It is January in Louisiana and that means it is an ideal time for planting trees. In fact, in Louisiana Arbor Day is celebrated each year on the third Friday of January. We need to be aware of proper tree planting procedures and we need to avoid some of the some of the common mistakes made in planting, establishment, and follow-up care of trees in our landscapes. Many times poor performance of trees in our residential landscapes, commercial landscapes and municipality plantings can be traced to improper planting techniques.

Here are things to keep in mind when planting trees:

• Planting the root balls at the proper depth. This is at the grade at which they were growing in the container or slightly above this grade. The top of the root ball should be at the same level or slightly higher than the soil grade. Do not cover the lower trunk with soil.
• Planting hole width needs to be considered. The width of the planting hole should be 2-3 times wider than the tree’s root ball. This allows for lateral root development and expansion. Remember that tree roots desire to grow out from the planting hole. The planting hole should be no deeper than the root ball of the tree going into the planting hole. Make the sides of the hole rough instead of smooth – this is especially important in clay type soils.
• Avoid planting root-bound plants. If trees are over-grown in the container, cut the encircling roots enough to encourage outward root growth and prevention of future circling. This even helps when the trees are not necessarily over-grown in the container.
• Mulch properly. Too much mulch or not enough mulch is common. Do not pile mulch around the base of trees. Mulch to a depth of 3-4″. Pine straw, cypress, pine bark and hardwood bark are good mulch materials. Go out with mulch instead of going up with mulch.
• Do not amend the backfill soil. Backfill soil is the soil removed from the planting hole. The current recommendation is to return the soil that came from the planting hole back into the planting hole. Do not amend backfill soil with pine bark, compost or similar materials. A change in the soil texture from the planting hole to the surrounding soil will occur and water from the surrounding soil migrates to the planting hole and saturation of the root system occurs (“soup bowl” effect).
• Water properly. Newly planted trees need to be sufficiently watered-in. This eliminates air pockets in the soil that dry out the root system. Apply water at the edge of the original root ball and outward. Do not apply water next to the main stems.
• Do not prune significantly at planting. The only pruning of shoot growth that should be done at planting is to remove any dead, broken branches, suckers, etc. Leave some branches on the lower part of the trunk for a year or so – this encourages trunk development. Excessive pruning of shoots at planting can also promote additional shoot growth at a time when root growth is desired.
• Soil pH and nutrient content is important. How many of us actually have a soil analysis done prior to planting? Knowing your soil pH is important. A soil test also provides status of other nutrients. If potassium and phosphorus readings are “high” on a soil test fertilizing with 8-24-24 or a similar material probably is not needed but if these values are “low” fertilization would probably be of value.