In this video, This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shows the proper way to plant a tree.
How to plant a tree
Before You Dig: A few days before starting work, call 811 to make sure no utility lines are buried at the job site. Tossing excavated soil onto a tarp or into a wheelbarrow makes backfilling easier and protects your lawn.
- Measure width of tree’s root ball; multiply times three to calculate tree-hole diameter.
- Mark the tree-hole diameter onto the ground with line-marking spray paint.
- Use shovel to remove grass from marked circle; place grass on tarp and add to compost.
- Measure height of root ball up to the root flare.
- Dig hole depth to equal height to root flare.
- Stretch taut string across hole and measure down to check hole depth.
- Roll the tree into the hole.
- Cut twine from branches.
- Rotate tree with best side facing the street.
- Use bolt cutters to remove the wire basket from the root ball.
- Pull the burlap away from the root ball.
- Add superphosphate and starter fertilizer to the hole.
- Back fill around root ball with excavated topsoil.
- Force garden hose deep into hole and fill hole with water.
- Water tree every day for the first week, twice a week for the second week, and then once a week every week until the ground freezes.
Slow-Release Watering: After the initial soaking, consider using slow-release watering bags around the base of the trunk. These special bags hold water and let it seep out gradually, ensuring consistent moisture reaches the roots without requiring you to stand over the tree with a hose.
