This is EXCELLENT advice. I planted a tree about 25 years ago whose roots were encircling the trunk and literally strangling it. An arborist advised corrective action to preserve the beautiful, but declining, live oak tree about five years. Believe me, it's much, much cheaper to take corrective action when planting. Also, it's far less traumatic to the tree, though my tree is once again looking great.
I'm guessing you had to dig down and cut radially into some of the root diameter. I'm wondering how I'm going to do it, because a friend of mine didn't do what I instructed, and he just plopped it in the hole. The only good thing is that it was a very resilient Catalpa tree, and those things can grow between garages, and fencing and junk. Can I ask how the problem of encircled roots was remedied?
@@1voluntaryist Don't be an idiot. The question i asked someone else, was about what their arborist suggested to them, on the subject of a poorly prepared planting that was seriously suffering. I know how to plant trees. I have a friend that didn't know about root strangulation, and I asked someone how they fixed their problem, so I could help my friend.
@@MATTINCALI I sometimes buy the clearance trees from Lowes or Walmart, and one was this Catalpa that I gave to a friend, and it's doing well, inspite of it's condition from being in a container from the nursery, and sitting in the store awhile. I told my buddy what to do, but he didn't prepare or trim the overgrown root ball. I guess Catalpa is a forgiving species.
One of the things that my Dad taught me is that once you have dug the hole, 3 x the size of the root ball, and before you put the tree, shrub or plant in the hole, fill it with water, let it drain away and then do this two or three times. That way, the roots stay moist and have access to water for the first few days. We also put a handful of appropriate fertilizer in the bottom of the hole. Using this method, we have NEVER lost a plant and they have always got off to a good start. Even planting in Summer here in Australia.
One thing I might point out is that the soil was very heavy and wet clay. If you have soup like this and add too much water you can get root rot as it won't drain, especially if you don't mound it up. I have clay that is super dense and it's a big issue
Good suggestion. This is the standard advice here in the southwest U.S. since we have a very dry climate. In very wet climates it might not be necessary or beneficial.
The key to digging 3x the root ball is the width, never deeper than the root ball. If you dig deeper, the tree will settle down too deep in the hole. Also it’s never advisable to fertilize any new tree for 1 year after planting unless a soil test shows a deficiency because it can stress the tree even more.
@@mikecurry6847 yeah it works well. i would suggest washing them out away from the hole or else it gets all soupy. also once you are content with how washed out they are, don't be afraid to move the roots around so that they go outward.
I had to do this as a last resort when planting a couple late starts. Aside from washing away the potting mix (which has essential nutrients my newly tilled sandy soil needs), it turned out to be an incredibly efficient way to expose those tight roots. Wish I hadn't waited to the last 4 pack to try that out.
Such a performance, so much work to plant a tiny tree and there was not enough good compost??? To do such a great job I would buy the compost of my own and charge them for it? They didn’t want to spend more money on more compost? Unbelievable.
My mother (may she rest in peace), whenever she bought new plants for the yard, or ones to put in her flowerpots, she'd tell us every time to loosen up the dirt, so that the root would be able to grow into the ground/new dirt in the pot that they were being transplanted into. If she was re-potting them, the new pot's would be at least 3 times larger than the ones the plants were previously in. I always wished I was as good at taking care of plants as she was, but mine never last as long as hers did.
Horticulture is no joke. Even just maintaining a basic veggie garden (effectively) requires you learn about each individual plant: the soil they like, the amount of water, the sun exposure, good to prune them for production. It's alot. Indoor plants are the same. GUARANTEED that if you buy 4-5 plants, and plant them all in same soil, and water all to same degree, at least 1 will be dying within the month 😅 ... but that's fine too! You enjoy what survives : )
I have always laid the tree on its side and gently pound it loose with my fist. The soil ends up falling away and exposing roots for me. Its always worked for me.
101 When you dig a hole put the dirt on a tarp instead of walking on it and killing the grass. You will leave the job clean that way. The root bags can also be removed and reused rather than cut away.
I worked in landscaping, and always kept the site tidy and myself tidy. Would never leave tools lying on the ground . I find it difficult just looking at this mess.🙄 . But he is correct in teasing out the pot bound roots. I'll give him that much 😂👍
@@noelduffey2395 and I bet you are better than everybody else too huh?? Tools laying around? Keeping myself tidy while working? 😂😂 come on dude, stop being fake
Preach man, this problem is pervasive. It’s a self induced tree epidemic. Find the flare is what I tell people. There are hundreds if not thousands of trees planted too deeply in my town and the surrounding towns. It’s not just the girdling roots that kill the tree, it’s the fact that trees breathe through their root collar, and when it’s covered they suffocate. Also, the trunk rots when in contact with soil.
Agreed. It's got to start with growers/nurseries because when they up-pot they just lay more potting mix on top of the grade instead of filling it at the bottom first and when they are ready to sell, plants usually have 2-3 years worth of mix built up at the top. It also doesn't help that there aren't more education about root pruning circling roots. It's ok to cut back a lot of the roots (1/4 to 1/3) via box cut method and not just slices around the root ball. Hardened circling roots will continue to circle even if you slice through it. You gotta cut it way back. It may seem devastating and slower to establish, but it will be healthier in the long run.
@@dkbomb yep exactly what I do, cut off the top 2-3” of the root ball, usually with pruning clips and sometimes even a saw, until you find the root collar and flare. Just gotta be careful to not hurt the root collar.
I think people are going too far in the other direction. I never seen a tree grow in nature with their roots this high up, barely covered by mulch only. My neighbor planted his tree like this last year and it looks like shit with a bunch of die back. Granted I don't know what else he did when planting it, but I've never seen trees grow like this in nature. People are basically planting trees half way in the ground now with just a sprinkle of dirt to cover the roots, that's not how these trees grow naturally.
@@bobbygetsbanned6049 neither extreme is optimal, however if I had to pick one over the other, it would be planting too high because you can easily add soil around the base of the tree, and roots naturally grow downwards. In heavy wet clay it’s recommended you plant high, because of moisture and lack of oxygen. “Plant too low and it’ll die slow, plant too high and it might dry, plant just right and watch it take flght.”
excellent video. I've planted about 60 fruit/nut trees in southern Arizona and have had so many arguments with people about whether or not to amend the soil around the root ball. Our soil is compacted and devoid of organic matter so its hydrophobic, but also fast draining. Adding some manure and compost to the soil has made a huge difference in the results I've seen so far.
I've got dense, heavy clay & have also worked with sandy soil too. I make slash & burn pits the year before I plant trees, direct ground sowing or raised beds to condition the soil to hold onto nutrients with bio-char. David the Good's channel shows & talks about this more in-depth, especially since he's growing in sandy conditions like yours.
Im in AZ and planted two orange trees from my local nursery. They advised me to dig the hole 2-3x bigger than the root ball and then amending that soil 50/50 with the natural soil and a mulch mixture. So far so good for me
I learned the folly of buying saplings 50 years ago from a good friend who owned a nursery he sold when he learned trees grow BEST from seed planted directly in their permanent home. Also, he shielded the sprout with a clear mylar cone, hole at the top, watered once. The seed caught up with a 3-year nursery tree in one year. And no root to untangle, no special hole, no fertilizer. I add heavy wood mulch to avoid bare ground eco-system, hold in moisture, encourage fungi. Some trees have tap roots, some trees have roots that grow laterally, spreading out near the surface. This calls for watering that meets their uniqueness.
Many fruit trees do not grow true to seed. Grafting is needed and grafting needs to be done by a professional. You can learn it by yourself but start learning while you're still young because grafting is a slow process and mistakes take a long time to iron out.
I like to auger out a two foot deep by one foot wide hole. Then use half compost,half black soil to fill in the bottom half. With any conifer,since I am out on the prairie loam clay soil,I add gallon of iron Swarf (cuttings from a lathe or milling machine) from my Machinist friend and two gallons ash to the hole mix. The spruce trees in my yard point their branches at the perfect upward angle and are beautiful. The one I didn’t add Iron or Ash to is arthritic looking and lacking the proper posture. You see spruce like that all the time out here. The deep hole allows the roots to penetrate deeper and easier for water. Cheers from Sunny Alberta!
Water is fine instead of air spade. Less shock to tree. Nursery industry should offer discounts to root bound trees. Planting smaller trees that are not root bound is way to go, but is not part of commercial nursery industry. I have planted 3’ trees that were equal to or bigger than 8’ ers after 3 years because they did not shock out.
Landscaping codes require plants to be a certain height at planting. The nursery business will always have to have years old trees to achieve this. They also force trees to stretch by placing the containers close together. If a city is demanding 12-15' trees at planting they would make no money if they stocked whips and 3' container grown trees.
