Often people who buy a new house from Hartz Homes are excited to add to the beauty of their new home with a few landscaping touches. Planting a tree or two is a common way they achieve this. If you, too, are considering planting a tree, here are 7 straightforward steps to help you.
- Dig a hole 3 to 4 times wider than the container, and roughly as deep as the container. Note, before digging, call 811 to check for underground utilities.
- Carefully remove the tree from the container keeping the soil around the roots intact. Never pick up a tree by the trunk — this can damage the tree. It helps to tap the outside of the container to loosen the edge. Carefully slide the tree from the container. Don’t yank the tree out of the container as this can separate the roots from the tree. To encourage root growth, tease the outer roots from the soil. If the roots are tightly matted, use a knife to score the root mass in several places and gently loosen the root ball. This won’t harm the plant and will encourage new root growth.
- Planting too deep is the top reason that trees and shrubs die. Follow these simple steps to ensure the correct planting depth. Double-check that the hole has the correct depth by temporarily placing the container with the tree in the middle of the hole. If the root collar sits below the top of the hole, compact some soil under the tree so that the root flare at the base of the trunk is slightly above ground level. Using some soil, secure the tree in a straight position, then fill and firmly pack the hole with the original soil, making sure there aren’t any air pockets. Keep backfilling until the soil is just below the root collar. If you’re planting on a slope, level the planting area to keep all the roots at the correct depth. Don’t allow the root system to dry out before or during planting.
- Add backfill soil to your planting hole until it comes about halfway up the root ball. Use your foot or hands to firm the soil and eliminate air pockets. Make sure the trunk is vertical and confirm that the trunk flare will sit slight above soil grade once backfilling is complete. Continue adding backfill and packing it down until you’ve reached the top of the root ball, taking care not to cover the trunk flare. It is not necessary to use fertilizer, potting soil, or chemicals on your newly planted trees. In fact, they can actually be harmful to young trees.
- Construct a 3–4″ high ridge of soil around the outer edge of the planting hole. This berm will create a basin to hold irrigation water and concentrate it over the roots. Use a hose to fill the basin, then allow the water to soak it, repeating several times. Or, let the water run at a trickle for 15 to 30 minutes to ensure that the entire root zone is moist. The goal is to ensure even watering so the soil is drenched and any large air pockets are eliminated.
- Remove any tags and labels from the tree as these will affect the tree as it grows. You may need to prune any broken or dead branches.
- Proper moisture is critical to the survival of your young tree. The roots should never dry out completely, nor should they be waterlogged. The best way to check soil moisture? Use your finger. Dig down 2–4″ just outside the root mass of the plant and water if the soil feels dry. Newly planted shrubs and trees should be checked and watered every other day for the first two weeks. After the first two weeks, limit watering to once a week if less than 1″ of rain falls during the week. Thorough soakings that moisten the soil to the entire depth of the root mass are better than frequent light waterings.
Please check out these new home communities from Hartz Homes:
Armitage Pointe of Addison, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Bella Vista Townhomes of Bolingbrook, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Hibernia of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Lago Vista of Lockport, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Leigh Creek of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Marquis Pointe of Montgomery, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Marywood Meadows of Montgomery, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Nantucket Lakes of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Oliviabrook of Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Park West of Manteno, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Playa Vista of Plainfield, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Sky Harbor of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Whisper Creek of Mokena, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Hartz Homes has new home communities in:
Addison, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Aurora, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Bolingbrook, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Lockport, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
New Lenox (Chicago area new home construction)
Manteno, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Mokena, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Montgomery, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Plainfield, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Oakbrook Terrace (Chicago area new home construction)