Web Site Guide: [Home] |
|
Transplanting Landscape Trees- Planting Depth: Planting depth is probably the most common error made when transplanting trees. Our experiences and observations indicate that trees are frequently planted too deeply into the ground. Detailed Transplanting of a small tree. Video Vignette (See it live!)
This may occur at the nursery during planting or the soil may build up because of cultivation practices. In this case the trunk flare will not be visible at the surface of the root mass.
Be sure to excavate the soil to find the trunk flare before transplanting otherwise the buried trunk may develop suckers. This concern holds true for containerized trees as well. If a tree has been planted too deeply you may be able to see space around the trunk where it has ‘wiggled’ in the breeze. Remove the upper portion of the potting mix until the trunk flare is exposed.
A visible trunk flare is the proper level for the transplant depth.
Good Planting Techniques Three relatively new guideline are suggested for planting trees: 1. The hole should be NO DEEPER THAN the root ball, 2. The hole should be three to four times WIDER than the root ball, and 3. Mulch should cover the ENTIRE planting hole, but NOT be piled onto the trunk of the tree. Contrary to popular belief, the
burlap material should be removed
because it may not dissolve below ground. The best suggestion is to remove all of the burlap. But at
the least the top third of the burlap should be cut off to allow new
roots to grow unobstructed.
(See Mulching & Staking for more detail on these subjects). Example: Young Red Maple- Video Vignette (see it live!)As we were walking by this recently planted red maple, we could not see the trunk flare. It took just a short period of time to excavate the soil with a hand trowel to expose the trunk flare, which was about four inches below soil grade. Apparently the tree had been planted using a backhoe to dig the hole, and the tree was planted too deeply. Use the handle of a shovel or a piece of lumber to span the hole and determine the soil grade. The trunk flare should not be below this grade when transplanting is completed. Please refer to Figure 3-2c (scroll about half way down the page) to see this tree and the excavated trunk flare four years later. Example: Mature Red Maple- Video Vignette (see it live!)This maple did not have a visible trunk flare. We began to excavate the soil and immediately found two large girdling roots restricting the trunk growth. We used hammer and chisel to cut away the girdling roots and then continued our excavation, only to find more girdling roots at deeper levels. By the time we were ten inches deep, we still had not found the root flare. But the trunk was so narrow at that depth that we determined the tree to be a hazard because it was adjacent to a sidewalk on the main quad of a university. The tree was removed immediately. | ... |
Purpose Right Tree / Right Place Selecting Trees Transplanting Trees Mulching & Staking Summary Diagram Pruning Trees Topping Hurts! Protecting Trees Tree Root Myths Pine Bark Beetles Live Christmas Trees Glossary List of Figures List of Video Vignettes Related Links Bibliography
TLCforTrees.info is maintained by: Douglas Airhart, Ph.D. Certified Arborist & Jeff Plant, Ph.D, Last Updated on: 07/11/03 |