@@rootelation486 They are sold at a certain height because they are much less likely to be damaged by... well, anything. Where I live, all trees are sold at the same height as the one shown in the video, and there is no "landscaping codes".
@slifer0081 we have a ton.....aside from planting for your personal enjoyment, if you are doing a permitted landscape 12' is the smallest tree.....and most shrubs have to be at least 24". I can go buy a 4" container and plant it but if I were having it inspected it would fail. With the number of storms and high winds here, we would be better off planting juvenile plants, but the amount of clearing required for development eliminates too much of the canopy so larger trees have to be planted to replace what was lost without having to wait 20 years. 50% of those container raised tall trees blow over multiple times before they root out so a whole bunch of crooked trees and damaged trees fill our neighborhoods
thanks man i am from a farm orchard and a keen gardener you have confirmed what i always thought going to be much more careful now with roots and planting
I just blast all of the soil away with the hose next to the hole. And I only use the soil that I dug out of the hole to backfill with. I also found that if I have some stubborn soil or mulch that won’t easily come off with the hose will come out if I dip the entire root ball into a large bucket and swish it around. I am essentially planting a bare root tree by the time I’m done.
Good advice to use only the natural soil if possible . The client expressly wanted us to use amended soil in this case, but it’s debatable if it’s better or worse for the tree after planting.
Aww my Granddaddy grew, raised, sold, etc bonsai trees for like 50 years. He had trees that were older than I am. They were all beautiful! He worked so diligently on those trees, pruning, training the roots & branches to go exactly where he wanted them & there really is an art to it! He passed away & i wish so badly I could watch him again and learn from him but I didn’t get into any kind of gardening etc until the last few years but I think I learned more than I thought I did although I was young and didn’t appreciate it much at the time. If I could go back in time……
As a farm kid we learned the way to kill an existing tree was to pile dirt around the base and cover the flare, two years later the tree was dead and we would cut it down, buck it up into pre dried firewood.
Great video. Shows the difference between a “garden center” planting when they just drop a tree into a hole and someone who actually knows what to do and does it right.
I always transplanted trees in the fall,after they have gone dormant for the winter. Way better survival rate when you do. The shock to the trees is very minimal when planting in the fall. Then come spring , the tree can wake up and do its cycle normally.
@@Fiercefighter2 true but planting in spring rather than autumn means the root system isn't as established and therefore nutrient uptake isn't as efficient as if it was planted in the autumn, so I would always plant in autumn, both for this reason and also to reduce shock as the tree (providing it's deciduous) is dormant
@@juliosdiy3206 This is a very late reply sorry, but figs fruit better with restricted roots (similar to Agapanthus flowering). I don't know why this is but I've heard it said many times now
We have heavy, black turf clay. We've learnt to make a tree planting hole 1 metre x 1 metre and square with very sharp corners, this lets the roots fill the planting soil and eventually escape at the corners. Round holes cause the same root ball as being in the nursery bag/pot.
Hole shape doesn't matter. The problem actually starts with the roots themselves. Hardened circling roots will continue to circle because it was trained that way in the pot and now have muscle memory to continue to grow in circles. You have to cut back the roots heavily (20-30%) and not just slices through the outside. The ''box cut root pruning method'' done by a few universities is a good pruning technique to thin out the older and hardened circling roots and allow new feeder roots to grow freely.
hi, are you doing that just because the soil is heavy clay? I'm in France and our soil is heavy in some places, clay-limestone, so I'm wondering if by planting trees in round holes I wasn't wrong??? But roots are strong and I hope they will not get stuck against a clay wall as it happen against plastic contenant :).. Especially is the "wall" is softened by the weekly or monthly watering? You made a point :) so now I'm wondering 🤔
I with my over 50 years of experience disagree about the square hole. There is absolutely no difference in the growth of a tree planted in a square or round hole.
I'm so glad to see this on youtube, it took me a long time to hear this information and I was a landscape gardener for many years before I did. Burying the crown can also cause crown rot. Always check for the crown on potted tree. Nursery's don't always lift and add soil mostly just raise the soil level by throwing dirt on the top
The only thing to put in the tree hole is the tree and the soil that came out of the hole. The tree will be in 99.9% original soil very soon as the roots expand so trying to amend the soil is useless and a waste of money not to mention creating a barrier to root growth as they try to grow out of the amended soil and creating a water filled sump hole when the soil is clay. Never dig deeper than the pot is tall , a bit less is best so the tree wont sink. Turn the replaced soil into mud and jiggle the soil and tree a little (a little got it) to get the soil to settle into the roots. Yes loosen the roots and cut circling roots, blasting with hose can help. Yes mulch , fertilize with water soluble 1 Tbs in 5 gallons , first day 2 buckets after that one bucket after rains or occasionally after watering. Never fertilize after the 4 th of JUly.
Great video. My soil here in Oklahoma looks exactly like that... compacted clay. It seems like the clay would cause problems because it drains so slowly. The hole could fill up with water like a giant bowl. And in the spring, it could rain every other day filling the bowl back up before it could drain. Wouldn't it drown the roots? I thought about getting a trencher and cutting a trench from the hole to downhill somewhere, then back-filling with gravel to give the bowl a place to drain.
I've dug the downhill drain trench, and I think it helped. I have also made the bathtub in clay, but the trees were resistant to drowning, and they were water lovers. I planted a Bald Cypress in a zone 5 or 4, because of elevation in New York state at over 1,100 feet, and it took off and is doing great. I also did this with River Birch and Red Maples, that are a swamp loving tree.
Great visual! Thanks for sharing…..you really explain it well!! I would imagine this holds true for many plants, trees or shrubs that go from container to ground!
If I don't have an air spade can I use water ? How do you select a new tree at the nursery to prevent included bark from happening? Any pruning tips to get a good form with solid branches when the tree is newly planted?
You have some great questions. I have a pruning video up on the channel. Yes you can use water. Not high pressure though just reglar hose water. Included bark is from V-shaped branch unions or codominant stems. Prune to correct those when the tree is young. Check out my other videos for some more tips.
You aren’t wrong but I think there’s massive amounts of water storage in the soil so therefore it’ll drain over time. Whereas the ring of mulch retains dirt and that’s why rot happens. Just a lad that likes plants
These videos from professionals are quite funny They use tools that are not common to public The process is entirely too long for such a simple task I have an orchard Planted with its own soil Never added much but a quick layer of wood chips over the top when planted and trees are growing fine You don’t need an airspade - waste of money and time You don’t need to put down potting mix nor top soil You use the same soil you dug out You can grind the original soil by shovel or hand to break into smaller chunks I would not advise mixing in a different soil THAT will just cause more shock to roots once it finally hits the original soil The broke man’s method proves time after time This is nothing more than paid propaganda from corporate being carried out voluntarily by the enslaved
@@silcarifarm7067He said at the beginning that this was an educational video. I thoroughlly enjoyed that he took his time and actually showed what he was talking about.
@@silcarifarm7067Agreed. “Nutrient rich soil” is a glorified way of saying compost. Trees don’t grow in ground up dead trees, mushrooms do! Grow trees in real dirt (sand/silt/clay). Fertilizer, compost, mulch, it all belongs on the top.
Wish i had known this a month ago. We just planted Eastern Redbud a month ago. It had a 2 inch trunk and the root ball was huge wrapped in burlap. So far it is still doing well.
I love being able to see all the roots in the root ball- so rad! I'm an arborist as well- but I work in a different region with a different type of clay soil. According to ISA materials I was always told that gravel being added to the hole doesn't benefit drainage. Now I heard you say that the gravel was to reduce compaction...I sorta get that, but also I'm in the midwest so I'm not sure if this varies from region to region.
Thanks for checking out our channel. You're right about the gravel when it's piled in the bottom- ISA claims it makes the drainage worse ironically. This is not the same type of gravel as the kind wrongly used for drainage. I don't use this regularly, but the client had bought it and wanted us to use it with every tree. We mixed it in as best we could. In theory it could help prevent cray particles from bonding together as much... but good mulch and organic activity would do the same good with enough time.
Hello, I like your information. Question… I'm have a forest red bud. I'm in So Ca. In the Valley where on rare occasions it can have a light freeze. My tree was planted in summer. It's gotten leggy. Too heavy. It's about 6 feet tall. We're in late November. l've had to brace a couple branches. Too heavy. Cuz so young and leggy. Can I cut it back now?
Bang on concerning root collar and planting depth. If only there was ANSI 60.1 to tell us how we shall plant so us arborists didn’t have to go around Siri g RCE’s amd similar. Curious why you added amendments? I like that you mixed them instead of just filling with them, but couldn’t that still create an interface of desired soil and cause potential girdling in the future?
