Wicked planting

I bet builders hate home-renovation shows. They must cringe as DIY celebrities Buff and Fluff [skills not included] randomly wave power tools around with seeming disregard to the rules and regulations that professionals must comply with. I also cringe at home-renovation shows. My issue comes not from Buff and Fluff [taste optional] creating indoor-outdoor toilet spaces that appear bigger through the use of mirrors or hitting ceiling beams with a chain to give them a distressed look – no, my issue comes when Buff and Fluff go into the garden. I become distressed when Buff or Fluff plant plants – or more so set plants out to die at a later date.

Recently I was asked to visit a site to work out why the trees were dying. In my experience determining the reason for plant death is either easy or stupidly complicated, there doesn’t seem to be an in-between ground. You turn up on site and there is a neon sign flashing ‘reason’, ‘reason’, ‘reason’ or there is a list of variables spanning an ill-defined timeline involving tree species that you’re not seen before.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister (Jacinda Ardern) has referred to these types of situations as ‘wicked problems’. Admittedly she was talking about world peace and global poverty – but let’s not define the situation too specifically. According to Jacinda, a wicked problem is a problem that is difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognise. I do like a good wicked problem, but this was a neon-sign situation; my plants had been killed at the time of planting, it just took a few years for them to die.

This particular site had a hint of complexity, it was a little bit wicked before the neon switch was thrown. The property was a show home; the first house on the estate, the vision of the developer, the skill of the builder – an example of potential and possibilities. In creating the illusion, the developer had removed the top-soil and the builders planted to generic planting plan designed for a non-specific site in an environment far, far away, yet the garden was green – too green.

Yes, the plants had been killed at the time of planting, but before they died the house was sold, and the owner had taken advice from DIY garden celebrities Stock and Sturdy [no horticultural knowledge required]. On Stock and Sturdy’s advice and winning smile, the owner had purchased every weed killing, plant boosting, moss removing, window cleaning hose attachment that was on offer and applied them in the similar way that a three-year-old child applies paint; thick, mixed, random and only to the bits they can reach.

In the end, it was not how but who actually killed the plants that was the wicked problem. If I were to apportion blame, I’d say that death was a collective effort, Buff, Fluff, the Developer, the Builders, Stock, Sturdy and the Owner all had a hand in it…

But back to the root of the problem – what happened and how hard is it to plant a plant?

The plants were planted too deep, except for the ones that were planted too shallow. And they were planted into clay. By planting too deep, soil covered the base of the trunk and within a few short years collar-rot set in; the trees were effectively ring-barked and died. The clay soil had drainage issues, the planting holes effectively became water collecting pits – little swimming pools for each plant to die in, and die they did. For plants in the deeper pools, death was quick – they drowned. For plants in the shallow pools root-rot set in, the tops of the trees started to die, plant growth slowed, root-rot sped up – death wasn’t pretty. And for the plants that were not planted too deep or too shallow? I suspect they will die at a later date. The clay planting holes have become clay pots, or clay coffins if you like, the trees will eventually become root bound, stunted (due root restriction) and die; except for the ones that don’t blow over first because they’ve not been able to set down structural roots. Death will get them in the end!

So, what should have they done?

• Dig a shallow, broad planting hole. Holes should be 2-3 times wider than the root ball, but only as deep as the root ball.
• Remove the bag or container. Inspect root ball for circling roots or densely matted roots (straighten, cut, or remove them – don’t be afraid to tease them out a bit)
• Identify the trunk flare. The trunk flare is where the trunk expands at the base of the tree, just before the roots appear.
• Place the tree in the hole. Making sure trunk flare will sit partially above the finished soil level.
• Straighten the tree in the hole. Before backfilling, have someone view the tree from several directions to confirm it is straight.
• Fill the hole gently, but firmly using the same soil taken from the hole. Pack soil around the base of the root ball to stabilize it. Fill the remainder of the hole, firmly packing the soil to eliminate air pockets. Avoid fertilisation at the time of planting
• Stake the tree, if necessary. Studies have shown that trees establish more quickly and develop stronger trunk and root systems if they are not staked at the time of planting.
• Mulch over the planting hole. Mulch is organic matter spread around the base of a tree to hold moisture and reduce grass and weed competition.
• Water the tree

Done.

A really good resource for planting and more can be found at the ISA’s ‘trees are good‘ site –  well worth the click

• Written for NZ Landscaper Magazine