While the summer growing season is winding down, planting season for trees and shrubs is ramping up. While this may seem a bit counter-intuitive, here’s why fall is the best time to plant a tree or shrub. 

When we plant trees and shrubs in the fall, they have all fall, winter, and spring to establish a good root system that will better prepare them for the summer heat. So, let’s talk about the best practices on how to plant some trees or shrubs in our landscapes. 

If you are thinking of adding or replacing a tree, the first thing you are going to have to do is decide what kind of tree you want to plant. My guess is that you probably already know what kind of a tree you want because you have admired that kind of tree for years. But if you don’t know what kind you should plant, we have a good tree guide on our website. Just go to www.tulsamastergardeners.org, click on Lawn and Garden Help and then Trees. You’ll find a couple of different guides to help you select the tree you want. Be sure to pay attention to the predicted full-growth size of a tree when selecting because those little ones you purchase are going to grow and have the potential to cause some issues in your lawn if you select a tree that will get too big for your location. 

Trees can be purchased in three different ways; bare root, container grown, and what is called balled and burlaped. If you shop for a tree online, they are likely going to be offering bare root trees. Rather than plant a bare root tree in the fall, these should be planted between mid-February and mid-April. If you go tree shopping now at your favorite local nursery, you will predominantly find container grown as well as balled and burlaped trees for sale. 

Container grown trees are trees that have spent their entire life in the container and come with a well-established root system within the container. However, sometimes you are going to find a balled and burlaped tree in a container, so be sure to check or ask someone at the garden center. 

Balled and burlaped trees are going to be the larger options at the nursery. These trees have spent their life planted in the ground and are dug up with special equipment. They are called balled and burlaped because once the root ball is removed from the ground it is covered in burlap to help keep the remaining roots covered in soil. Because of this, balled and burlaped trees need additional time to re-establish a root system sufficient to support the life of the tree. This underscores the reason for fall planting. 

Once you make your selection and get your new tree home, you’re going to need to get it planted. For better or worse, you are going to need to dig a hole. While it might be tempting to look at the size of the container or the root ball and think that is the size of hole you need to dig, you’ll actually need to dig a hole about 3 times as wide as the root ball. We do this so that when this newly planted tree starts to reach out with tiny little roots, they won’t encounter hard, compacted soil. Digging a hole of a larger sizes helps put the tree in a better position for success. 

While you need to dig the hole about 3 times wider than the root ball, you want the depth of the hole to be a little less deep than the height of the root ball. We don’t dig deeper than that because we want the tree to have a good solid base to rest upon and to minimize settling. If you are planting a balled and burlaped tree, you need to remove the burlap from around the plant before planting, trying to keep as must of the soil around the roots in place. 

Once you have your hole dug and the tree resting securely in the hole, it’s time to back fill the hole with soil. Be sure to fill with the soil that came out of the hole. There’s no need to amend the soil where you are planting because you want the tree to get used to the soil where it was planted rather that some hyper-nutrient rich fill soil. Basically, they need to acclimate to their new home. 

After you have the hole filled back in, it’s good to cover the area with a layer of mulch. This will not only help minimize weeds but will also help the soil retain moisture. Be sure to keep the mulch away from the tree trunk because mulch up against the trunk creates a perfect environment for the development of disease. Now you can give the tree a good drink of water. 

Depending on the size of the tree and its location, you might need to stake the tree. To stake a tree, drive 2 to 3 stakes in the ground a couple of feet from the tree. Secure the tree to the stakes with some type of guide wire. Covering the guide wire that touches the tree with a piece of old hose or something like that will keep it from digging into the tree. Also, attach it to the tree loosely, so as not to restrict growth. You want it to support the tree but not choke it.

The most important thing after that is you will need to keep the tree hydrated. Your tree is going to need about an inch of water a week during the fall and winter. If nature doesn’t supply this, you will need to supplement with your hose. 

The process for planting a shrub is pretty much the same, just not on such a large scale.

If you follow these steps, you are giving you tree not only it’s best chance for success, but you’ll be well on your way to having a healthy tree in your landscape for years to come. Good luck.

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org. Graphic: OSU