Useful vid, thanks! I'd be interested in a followup short vid that talks more about the staking at the end of the process. EG, how to attach the wires to the tree without concentrated pressure (from the wires) on the wood. Thx.
Love your video! Leads to another question (in addition to some of the great questions/comments below): What are you thoughts about pruning some of the branches to balance the pruning of the roots? I've been using this method in Western Colorado, and it seems to work well for me in this dry climate.
ISA doesn’t advise it unless they are broken or damaged branches. Reason being root stimulation and growth is affected by plant growth regulators produced in branch tips. Also, more leaves, more food, more energy. Try to wait at least one season after planting.
Nice to hear someone talk about not compacting the soil so the roots have an easy time growing. The air thing kind of blew me away but it looked to me like this tree should have been planted a year or two earlier. {edit} I rewatched and also appreciate his attention to the root flair ("Crown" in my world) and keeping that point level with the existing grade.
why is the tree planted so the root collar is above the level of the ground when in nature, I see trees growing with the root collar level with the ground?
When planting in an area with heavy clay it tends to benefit the tree to be planted high....though this one might need a little more of that amended soil.
What do you think about stomping dirt to make it firm? A famous extension agent wrote a book saying, plants dont need AIR around roots, they need soil... There"s air around every grain of dirt, he said. Well, i started transplanting everything like he said. I water at trandplant time, but that is usually it. I even transplant tiny flowers, using my little finger like a foot, to "stump" dirt in! I planted six 7-8 foot trees like that back in spring, half gal. of water. They had leaves in no time. I expected them to die when we had a mini drought in July, but all six are fine!! Ed Faulkner...he didn't water large tomato transplants, to prove this works. He lay them flat in a trench and stomped dirt on top of them. Didnt even water them for the demonstration. I am convinced this works. Every one of my fancy flowers survived transplant. Now I aim to plant pecan and shellbark hickory trees like this. Nut trees have tap roots, so it probably is harder to get dirt firmly around the tap root to get rid of air. So I plan to use my fist to pound dirt up along the tap root. If anybody else grows nut trees successfully, tell us how!
I already planted my bald cypress 3 weeks ago without cutting or flaring the roots out. I just put the pot soil all together in a hole and buried. Is it a must that I take it back out and cut the roots and cut the packed curved roots out and re-bury???
Newly planted trees and shrubs need continued watering throughout the first year. Obviously you would taper down the watering during winter months, but even then, during periods of time when there hasn’t been adequate rainfall or precipitation, you need to water them. Those fine roots hairs need constant moisture. As a Landscape Designer, I maintain the logic that, we don’t stop drinking water during the winter, and nor do our plants! There’s a saying in the industry, “Sleep, Creep and Leap” which refers to trees and shrubs sleeping the first year as they acclimate, creeping the second year as far as growth goes, and leaping (forward) their third year and beyond. In essence, it takes several years for trees and shrubs to strengthen and establish themselves. Proper planting and water management throughout the first year will ensure beautiful plants for years to come. Great instructional video!
Since we now understand so much more about the importance of fungi in terms of feeding plants… Do you think that’s also a factor. Establishing a good fungal, microbiome, or myco-biome, if you will.
Very good knowledge based video. Man I have heavy clay in area. Usually have to do exactly like you showed 3x or 4x wide hole. I always thought deep was needed as well. Thank you for an awesome post.
When I move a tree I like to stand it up by the bottom, yes and at the same time support the top. It's all about avoiding extremes. Slits with a knife is a good one, as is the airspade trick. It was difficult to tell how much you took off the top of that tree to make it to the flare? How much did you take off? Occasionally I've taken off 6 inches. Much of the time I cut the small fiber roots that are above the flare off prior to digging the hole, then i'm not digging too deep.
this's great! two questions #1 what's your favorite, fastest, most affordable way to wrap those suckers so everything on the planet doesn't try to eat them down to a stump, or ring them, or both #2 can you use an air compressor, the way you got the dirt out of the roots looks like that'd save an insane amount of time and safer for it too. #3 does anyone ever try to ask you to try to 'heal' the ring? some people say its possible as long as there's a quarter left, some say it's not. it's frustrating because once the grass has grown up over it, it's so hard to spot. anyway dealing with a lot of this now . thanks!
I’m not entirely sure I understand your questions. #1: Trees that are healthy have natural defense to pests (most of the time, excluding invasive pests like HWA or EAB). So you shouldn’t have to wrap your trees. #2The air compressor needs to be a diesel powered, tow behind. The kind they use to power jack hammers. Rental companies have them but they may not have an airspade. You can use low pressure water if you cant find an airspade. #3: not sure what you are referring to exactly
Love this. Makes me realize that I planted a couple of our crepe myrtles wrong in the past. They’re healthy, but haven’t grown almost at all compared to when they were planted. And my mom way over-pruned them right after planting.
Crape myrtles are really forgiving plants. I have some that I have been actively trying to CUT DOWN and they just keep coming back, growing several feet PER MONTH. So they're great for making your mistakes when you start out.
Wow! I normally put the root ball in a bucket of water before I plant it, you're lucky your grown is soft as for me I have to brake rock, so far, all 20 trees have served for me.
One question, I planted an apricot tree in March of 2011, but this tree has never fruited. And to make things worse, this January 2024 someone decided that they were going to cut off the grafted part of the apricot tree… and now the tree looks like it has some sort of disease going on… glue like substance is coming out from the branches. Can you please help resolve or restore this tree and so that it will produce fruit and thrive. Thank you!
The “glue” substance is probably gumosis- usually a stress response or sign of injury. When trees are stressed, they are more open to attack from pathogens like fungi, bugs, or bacteria. All of these could cause gumosis. The heavy pruning most certainly contributed to the tee’s stress. As for the never fruiting, there are many possible factors. In theory the tree was old enough to fruit by 2015… but environment and soil could be bad. Also weather conditions that might interfere with the bud formation (late spring frosts) or other conditions during the time of pollination. Fruiting requires energy and essential elements. If the tree doesn’t have good growing conditions, the fruiting will be poor or nonexistent. You might be better off starting over with another tree, and do a soil test beforehand to make sure you pick a tree that can tolerate the soil. Also consider light and space requirements. Tree hardiness, drought resistance, and soil drainage requirements are also important factors that must be considered. Some trees can thrive where others can’t. You are usually limited with the site you have, but there are always options that can work- and sometimes you can amend your site to accommodate a particular tree you want. This is always easier done before planting. Hope this helps!
Interesting planting. I am a pro tree fruit hort and past arborist. Temperate fruit trees respond differently to depth of planting. Most are grafted on rootstocks. Deep planting does not damage these trees as long as the soil is well drained. Trunk planted below soil level will quickly produce roots. If the graft union is below ground, the dwarfing and disease resistance of the rootstock will be lost. For proof, reaserch stoolbed propagation of fruit tree rootstocks
Lol, that gravel in clay soil will just make concrete. It will all bind together anyway & be a problem within the year. Everything else is great. I plant mine on top of a mound of a hardened clumps of clay so the roots have room to grow down initially, then I backfill with mostly clay & some compost + leaves & top it with wood chips to keep the temps & weeds down.
Great video and I have question, I have an Avocado tree in a large container in a tropical environment. Im going transplant the tree and would i do the transplant the same as you have the Cherry tree? I would appreciate and advise on this thank you
Nice video, quick and to the point without wasted time. Thank you!! A quick question, I don't have an air spade so would the next best thing just be a hose with water or do you have other methods?
Put the whole bagged root and the tree on its side and roll gently while standing on the side. It will loosen up the roots and you won't have to cut the perfect bag like he did.
I came looking for this comment because I know I wasn’t the only one wondering the same thing. I would think a pressure washer wouldn’t work as well as a hose because you could use your hand at the same time manipulating the root ball.
Always clear the root flares on your existing trees as well. Never bury the flare with mulch/rocks/soil, etc. And always keep the grass killed back from the trunk so you’re not damaging the bark with mowers and string trimmers.
I just planted 4 trees about that size 2 weeks ago I wish I saw this before just dug oversize holes and mixed soil with potting soil and native fertiliser didn't go deep just wide didn't touch the root ball at all is there any thing I can do now or is too late
Gardeners in my area would just carve out a hole in the clay and stick the tree in it with some organic amendment and call it good. Then in a year or two, the tree ends up well below grade due to soil settling and blown-in mulching. You do good work!
We used it because we had it… low pressure water is fine. Do not use high pressure water. It would tear up the roots bad. High pressure air is much less damaging than water.
