Tis the season when lots of people drag a real tree into their
house and decorate it. Some people buy live trees that are
balled in burlap instead of a cut tree. A live tree is a great
idea, but many people make serious mistakes when it comes to
handling a live tree, and they end up losing their money. The
information in this article also pertains to any live tree you
are planting, be it now during the winter, or during the summer.
1. Before you even take the tree in the house, dig a hole for
the tree where you expect to plant it after the holidays. Put
the soil in a wheelbarrow and park it in the garage. You'll
need loose soil to back fill the hole, and the ground might be
frozen after the holidays.
2. Keep your live tree in the house for as short a time as is
possible.
3. Keep the ball plenty moist while in the house, but not in a
tub full of water. You don't want the ball to dry out
completely, but by the same token it shouldn't be soggy all the
time either. Just moist. You can wet it thoroughly, but then
don't water again until the water is almost gone.
4. After Christmas move the tree outdoors as soon as possible
and plant it immediately. If you were not able to dig the hole
earlier, the ground is frozen, and the tree can not be planted,
leave it outside and pack bags of leaves or bales of straw
around the ball. Find a way to heal
it in in such a way that the amount of sun and wind the root
ball receives is minimal.
5. Try and plant the tree immediately if you can. You do not
want to store the tree on top of the ground during the winter
if you can avoid it. Putting in your garage is not a good idea
either, it is likely to dry out in there. The absolute best
place for the ball is in the ground, even if the ground has
frozen after you dug the hole. Just set the tree in the hole
and back fill with loose soil. Make sure there are no air
pockets around the ball. Back fill only with small particles
of soil. If this can not be done because the soil is frozen,
just set the tree in the hole and back fill as soon as the
weather permits.
6. Check the ball for nylon string. Cut and remove any nylon
string. Sometimes the diggers wrap the string around the stem
of the tree. If the string is a cotton type, like sisal twine
you can leave it on the ball but remove it from the stem. If
the burlap is nylon it should be cut in many places or
removed. If the ball is wrapped with a wire basket I recommend
leaving it on. It will help to secure the tree and keep it
from rocking back and forth with the wind. The roots will find
their way through the wire and the burlap. Just cut the burlap
where you can.
7. Do not plant the tree too deep. This is the number one
reason for plants that do not survive. They should not be
planted any deeper than they were in the nursery. The top of
the ball should be one to two inches above the ground level.
If you have heavy, wet, clay soil, you should
plant it even higher and build a bed up around the ball. When
you plant them too deep the plants literally suffocate.
8. Do not fertilize the tree at the time of planting. You can
fertilize it in the spring, but only with an organic
fertilizer. If you have compost available, mix some in while
planting. Fertilizer can do more harm than it can good. I
always recommend organic fertilizers. It's hard to make a
mistake with organics.
It's always a good idea to stake trees when you plant them. If
the wind is constantly rocking them back and forth they will
have a difficult time establishing new roots in their new home.
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About The Author
If you have questions for Mike McGroarty visit his website,
http://www.freeplants.com and post them on the message board
where you can learn lots of gardening tips and communicate with
other gardeners. While at his website you can learn how to
start your own profitable backyard nursery. If you would like
a copy of Mike's booklet, "The Secret of Growing Landscape
Plants from Scratch", send .00 to: Garden Secrets, P.O. Box
338, Perry, Ohio 44081
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