Plant Trees
Garden Clippings for October 10, 2020
A ten dollar hole for a five dollar tree.
The weather was superb. Ben and I had a solid breakfast. Larry, the next door neighbour gave us his tractor to borrow. The soil was moist, making digging easy.
The morning began by picking up 21 assorted trees and two yards of triple mix. For the back forty of our deep backyard I chose native trees, including Sugar Maple, White Pine, Tulip Tree, Basswood, Beech, Birch, Kentucky Coffee Tree and Canadian Hemlock.
The biggest job was sod removal. We dug out 21 circles, all 6 ft in diameter. Next, we dug 21 holes within the circles. These holes were not deep, but were twice the width of the containers they were growing in.
I know the value of good soil and good planting so I did a textbook style planting job.
For starters, I waited till October to plant the trees. Cool weather, ample rainfall, with trees beginning to enter their dormant season makes fall the best time to plant trees. Transplanting trees prior to winter months is friendlier than transplanting in spring prior to the hot summer months.
Our soil is sandy which makes digging easy. But the drawback to sandy soil is that it dries out quickly and does not hold nutrients well. The trees were planted so their root ball was an inch or two higher than the adjacent soil. If I had clay soil, I would plant about 4 or 5 inches higher.
We mixed a generous amount of triple mix with existing topsoil to backfill around the trees. Triple mix is a nutrient rich blend of loam topsoil, compost, manure and peat moss. For the first year or two the trees will fare well in good soil before eventually growing into the native sandy soil.
Backfilling was easy, and all we needed to do is ensure the trees were planted reasonably straight.
Once the first tree was planted, we set the garden hose at its base and turned the water on a trickle for about 10 to 15 minutes, giving us time to plant the second tree. The process continued for all 21 trees. While the roots were still soggy, we tamped the soil to get rid of air pockets. Root booster fertilizer was added to build roots and reduce transplant shock.
Next was the fun job of adding mulch. With the use of Larry’s tractor we scooped up well-rotted wood mulch that was chipped up a year ago thanks to 2 Manitoba Maples felled to make room for the driveway. We used about half a cubic yard per tree, allowing us to put down a 4 or 5 inch layer of mulch covering the base of each tree.
I am a firm believer in mulch. Organic wood chips will keep the soil cool, will help retain soil moisture and will keep weeds at bay. Studies have shown that a good layer of mulch will result in trees growing at twice the rate than trees planted in grass. Trees that are planted with a generous layer of mulch will thank you because mulch mimics the forest floor.
By 2 pm, the job was done, tools were put away, and lunch was well-deserved.