I was always taught to keep the original dirt against the roots because there is some bacteria or something that the roots needed, does removing all the dirt like that harm the tree?
I wonder: if the tree isn’t planted perfectly vertically, will it be not quite vertical for the rest of its life? in other words, should care be taken to make sure the tree’s as upright as possible?
Old wood doesn't correct it's direction of growth, so if it's important to you, keep correcting the angle as you water it into the soft settling soil. I have trees that were blown over a little, by heavy winds and I hope the growth will average out, and appear straighter after many years. You can see how trees do this, if you look at boards while doing wood working. The pith, or first years can be all curved, and the later years grow and adjust to support the mass.
Why destroy the planter bag? Those bags are not cheap and that bag looked perfectly reusable. I'm new to this red clay soil and have to wonder if you amend the soil around the tree does that prevent it from sending roots into the clay? Will it treat it's hole like a giant pot and stay within?
I don't know but that's what I have read, don't amend the soil because the tree will treat it like a pot and not want to grow it's roots into the native soil. I don't think that's specific to clay soil either.
It’s much better to use the natural soil or at the very least mix it into the amendments well. The danger of creating a “bowl” is very possible and very bad. More reason to make sure the tree is planted (and the root ball settled) above the soil grade.
In scotland is where i stay. Advice on planting a blossom tree. Why should the hole be 3 x times the size? I planted a tree and the hole was perfect snug fit. Is this wrong and what future damage will this cause??
You want space for the roots to grow into without hard resistance from the surrounding soil. If native soil is heavily compacted, roots will have difficulty expanding through it and may instead turn inward and encircle the tree, causing girdling roots which will be a problem in the future.
Can anyone please help me. So I put 3 ground anchors and 3 ratchet straps to upright a 5 year old maple tree that was recently uprooted last week in a storm. I'm guessing each ratchet strap has about 200 lbs or so of force on the main trunk so at least 600lbs minimum. How long should I keep that setup for without injuring or killing the tree?
Would it not be more sensitive to use water to loosen the root ball than air? Water would allow the roots to stay moist and flexable during the process.
i dont use the airhose i wash the roots out with a normal garden hose trying not to expose them too much because wet roots get sunburnt really quickly. then i just water them really good when they are planted (15 min full flooding) to wash them in. for clay soil add a mix of gravel and compost first so the bottom roots can find nutrients therefore the tree is rooting down faster, if you put the good soil atop like you did it will grow more roots at the top first which is unnecessary. and last build them a framework if they are the size of the tree you planted or a staff if they are smaller and tie them so the roots are not disturbed by wind. the tieups should be from 3 sides and not choke the tree. after 1-3 years the framework can be removed since the roots are now thick enough to hold the tree even in wind. no ties too tight ties are the most common errors i encounter at work. all in all good work. i hope that will help you out growing trees even faster and more consistent. keep it up, god bless you.
It would take many years for the effects of girdling roots to be noticeable. If your trees are recently planted and declining, it likely is a water related issue- either too much or too little. Both are very bad for new trees.
Plants can survive being torn apart quite a lot so long as they are planted in proper conditions after, in fact a little bit of trimming can do a lot for their health.
I just planted 3 fruit trees and didn’t no to leave the collar up, I think they are about an inch under the soil. Should I wait a week or so to clear it to not shock them or dig them out or try to just hand dig around the tree?
On the strength of this comprehensive video, I have just subscribed to your channel. As we all should know, there are right and wrong ways to do ANYTHING and it’s no wonder we see so many dead new tree and bush plantings performed by Joe and Jill Amateur! 😮😢😂
So many people are looking for older trees to plant, when in reality, a tree should be transplanted within just a year or two - the longer it stays in a nursery, the more 'bad habits' they pick up. Its FAR cheaper for us to ship younger trees, as well - a better deal all the way around! My 2 cents .. this customer needs to do a lot of work improving their soil before putting in trees (unless they are redbuds and black locusts .. trees that can manage that heavy soil .. we sell those, too!)
Question: I see so many good live large grown trees torn out of the ground by severe storms. To me they don't look like they were panted deep enough. They all have a shallow wide root ball.
Great question, but it’s a misconception to plant the trees deeper. Uprooting has to do with root injury or rot, or otherwise very compromised soil conditions (like loose soil beside a river bank, or very sandy soil). In clay especially, roots cannot grow deep, because there is no oxygen, so they will grow shallow regardless. Even if you plant them deep, they will circle back and try to find oxygen. It’s a myth that tree roots grow deep underground. Almost all the fine absorbing roots of a tree are in the first few inches of soil. Keep a root system healthy, avoid major root injury (like from construction damage), and you are very unlikely to have a tree uproot in a windstorm. The exception may be the soil is very sandy or otherwised structurally compromised (by a lot of rain, new drainage patterns, etc). Sometimes trees can outgrow their sites. They become too heavy for the soil volume they have to support them.
I saw someone on YT say figs like their roots tight ...almost pot bound. I jad a really hard time with that and spread mine out some when I supported it. Hoping for the best
Notice how the dirt is held compact by the huge network of roots, imagine a mature tree how important is for water retention and anti erosion process especially on slopes.
Where I live, there is a hard pan clay about 18" to 2' down. I dig below it, which none of the commercial planters seem to do. It's hard to get through by hand. I suspect a hydraulic auger could get thru fairly easly. That way the tree can root deep. Most of our trees fall over even after 30 or 40 years because the roots spread wide not deep.
This is EXCELLENT advice. I planted a tree about 25 years ago whose roots were encircling the trunk and literally strangling it. An arborist advised corrective action to preserve the beautiful, but declining, live oak tree about five years. Believe me, it's much, much cheaper to take corrective action when planting. Also, it's far less traumatic to the tree, though my tree is once again looking great.
I'm guessing you had to dig down and cut radially into some of the root diameter.
I'm wondering how I'm going to do it, because a friend of mine didn't do what I instructed, and he just plopped it in the hole.
The only good thing is that it was a very resilient Catalpa tree, and those things can grow between garages, and fencing and junk.
Can I ask how the problem of encircled roots was remedied?
@@richtomlinson7090 The video was dedicated to showing how encircled roots are freed up to save the tree. Try paying attention.
@@1voluntaryist Don't be an idiot.
The question i asked someone else, was about what their arborist suggested to them, on the subject of a poorly prepared planting that was seriously suffering.
I know how to plant trees.
I have a friend that didn't know about root strangulation, and I asked someone how they fixed their problem, so I could help my friend.
@@richtomlinson7090 Plant a seed in the ground for trees, they live way to long to ruin their roots by starting them in a pot
@@MATTINCALI I sometimes buy the clearance trees from Lowes or Walmart, and one was this Catalpa that I gave to a friend, and it's doing well, inspite of it's condition from being in a container from the nursery, and sitting in the store awhile.
I told my buddy what to do, but he didn't prepare or trim the overgrown root ball.
I guess Catalpa is a forgiving species.
One of the things that my Dad taught me is that once you have dug the hole, 3 x the size of the root ball, and before you put the tree, shrub or plant in the hole, fill it with water, let it drain away and then do this two or three times. That way, the roots stay moist and have access to water for the first few days. We also put a handful of appropriate fertilizer in the bottom of the hole. Using this method, we have NEVER lost a plant and they have always got off to a good start. Even planting in Summer here in Australia.
Was thinking the same thing, dozens of trees done the way you’re stating and never had a failure…I feel he was excessive in the root exposure
One thing I might point out is that the soil was very heavy and wet clay. If you have soup like this and add too much water you can get root rot as it won't drain, especially if you don't mound it up. I have clay that is super dense and it's a big issue
Good suggestion. This is the standard advice here in the southwest U.S. since we have a very dry climate. In very wet climates it might not be necessary or beneficial.
The key to digging 3x the root ball is the width, never deeper than the root ball. If you dig deeper, the tree will settle down too deep in the hole. Also it’s never advisable to fertilize any new tree for 1 year after planting unless a soil test shows a deficiency because it can stress the tree even more.
Thank you for this post, Ian 😊
for an of you home owners out there, you can use your garden hose to clean the root ball out. it gives similar results to his airspade just wetter.
Nice tip
I was actually just about to try this with some trees I'm getting ready to plant
@@mikecurry6847 yeah it works well. i would suggest washing them out away from the hole or else it gets all soupy. also once you are content with how washed out they are, don't be afraid to move the roots around so that they go outward.
I had to do this as a last resort when planting a couple late starts. Aside from washing away the potting mix (which has essential nutrients my newly tilled sandy soil needs), it turned out to be an incredibly efficient way to expose those tight roots. Wish I hadn't waited to the last 4 pack to try that out.
