for over 20 years and I didn’t realise that poor planting was such a problem – but clearly, it was then and it seems that it still is.

There is no secret to good planting, just find the root-flair, plant to the root-flair, tease and water. Get it right and life is easy, get it wrong and the problem persists. Three, five, fifteen years later, poor planting doesn’t get better, if you get it wrong at the start you have set a train wreck into motion – there will be only one outcome.

So, how to plant trees and shrubs?

For starters, do less – or more so, don’t do more.

A quality product starts at the nursery.

1. Find a good nursery and use quality plants.

When it comes to plant selection, before you buy or plant it:

1. Remove all stakes or ties* – if the plant can’t support its own weight then it’s not got much hope in the real world (put it back and get another one)
2. The root-flair should be visible (the root-flair being the transition between roots and trunk/stem). Gently scrape the potting mix away from the base of the trunk – the first root(s) should be sitting just under the surface (if you can’t see them, something bad or slack has occurred, put the plant back and get another one)
3. With the plant on the ground give it a wiggle – if the bag moves in time with your movement, the plant is probably root-bound (put it back and get another one)
4. With the plant on the ground give it a wiggle – if haft the soil in the bag moves in time with your movement, the plant has probably just been re-potted (this is not necessarily a bad thing, but it will affect how you transport the plant and how you get the plant out of the bag at planting – extra care is required)

When you transport your plants from the nursery to site, don’t chuck them on the back of the ute or on an open trailer. Cover them up – protect them from the wind.

When it comes to planting:

1. Dig a hole wider than deep (roots grow out, not down). The planting hole only needs to be as deep as the bag the plant came in, but it should be two or three times as wide.
2. Don’t mix in or introduced new soil (your plant has to survive in the soil that is around it – don’t give it false hope)
3. Don’t add fertiliser into the planting hole (you’ll probably kill the roots)
4. I don’t bother with ‘slow release’ tablets, but if you must, don’t put them in the bottom of the hole (roots grow out, not down).

Once the hold is dug, genteelly remove the plant from the planter bag (or pot) – do this as close as practical to the hole.  Then:

1. Place the plant in the hole, so it is vertical and orientated correctly. Check that the hole is at the correct depth – i.e. once the hole is back-filled the root-flair will end up at or just above the finished soil level
2. With the plant in the hole – tease the roots, don’t be brutal but don’t be afraid to cut or bend them, separate them and/or move them about so none are circling (dizzy roots kill trees)
3. Put the original soil back in the hole and firm it down – don’t stomp or force it into the hole
4. Check to make sure that the root-flair is at or just above the finished soil level – if the plant is sitting too high then replant it, if it is sitting too deep, then replant it.

If you have to stake your plant, then do it to keep the root-ball in place:

1. Stake it low and make sure the top third if not two-thirds of the plant can move about in the wind (it is this movement that causes roots to grow)
2. Position the stakes outside of the root-ball then drive them in (making sure you don’t damage the foliage in the process)
3. Only use natural-fibre webbing ties (they’ll rot off when you forget to remove them) Consider using 3 stakes to reduce the chances of mower damage/access
4. Mulch it to beyond the edges of the planting hole – even further if it is not in a garden bed
5. Water it – even if it’s winter, even it’s raining. Water your newly planted plant in

When it comes to aftercare, remember that the bigger the plant is the greater its needs will be – sometimes smaller plants can establish faster and may well grow to fill the gap quicker than larger plantings. Think in terms of growing seasons, at least two and more if you can. The key to aftercare is water – too much and you will kill it, not enough and you will have wasted your time and effort. Water is key.  

There is no secret to planting; simply identify the root-flair, plant to the root-flair, tease the roots (remembering that roots grow out, not down) then water you plant.

* do not go about removing stakes and/or ties in the nursery without asking permission first

Further information on planting including details and specifications can be found at:  https://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/details-planting.shtml   Many thanks to the Urban Tree Foundation, Ed Gilman, and the University of Florida

• Written for NZ Landscaper Magazine