HOME THE DIRT
72 | April 2019
3
BARE ROOT
The most affordable
option, these
dormant trees come
with moist packing
material around their
roots. Just before
planting, swish roots
in a slurry of soil and
water. Dig a hole
as deep and wide
as the longest
roots, mound soil
in center, and spread
roots down the
mound sides. Fill the
hole, patting firmly to
avoid air pockets and
making sure all the
trunk is above soil. n2
CONTAINER-
GROWN
To plant a tree
grown in a nursery
container, dig a hole
the same depth as
the soil in the pot
and twice as wide.
If the tree is root-
bound, poke a knife
into any circling,
matted roots to
separate them. Plant
so the root flare
(at the base of the
trunk) is uncovered
with no bark beneath
the soil.1
BALLED AND
BURLAPPED
These trees come
with a fragile root ball
still in its growing soil
wrapped in burlap.
Balled-and-burlapped
trees are more diffi cult
to plant because
they’re heavy and
you want to prevent
soil from breaking off ,
which would expose
their vulnerable roots
to air. The trick to
planting them right
on the fi rst try:n (^) DIG THE HOLE
Measure the root ball.
Dig a hole that is as
deep as the root ball
height and twice as
wide. To check depth,
lay a stick across the
hole, right, and
measure the distance
to the bottom.
n (^) ENSURE THE
RIGHT DEPTH
Measuring is important
but not foolproof. To
prevent planting too
deeply, set sod
clumps in the
hole. Pull them
out from under
the ball to lower
it as needed.
Once positioned,
cut and fold back
some of the ball’s
burlap, twine, and, if
present, wire cage.
[BARBARA’S PLANTING TIPS]
Nurseries sell trees threeways. Each calls for a slightlydiff erent planting technique.Simply hover your
smartphone camera
over this smart code
to watch our video
on easy perennials
to grow in the shade.