Such a performance, so much work to plant a tiny tree and there was not enough good compost??? To do such a great job I would buy the compost of my own and charge them for it? They didn’t want to spend more money on more compost? Unbelievable.
My mother (may she rest in peace), whenever she bought new plants for the yard, or ones to put in her flowerpots, she'd tell us every time to loosen up the dirt, so that the root would be able to grow into the ground/new dirt in the pot that they were being transplanted into. If she was re-potting them, the new pot's would be at least 3 times larger than the ones the plants were previously in.
I always wished I was as good at taking care of plants as she was, but mine never last as long as hers did.
😊
its called being lazy; she told you about that too you just forgot
@@andyarellanoChannel Or, you little prick, it's called having a green thumb. Some people have it, others don't. I don't.
Horticulture is no joke. Even just maintaining a basic veggie garden (effectively) requires you learn about each individual plant: the soil they like, the amount of water, the sun exposure, good to prune them for production.
It's alot.
Indoor plants are the same. GUARANTEED that if you buy 4-5 plants, and plant them all in same soil, and water all to same degree, at least 1 will be dying within the month 😅
... but that's fine too! You enjoy what survives : )
I have always laid the tree on its side and gently pound it loose with my fist. The soil ends up falling away and exposing roots for me. Its always worked for me.
101 When you dig a hole put the dirt on a tarp instead of walking on it and killing the grass. You will leave the job clean that way. The root bags can also be removed and reused rather than cut away.
I worked in landscaping, and always kept the site tidy and myself tidy. Would never leave tools lying on the ground . I find it difficult just looking at this mess.🙄 . But he is correct in teasing out the pot bound roots. I'll give him that much 😂👍
I dislike non native and useless grass patches
@@justbeeeb2061 🤓
@@noelduffey2395 and I bet you are better than everybody else too huh?? Tools laying around? Keeping myself tidy while working? 😂😂 come on dude, stop being fake
@@BlakeGibbons I don't think I understand what you mean by a single emoji
Preach man, this problem is pervasive. It’s a self induced tree epidemic. Find the flare is what I tell people. There are hundreds if not thousands of trees planted too deeply in my town and the surrounding towns. It’s not just the girdling roots that kill the tree, it’s the fact that trees breathe through their root collar, and when it’s covered they suffocate. Also, the trunk rots when in contact with soil.
Agreed. It's got to start with growers/nurseries because when they up-pot they just lay more potting mix on top of the grade instead of filling it at the bottom first and when they are ready to sell, plants usually have 2-3 years worth of mix built up at the top. It also doesn't help that there aren't more education about root pruning circling roots. It's ok to cut back a lot of the roots (1/4 to 1/3) via box cut method and not just slices around the root ball. Hardened circling roots will continue to circle even if you slice through it. You gotta cut it way back. It may seem devastating and slower to establish, but it will be healthier in the long run.
@@dkbomb yep exactly what I do, cut off the top 2-3” of the root ball, usually with pruning clips and sometimes even a saw, until you find the root collar and flare. Just gotta be careful to not hurt the root collar.
I think people are going too far in the other direction. I never seen a tree grow in nature with their roots this high up, barely covered by mulch only. My neighbor planted his tree like this last year and it looks like shit with a bunch of die back. Granted I don't know what else he did when planting it, but I've never seen trees grow like this in nature. People are basically planting trees half way in the ground now with just a sprinkle of dirt to cover the roots, that's not how these trees grow naturally.
@@bobbygetsbanned6049 neither extreme is optimal, however if I had to pick one over the other, it would be planting too high because you can easily add soil around the base of the tree, and roots naturally grow downwards. In heavy wet clay it’s recommended you plant high, because of moisture and lack of oxygen. “Plant too low and it’ll die slow, plant too high and it might dry, plant just right and watch it take flght.”
@@bobbygetsbanned6049he planted this tree perfectly.
excellent video. I've planted about 60 fruit/nut trees in southern Arizona and have had so many arguments with people about whether or not to amend the soil around the root ball. Our soil is compacted and devoid of organic matter so its hydrophobic, but also fast draining. Adding some manure and compost to the soil has made a huge difference in the results I've seen so far.
I've got dense, heavy clay & have also worked with sandy soil too. I make slash & burn pits the year before I plant trees, direct ground sowing or raised beds to condition the soil to hold onto nutrients with bio-char. David the Good's channel shows & talks about this more in-depth, especially since he's growing in sandy conditions like yours.
Im in AZ and planted two orange trees from my local nursery. They advised me to dig the hole 2-3x bigger than the root ball and then amending that soil 50/50 with the natural soil and a mulch mixture. So far so good for me
Great info thanks for sharing your stories
I learned the folly of buying saplings 50 years ago from a good friend who owned a nursery he sold when he learned trees grow BEST from seed planted directly in their permanent home. Also, he shielded the sprout with a clear mylar cone, hole at the top, watered once. The seed caught up with a 3-year nursery tree in one year. And no root to untangle, no special hole, no fertilizer. I add heavy wood mulch to avoid bare ground eco-system, hold in moisture, encourage fungi.
Some trees have tap roots, some trees have roots that grow laterally, spreading out near the surface. This calls for watering that meets their uniqueness.
Most trees don't have a tap root. Most crawl outward.
Growing from seed takes a long time for certain species to fruit. Unless you want to grow a wild rootstock and graft onto it
Many fruit trees do not grow true to seed. Grafting is needed and grafting needs to be done by a professional. You can learn it by yourself but start learning while you're still young because grafting is a slow process and mistakes take a long time to iron out.
Excellent video. Dont see many people showing how to properly plant a tree or shrub. Learned this when i got certified as a landscape inspector.
I like to auger out a two foot deep by one foot wide hole. Then use half compost,half black soil to fill in the bottom half. With any conifer,since I am out on the prairie loam clay soil,I add gallon of iron Swarf (cuttings from a lathe or milling machine) from my Machinist friend and two gallons ash to the hole mix. The spruce trees in my yard point their branches at the perfect upward angle and are beautiful. The one I didn’t add Iron or Ash to is arthritic looking and lacking the proper posture. You see spruce like that all the time out here. The deep hole allows the roots to penetrate deeper and easier for water. Cheers from Sunny Alberta!
Water is fine instead of air spade. Less shock to tree. Nursery industry should offer discounts to root bound trees. Planting smaller trees that are not root bound is way to go, but is not part of commercial nursery industry. I have planted 3’ trees that were equal to or bigger than 8’ ers after 3 years because they did not shock out.
There is not always water access but you’re right, water is an acceptable alternative. The important thing is to avoid mechanical damage from tools.
Landscaping codes require plants to be a certain height at planting. The nursery business will always have to have years old trees to achieve this. They also force trees to stretch by placing the containers close together. If a city is demanding 12-15' trees at planting they would make no money if they stocked whips and 3' container grown trees.
@@rootelation486 They are sold at a certain height because they are much less likely to be damaged by... well, anything. Where I live, all trees are sold at the same height as the one shown in the video, and there is no "landscaping codes".
@slifer0081 we have a ton.....aside from planting for your personal enjoyment, if you are doing a permitted landscape 12' is the smallest tree.....and most shrubs have to be at least 24".
I can go buy a 4" container and plant it but if I were having it inspected it would fail. With the number of storms and high winds here, we would be better off planting juvenile plants, but the amount of clearing required for development eliminates too much of the canopy so larger trees have to be planted to replace what was lost without having to wait 20 years. 50% of those container raised tall trees blow over multiple times before they root out so a whole bunch of crooked trees and damaged trees fill our neighborhoods
thanks man
i am from a farm orchard
and a keen gardener
you have confirmed what i always thought
going to be much more careful now with roots and planting
I just blast all of the soil away with the hose next to the hole. And I only use the soil that I dug out of the hole to backfill with. I also found that if I have some stubborn soil or mulch that won’t easily come off with the hose will come out if I dip the entire root ball into a large bucket and swish it around. I am essentially planting a bare root tree by the time I’m done.
Good advice to use only the natural soil if possible . The client expressly wanted us to use amended soil in this case, but it’s debatable if it’s better or worse for the tree after planting.
The way you treated the roots is similar to how we prune and train roots in bonsai, just bigger.
Aww my Granddaddy grew, raised, sold, etc bonsai trees for like 50 years. He had trees that were older than I am. They were all beautiful! He worked so diligently on those trees, pruning, training the roots & branches to go exactly where he wanted them & there really is an art to it! He passed away & i wish so badly I could watch him again and learn from him but I didn’t get into any kind of gardening etc until the last few years but I think I learned more than I thought I did although I was young and didn’t appreciate it much at the time. If I could go back in time……
As a farm kid we learned the way to kill an existing tree was to pile dirt around the base and cover the flare, two years later the tree was dead and we would cut it down, buck it up into pre dried firewood.
