Tree and Bush Planting
Planting a tree/bush should be a process that includes more than just digging a hole, sticking a tree/bush in the hole and placing dirt over the root ball. The tree/bush planting process can affect whether the tree/bush will be a healthy addition to your landscape or if it will have issues that will be costly and/or impossible to correct in the future. If you are looking for someone to properly plant a tree/bush for you, please contact us to discuss your planting needs. Please take a moment to read the information below to see how we approach the tree planting process (most of the information below also relates to the bush planting process).
Our Tree Planting Process
We begin the tree planting process with a free consultation. We’ll discuss what types of trees would be best for the desired planting site and/or what area in the yard would be best for the type of tree that is going to be planted. There are many things to consider when selecting the right planting site. Our experience with the long-term care of trees helps us provide our customers with valuable insight regarding how trees will affect the landscape both immediately and in the future. We will also discuss the best time to plant the tree and what is involved in caring for the tree after it has been planted.
After the type of tree has been chosen and the location has been picked, we will verify that there aren’t any issues with below ground utilities. In most cases we will pick up the tree and deliver it to the customer’s property. Some customers want to pick out there own tree at the nursery, which is okay, but we recommend that we pick out the tree so that we can find a tree that is healthy and well structured.
When we arrive to plant the tree, we will begin by grinding any stumps/roots that are in the way. Then we will dig a hole that is wider than the tree’s root ball, so we have plenty of room to work and we are able to properly backfill the area around the root ball. Next, we will place the tree in the hole to determine if the hole has been dug to the proper depth and adjust the depth if needed based on several factors. After that we will remove all of the synthetic materials (burlap, metal, plastic, etc.), remove any visible defective roots and properly backfill the hole with the dirt that came out of the hole (it’s not good for the tree’s root system to backfill with different dirt or topsoil). Once the area around the root ball has been backfilled, we will properly mulch around the tree with triple ground/processed or better mulch. Properly mulching around a freshly planted tree is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to improve the tree’s health. However, if applied incorrectly, mulch can have a negative impact on the tree’s health and can even lead to the death of the tree. The recommended minimum area of mulch around a freshly planted tree is 6 feet wide. The mulch should be no more then a couple of inches thick and should be kept a minimum of 4 inches away from the trunk.
Pruning should only be done at the time of planting under certain circumstances, but we may need to prune the tree to improve its structure and/or health. After the tree has been planted, we provide our customers with a packet of information and products to help them care for the tree. A couple of years after we plant a tree, we follow up with our customers to evaluate its health and to make pruning recommendations. Regularly pruning a tree while it’s young will make it structurally stronger, more visually appealing and it will have a better chance of surviving to maturity.