Why not just cut it down?
@@coolruehle. The clue is right there in his post: the method created pre-dried firewood.
@@annemurphy9339 Makes no sense. If you don't properly store it, you will get pre-rotted firewood with bugs in it not pre-dried.
@@neonicewinter, no bugs
My dad would work probably 10 years in advance, he would ring suitable trees, ready for burning in many years time.
thanks...thought this old grower how I've been doing it wrong for 7 decades! Never too-late to learn!!
You've had major issues?
When I was planting in TN clay, I always used landscape gypsum in the hole,. It's supposed to help breakdown the clay over time.
how much did you put?
How interesting. How very interesting. Probably the reason so many of my newly planted trees didn't make it. Thank you.
Great video. Shows the difference between a “garden center” planting when they just drop a tree into a hole and someone who actually knows what to do and does it right.
I always transplanted trees in the fall,after they have gone dormant for the winter. Way better survival rate when you do. The shock to the trees is very minimal when planting in the fall. Then come spring , the tree can wake up and do its cycle normally.
spring is also a good time if you plan on exposing the roots. more energy is in the new buds at this point
I always plant mine when the wind is at 7.3mph due east and a mockingbird sings the songs of my elders.. way better results from my experience!
@@NaturalStateOfMindAdventuresthanks for handy tip.
@@Fiercefighter2 true but planting in spring rather than autumn means the root system isn't as established and therefore nutrient uptake isn't as efficient as if it was planted in the autumn, so I would always plant in autumn, both for this reason and also to reduce shock as the tree (providing it's deciduous) is dormant
Learned a lot. I've made many mistakes. I've learned from your video thank you.
Glad to help
Great video thanks for sharing such valuable information. most people don’t realize the importance of the root flare being exposed and not covered
Thanks for watching and commenting! Yes it is sad that people are unaware, but it gets better as we pass on the knowledge!
I was wandering why my fig is not growing and not fruiting anymore i put more fertilizers in it but it didnt help anything.
@@juliosdiy3206 This is a very late reply sorry, but figs fruit better with restricted roots (similar to Agapanthus flowering). I don't know why this is but I've heard it said many times now
Damn that’s crazy! By being root bound it would choke it out smh. This explains a lot! Thanks for the video!
You could have laid that tree on its side and pulled the bag off. Great bag to save to use for yard work!
We have heavy, black turf clay. We've learnt to make a tree planting hole 1 metre x 1 metre and square with very sharp corners, this lets the roots fill the planting soil and eventually escape at the corners. Round holes cause the same root ball as being in the nursery bag/pot.
Hole shape doesn't matter. The problem actually starts with the roots themselves. Hardened circling roots will continue to circle because it was trained that way in the pot and now have muscle memory to continue to grow in circles. You have to cut back the roots heavily (20-30%) and not just slices through the outside. The ''box cut root pruning method'' done by a few universities is a good pruning technique to thin out the older and hardened circling roots and allow new feeder roots to grow freely.
hi, are you doing that just because the soil is heavy clay? I'm in France and our soil is heavy in some places, clay-limestone, so I'm wondering if by planting trees in round holes I wasn't wrong??? But roots are strong and I hope they will not get stuck against a clay wall as it happen against plastic contenant :).. Especially is the "wall" is softened by the weekly or monthly watering? You made a point :) so now I'm wondering 🤔
I with my over 50 years of experience disagree about the square hole. There is absolutely no difference in the growth of a tree planted in a square or round hole.
The hole shape does not make a difference lol
Diagnosis Spot On ! Excellent Service worth paying for ! 😉👍
Excellent video! This is how I learned to plant fruit trees from a very old neighbour who worked in his orchards his entire life....
I'm so glad to see this on youtube, it took me a long time to hear this information and I was a landscape gardener for many years before I did. Burying the crown can also cause crown rot. Always check for the crown on potted tree. Nursery's don't always lift and add soil mostly just raise the soil level by throwing dirt on the top
Thanks alot. This is very good info in regard to loosening the root ball of the tree before planting.
If it's not a ball, you woundt be helping it.
The only thing to put in the tree hole is the tree and the soil that came out of the hole. The tree will be in 99.9% original soil very soon as the roots expand so trying to amend the soil is useless and a waste of money not to mention creating a barrier to root growth as they try to grow out of the amended soil and creating a water filled sump hole when the soil is clay. Never dig deeper than the pot is tall , a bit less is best so the tree wont sink. Turn the replaced soil into mud and jiggle the soil and tree a little (a little got it) to get the soil to settle into the roots. Yes loosen the roots and cut circling roots, blasting with hose can help. Yes mulch , fertilize with water soluble 1 Tbs in 5 gallons , first day 2 buckets after that one bucket after rains or occasionally after watering. Never fertilize after the 4 th of JUly.
💯true!!
Great video. My soil here in Oklahoma looks exactly like that... compacted clay. It seems like the clay would cause problems because it drains so slowly. The hole could fill up with water like a giant bowl. And in the spring, it could rain every other day filling the bowl back up before it could drain. Wouldn't it drown the roots?
I thought about getting a trencher and cutting a trench from the hole to downhill somewhere, then back-filling with gravel to give the bowl a place to drain.
I've dug the downhill drain trench, and I think it helped.
I have also made the bathtub in clay, but the trees were resistant to drowning, and they were water lovers.
I planted a Bald Cypress in a zone 5 or 4, because of elevation in New York state at over 1,100 feet, and it took off and is doing great.
I also did this with River Birch and Red Maples, that are a swamp loving tree.
You are right, those trees are going to experience root rot.
Great visual! Thanks for sharing…..you really explain it well!! I would imagine this holds true for many plants, trees or shrubs that go from container to ground!
Very correct way to plant a tree. He knows what he is doing!!!
Your having a laugh
correct way is to plant a seed in the ground
Hope the tree was bought at a discount.
This was amazing. I tried to plant a cherry tree back in 1997, and it failed. Now I know why and will use these techniques to propagate some trees.
If I don't have an air spade can I use water ?
How do you select a new tree at the nursery to prevent included bark from happening?
Any pruning tips to get a good form with solid branches when the tree is newly planted?
You have some great questions. I have a pruning video up on the channel. Yes you can use water. Not high pressure though just reglar hose water. Included bark is from V-shaped branch unions or codominant stems. Prune to correct those when the tree is young. Check out my other videos for some more tips.
Question: Aren't you creating a bathtub effect by planting w a girdle of better soil + gravel in heavy clay?
You aren’t wrong but I think there’s massive amounts of water storage in the soil so therefore it’ll drain over time. Whereas the ring of mulch retains dirt and that’s why rot happens. Just a lad that likes plants
These videos from professionals are quite funny
They use tools that are not common to public
The process is entirely too long for such a simple task
I have an orchard
Planted with its own soil
Never added much but a quick layer of wood chips over the top when planted and trees are growing fine
You don’t need an airspade - waste of money and time
You don’t need to put down potting mix nor top soil
You use the same soil you dug out
You can grind the original soil by shovel or hand to break into smaller chunks
I would not advise mixing in a different soil THAT will just cause more shock to roots once it finally hits the original soil
The broke man’s method proves time after time
This is nothing more than paid propaganda from corporate being carried out voluntarily by the enslaved
@@silcarifarm7067 lol what?
@@silcarifarm7067He said at the beginning that this was an educational video. I thoroughlly enjoyed that he took his time and actually showed what he was talking about.
@@silcarifarm7067Agreed. “Nutrient rich soil” is a glorified way of saying compost. Trees don’t grow in ground up dead trees, mushrooms do! Grow trees in real dirt (sand/silt/clay). Fertilizer, compost, mulch, it all belongs on the top.
Wish i had known this a month ago. We just planted Eastern Redbud a month ago. It had a 2 inch trunk and the root ball was huge wrapped in burlap. So far it is still doing well.
I love being able to see all the roots in the root ball- so rad! I'm an arborist as well- but I work in a different region with a different type of clay soil. According to ISA materials I was always told that gravel being added to the hole doesn't benefit drainage. Now I heard you say that the gravel was to reduce compaction...I sorta get that, but also I'm in the midwest so I'm not sure if this varies from region to region.
Thanks for checking out our channel. You're right about the gravel when it's piled in the bottom- ISA claims it makes the drainage worse ironically. This is not the same type of gravel as the kind wrongly used for drainage. I don't use this regularly, but the client had bought it and wanted us to use it with every tree. We mixed it in as best we could. In theory it could help prevent cray particles from bonding together as much... but good mulch and organic activity would do the same good with enough time.
Hello, I like your information.
Question… I'm have a forest red bud. I'm in So Ca. In the Valley where on rare occasions it can have a light freeze. My tree was planted in summer. It's gotten leggy. Too heavy. It's about 6 feet tall. We're in late November. l've had to brace a couple branches. Too heavy. Cuz so young and leggy. Can I cut it back now?
Pretty straight forward and to the point. Never thought about blowing the dirt out to loosen up the root ball.
Bang on concerning root collar and planting depth. If only there was ANSI 60.1 to tell us how we shall plant so us arborists didn’t have to go around Siri g RCE’s amd similar. Curious why you added amendments? I like that you mixed them instead of just filling with them, but couldn’t that still create an interface of desired soil and cause potential girdling in the future?
“performing RCE’s”
He explained in the video why he added them
Thank you. Very enlightening. What should seem straight forward, usually has nuance. Thank you.
Useful vid, thanks! I'd be interested in a followup short vid that talks more about the staking at the end of the process. EG, how to attach the wires to the tree without concentrated pressure (from the wires) on the wood.
Thx.
Love your video! Leads to another question (in addition to some of the great questions/comments below): What are you thoughts about pruning some of the branches to balance the pruning of the roots? I've been using this method in Western Colorado, and it seems to work well for me in this dry climate.
ISA doesn’t advise it unless they are broken or damaged branches. Reason being root stimulation and growth is affected by plant growth regulators produced in branch tips. Also, more leaves, more food, more energy. Try to wait at least one season after planting.
Thanks for the tips, I always wondered how far you should go when spreading out the roots.
You can also use your water hose to do the same as the air
Nice to hear someone talk about not compacting the soil so the roots have an easy time growing. The air thing kind of blew me away but it looked to me like this tree should have been planted a year or two earlier.
{edit} I rewatched and also appreciate his attention to the root flair ("Crown" in my world) and keeping that point level with the existing grade.
🙃the air thing kinda blew me away😅
@@FUKdjt8645 OMG - An unintended pun.
why is the tree planted so the root collar is above the level of the ground when in nature, I see trees growing with the root collar level with the ground?
When planting in an area with heavy clay it tends to benefit the tree to be planted high....though this one might need a little more of that amended soil.
What do you think about stomping dirt to make it firm? A famous extension agent wrote a book saying, plants dont need AIR around roots, they need soil... There"s air around every grain of dirt, he said. Well, i started transplanting everything like he said. I water at trandplant time, but that is usually it. I even transplant tiny flowers, using my little finger like a foot, to "stump" dirt in! I planted six 7-8 foot trees like that back in spring, half gal. of water. They had leaves in no time. I expected them to die when we had a mini drought in July, but all six are fine!! Ed Faulkner...he didn't water large tomato transplants, to prove this works. He lay them flat in a trench and stomped dirt on top of them. Didnt even water them for the demonstration. I am convinced this works. Every one of my fancy flowers survived transplant. Now I aim to plant pecan and shellbark hickory trees like this. Nut trees have tap roots, so it probably is harder to get dirt firmly around the tap root to get rid of air. So I plan to use my fist to pound dirt up along the tap root. If anybody else grows nut trees successfully, tell us how!
I already planted my bald cypress 3 weeks ago without cutting or flaring the roots out. I just put the pot soil all together in a hole and buried. Is it a must that I take it back out and cut the roots and cut the packed curved roots out and re-bury???
That's arboral abuse and is actually illegal in 23 states.
No, don't take advise from these people, they are the worst amateurs ever.
Newly planted trees and shrubs need continued watering throughout the first year. Obviously you would taper down the watering during winter months, but even then, during periods of time when there hasn’t been adequate rainfall or precipitation, you need to water them. Those fine roots hairs need constant moisture.
As a Landscape Designer, I maintain the logic that, we don’t stop drinking water during the winter, and nor do our plants! There’s a saying in the industry, “Sleep, Creep and Leap” which refers to trees and shrubs sleeping the first year as they acclimate, creeping the second year as far as growth goes, and leaping (forward) their third year and beyond. In essence, it takes several years for trees and shrubs to strengthen and establish themselves. Proper planting and water management throughout the first year will ensure beautiful plants for years to come. Great instructional video!
Since we now understand so much more about the importance of fungi in terms of feeding plants… Do you think that’s also a factor. Establishing a good fungal, microbiome, or myco-biome, if you will.
Very good knowledge based video. Man I have heavy clay in area. Usually have to do exactly like you showed 3x or 4x wide hole. I always thought deep was needed as well. Thank you for an awesome post.
When I move a tree I like to stand it up by the bottom, yes and at the same time support the top. It's all about avoiding extremes.
Slits with a knife is a good one, as is the airspade trick.
It was difficult to tell how much you took off the top of that tree to make it to the flare?
How much did you take off?
Occasionally I've taken off 6 inches.
Much of the time I cut the small fiber roots that are above the flare off prior to digging the hole, then i'm not digging too deep.
this's great! two questions
#1 what's your favorite, fastest, most affordable way to wrap those suckers so everything on the planet doesn't try to eat them down to a stump, or ring them, or both
#2 can you use an air compressor, the way you got the dirt out of the roots looks like that'd save an insane amount of time and safer for it too.
#3 does anyone ever try to ask you to try to 'heal' the ring? some people say its possible as long as there's a quarter left, some say it's not.
it's frustrating because once the grass has grown up over it, it's so hard to spot. anyway dealing with a lot of this now . thanks!
I’m not entirely sure I understand your questions. #1: Trees that are healthy have natural defense to pests (most of the time, excluding invasive pests like HWA or EAB). So you shouldn’t have to wrap your trees. #2The air compressor needs to be a diesel powered, tow behind. The kind they use to power jack hammers. Rental companies have them but they may not have an airspade. You can use low pressure water if you cant find an airspade.
#3: not sure what you are referring to exactly
2:05- wish we could of heard the gun shots❤
Great video. Thanks
7:15 you're welcome
In a compacted soil, a square hole prevents the roots from spinning
May I ask. Can this be done with avacado trees too, if the roots are root bound?
What about providing support so the wind does not blow the tree over?
Just starting to get into trees. Thanks for the info!
Love this.
Makes me realize that I planted a couple of our crepe myrtles wrong in the past. They’re healthy, but haven’t grown almost at all compared to when they were planted. And my mom way over-pruned them right after planting.
Crape myrtles are really forgiving plants. I have some that I have been actively trying to CUT DOWN and they just keep coming back, growing several feet PER MONTH. So they're great for making your mistakes when you start out.
Wow! I normally put the root ball in a bucket of water before I plant it, you're lucky your grown is soft as for me I have to brake rock, so far, all 20 trees have served for me.
One question, I planted an apricot tree in March of 2011, but this tree has never fruited. And to make things worse, this January 2024 someone decided that they were going to cut off the grafted part of the apricot tree… and now the tree looks like it has some sort of disease going on… glue like substance is coming out from the branches. Can you please help resolve or restore this tree and so that it will produce fruit and thrive. Thank you!
The “glue” substance is probably gumosis- usually a stress response or sign of injury. When trees are stressed, they are more open to attack from pathogens like fungi, bugs, or bacteria. All of these could cause gumosis. The heavy pruning most certainly contributed to the tee’s stress. As for the never fruiting, there are many possible factors. In theory the tree was old enough to fruit by 2015… but environment and soil could be bad. Also weather conditions that might interfere with the bud formation (late spring frosts) or other conditions during the time of pollination. Fruiting requires energy and essential elements. If the tree doesn’t have good growing conditions, the fruiting will be poor or nonexistent. You might be better off starting over with another tree, and do a soil test beforehand to make sure you pick a tree that can tolerate the soil. Also consider light and space requirements. Tree hardiness, drought resistance, and soil drainage requirements are also important factors that must be considered. Some trees can thrive where others can’t. You are usually limited with the site you have, but there are always options that can work- and sometimes you can amend your site to accommodate a particular tree you want. This is always easier done before planting. Hope this helps!
@@blueoakatsthanks
Interesting planting. I am a pro tree fruit hort and past arborist. Temperate fruit trees respond differently to depth of planting. Most are grafted on rootstocks. Deep planting does not damage these trees as long as the soil is well drained. Trunk planted below soil level will quickly produce roots. If the graft union is below ground, the dwarfing and disease resistance of the rootstock will be lost. For proof, reaserch stoolbed propagation of fruit tree rootstocks
Shouldn't the tree also be oriented to north as it was at the nursery?
Lol, that gravel in clay soil will just make concrete. It will all bind together anyway & be a problem within the year.
Everything else is great. I plant mine on top of a mound of a hardened clumps of clay so the roots have room to grow down initially, then I backfill with mostly clay & some compost + leaves & top it with wood chips to keep the temps & weeds down.
Great video and I have question, I have an Avocado tree in a large container in a tropical environment. Im going transplant the tree and would i do the transplant the same as you have the Cherry tree? I would appreciate and advise on this thank you
Thanks so much for this! Regarding the soil amendment in the wheel barrow, what exactly was in it?
Nice video, quick and to the point without wasted time. Thank you!! A quick question, I don't have an air spade so would the next best thing just be a hose with water or do you have other methods?
Yeah, I have the same question. Also, could you use a pressure washer as long as you don't get so close that it strips away the bark?
Put the whole bagged root and the tree on its side and roll gently while standing on the side. It will loosen up the roots and you won't have to cut the perfect bag like he did.
I came looking for this comment because I know I wasn’t the only one wondering the same thing. I would think a pressure washer wouldn’t work as well as a hose because you could use your hand at the same time manipulating the root ball.
@@Wakeywhodat
You also spray away the micro biome around the roots.
@peetsnort Just to be clear, should I use a gentle flow with a hose or not? Thanks!
Always clear the root flares on your existing trees as well. Never bury the flare with mulch/rocks/soil, etc. And always keep the grass killed back from the trunk so you’re not damaging the bark with mowers and string trimmers.
I just planted 4 trees about that size 2 weeks ago I wish I saw this before just dug oversize holes and mixed soil with potting soil and native fertiliser didn't go deep just wide didn't touch the root ball at all is there any thing I can do now or is too late
Is there any meaning to a north or south flagged branch from the nursery and to ensure the tree is planted in that same orientation?
Gardeners in my area would just carve out a hole in the clay and stick the tree in it with some organic amendment and call it good. Then in a year or two, the tree ends up well below grade due to soil settling and blown-in mulching. You do good work!
Awesome video, excellent explanation of what you're doing and why you're doing it. Thanks man!
What is the advantage of air spading versus just using a powerful water spray?
We used it because we had it… low pressure water is fine. Do not use high pressure water. It would tear up the roots bad. High pressure air is much less damaging than water.
I was always taught to keep the original dirt against the roots because there is some bacteria or something that the roots needed, does removing all the dirt like that harm the tree?
I wonder: if the tree isn’t planted perfectly vertically, will it be not quite vertical for the rest of its life? in other words, should care be taken to make sure the tree’s as upright as possible?
It'll grow vertical over time, might have a bend in it though
Old wood doesn't correct it's direction of growth, so if it's important to you, keep correcting the angle as you water it into the soft settling soil.
I have trees that were blown over a little, by heavy winds and I hope the growth will average out, and appear straighter after many years.
You can see how trees do this, if you look at boards while doing wood working.
The pith, or first years can be all curved, and the later years grow and adjust to support the mass.
Why destroy the planter bag? Those bags are not cheap and that bag looked perfectly reusable. I'm new to this red clay soil and have to wonder if you amend the soil around the tree does that prevent it from sending roots into the clay? Will it treat it's hole like a giant pot and stay within?
I don't know but that's what I have read, don't amend the soil because the tree will treat it like a pot and not want to grow it's roots into the native soil. I don't think that's specific to clay soil either.
It’s much better to use the natural soil or at the very least mix it into the amendments well. The danger of creating a “bowl” is very possible and very bad. More reason to make sure the tree is planted (and the root ball settled) above the soil grade.
We always soak the root ball and then swish it in the water so the dirt falls away and then re shape the root ball
In scotland is where i stay. Advice on planting a blossom tree. Why should the hole be 3 x times the size? I planted a tree and the hole was perfect snug fit. Is this wrong and what future damage will this cause??
You want space for the roots to grow into without hard resistance from the surrounding soil. If native soil is heavily compacted, roots will have difficulty expanding through it and may instead turn inward and encircle the tree, causing girdling roots which will be a problem in the future.
@@blueoakats I planted my blossom tree a month ago. Is it too late to pull it out and loosing the roots and make the hole bigger with newly compose??
Can anyone please help me. So I put 3 ground anchors and 3 ratchet straps to upright a 5 year old maple tree that was recently uprooted last week in a storm. I'm guessing each ratchet strap has about 200 lbs or so of force on the main trunk so at least 600lbs minimum. How long should I keep that setup for without injuring or killing the tree?
Would it not be more sensitive to use water to loosen the root ball than air? Water would allow the roots to stay moist and flexable during the process.
i dont use the airhose i wash the roots out with a normal garden hose trying not to expose them too much because wet roots get sunburnt really quickly. then i just water them really good when they are planted (15 min full flooding) to wash them in. for clay soil add a mix of gravel and compost first so the bottom roots can find nutrients therefore the tree is rooting down faster, if you put the good soil atop like you did it will grow more roots at the top first which is unnecessary. and last build them a framework if they are the size of the tree you planted or a staff if they are smaller and tie them so the roots are not disturbed by wind. the tieups should be from 3 sides and not choke the tree. after 1-3 years the framework can be removed since the roots are now thick enough to hold the tree even in wind. no ties too tight ties are the most common errors i encounter at work. all in all good work. i hope that will help you out growing trees even faster and more consistent. keep it up, god bless you.
How do you fix this if you have planted it the wrong way already and the tree is beginning to show signs of struggle?
It would take many years for the effects of girdling roots to be noticeable. If your trees are recently planted and declining, it likely is a water related issue- either too much or too little. Both are very bad for new trees.
Plants can survive being torn apart quite a lot so long as they are planted in proper conditions after, in fact a little bit of trimming can do a lot for their health.
I just planted 3 fruit trees and didn’t no to leave the collar up, I think they are about an inch under the soil. Should I wait a week or so to clear it to not shock them or dig them out or try to just hand dig around the tree?
I didn't know about that problem, good info for future planting. I do use gypsum to break up clay soil though.
On the strength of this comprehensive video, I have just subscribed to your channel. As we all should know, there are right and wrong ways to do ANYTHING and it’s no wonder we see so many dead new tree and bush plantings performed by Joe and Jill Amateur! 😮😢😂
Why dont you use Gypsum a natural clay breaking additive before you plant?
If you use a tarp when you dig the hole, cleanup is easier, you save time, and it's a lot less messy
And here I thought screwing with the roots would kill it!
I'm looking all over trying to find the right soil to put in the hole for the tree. Can someone please tell me what to buy?
Very informative. Would this procedure apply to bushes as well?
So many people are looking for older trees to plant, when in reality, a tree should be transplanted within just a year or two - the longer it stays in a nursery, the more 'bad habits' they pick up. Its FAR cheaper for us to ship younger trees, as well - a better deal all the way around! My 2 cents .. this customer needs to do a lot of work improving their soil before putting in trees (unless they are redbuds and black locusts .. trees that can manage that heavy soil .. we sell those, too!)
What and where is nutrient enriched topsoil available ?
Question: I see so many good live large grown trees torn out of the ground by severe storms. To me they don't look like they were panted deep enough. They all have a shallow wide root ball.
Great question, but it’s a misconception to plant the trees deeper. Uprooting has to do with root injury or rot, or otherwise very compromised soil conditions (like loose soil beside a river bank, or very sandy soil). In clay especially, roots cannot grow deep, because there is no oxygen, so they will grow shallow regardless. Even if you plant them deep, they will circle back and try to find oxygen. It’s a myth that tree roots grow deep underground. Almost all the fine absorbing roots of a tree are in the first few inches of soil. Keep a root system healthy, avoid major root injury (like from construction damage), and you are very unlikely to have a tree uproot in a windstorm. The exception may be the soil is very sandy or otherwised structurally compromised (by a lot of rain, new drainage patterns, etc). Sometimes trees can outgrow their sites. They become too heavy for the soil volume they have to support them.
@@blueoakats Thank You
Just planted the tiniest fig tree that was incredibly root bound. Did my best to correct it, fingers crossed it wakes up and grows good.
I’m sure it will. Check out arborjet Nutriroot if you want to give it a boost.
I saw someone on YT say figs like their roots tight ...almost pot bound. I jad a really hard time with that and spread mine out some when I supported it. Hoping for the best
Well, I stomped down on my soil when I planed both my trees, and staked them. Did I mess this planting up?
Notice how the dirt is held compact by the huge network of roots, imagine a mature tree how important is for water retention and anti erosion process especially on slopes.
Where I live, there is a hard pan clay about 18" to 2' down. I dig below it, which none of the commercial planters seem to do. It's hard to get through by hand. I suspect a hydraulic auger could get thru fairly easly. That way the tree can root deep. Most of our trees fall over even after 30 or 40 years because the roots spread wide not deep.