SOUTHEAST BIRMINGHAM TREE SERVICE |
Tree Planting
Once described as the “lungs of the earth”, trees play a major role in sustaining life on our planet. They clean the air, the water, and the soil. They scrub carbon dioxide from our atmosphere. They enrich our health, well-being, and quality of life. Trees even add growth and benefit to the economic sector. If treated well and maintained for optimal health, arboreal areas make our communities and our world a better place.
What better reason is there to plant something new? By planting new trees a person can even offset their own environmental footprint. These amazing organisms have the ability to improve the quality of the air as well as the quality of the water. They provide shade which in turn helps to keep the energy efficiency of your home or business in the optimum zone. They reduce the potential for flooding as well as the level of runoff that major storms generate. Last but not least, the wooded areas on your property, when healthy and well taken care of, have the ability to increase your property value. Our Company was founded as a cutting service, but one of the services we offer that we really enjoy is the local sourcing and planting of new saplings. This process can be a DIY project on the weekend that we’d love to help with. We provide a full-service operation to get your trees in the ground and looking great, or if you have a mind to get your hands in the soil, we’ll deliver your saplings and let you have the satisfaction of putting them in the ground. |
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If you choose that option, here are a few simple steps to follow.
1.) Properly prepare the hole. When you prepare your hole for planting, you want to make it approximately three to four times the size of the existing root structure or “ball”. Look for where the base “flares” out. When you cover the root system with soil make sure that the flared portion of the trunk remains exposed and is not below the level of the turf around the hole.
2.) Plant high in the hole. 20-30% of the root mass should be higher than the surrounding turf is the rule of thumb. Then cover and taper the soil up to meet the base of the trunk. Mulch goes on top. Building a nice gradual slope helps with appropriate water consumption and keeps your tree from sitting down in a bucket encouraging rot and disease.
3.) Inspect the root systems and separate them from the ball if necessary. Sometimes the worst thing you can do is stick your coiled root ball into the hole and leave it. This constricts the roots and doesn’t allow them to reach their full potential. Disturb and pull them apart to give them a fresh start!
4.) Reduce the potential for air pockets. First, start by breaking up any stiff clods and removing any rocks in the hole. Then after backfilling halfway, spray a nice stream of water into the hole to help everything sink down and compact. This provides needed moisture and reduces air pockets. Once planted, cover with soil and spray with water again.
5.) Generously add mulch. Leave the trunk exposed by a few inches, then moving outward place 2-3 inches of fresh mulch (A ground-up stump works great!) all around the base. Further than the drip line is better. Mulch helps with moisture retention – a must for newly established plants!
6.) Water until fully established. Here’s the thing to remember: you can kill a tree just as easily from too much watering as you can from not enough. The secret to finding the right amount lies in the process. We like our irrigation to be slow and deep. The slower and deeper, the better. By hand, this might look like a soaker hose or another form of drip irrigation. This can also be established by a dedicated in-ground irrigation system. This method of watering allows the soil and the roots to saturate while avoiding excess moisture. We like to water every day for the first week, then about every other day for the next two weeks. After the initial 3 to 4 weeks, you can back it down to a more routine cycle.
That’s it! Give it a shot and watch your beautiful trees grow! If you want us to handle the job, we’re ready to take on any size project. Just give us a call 205-583-0265
1.) Properly prepare the hole. When you prepare your hole for planting, you want to make it approximately three to four times the size of the existing root structure or “ball”. Look for where the base “flares” out. When you cover the root system with soil make sure that the flared portion of the trunk remains exposed and is not below the level of the turf around the hole.
2.) Plant high in the hole. 20-30% of the root mass should be higher than the surrounding turf is the rule of thumb. Then cover and taper the soil up to meet the base of the trunk. Mulch goes on top. Building a nice gradual slope helps with appropriate water consumption and keeps your tree from sitting down in a bucket encouraging rot and disease.
3.) Inspect the root systems and separate them from the ball if necessary. Sometimes the worst thing you can do is stick your coiled root ball into the hole and leave it. This constricts the roots and doesn’t allow them to reach their full potential. Disturb and pull them apart to give them a fresh start!
4.) Reduce the potential for air pockets. First, start by breaking up any stiff clods and removing any rocks in the hole. Then after backfilling halfway, spray a nice stream of water into the hole to help everything sink down and compact. This provides needed moisture and reduces air pockets. Once planted, cover with soil and spray with water again.
5.) Generously add mulch. Leave the trunk exposed by a few inches, then moving outward place 2-3 inches of fresh mulch (A ground-up stump works great!) all around the base. Further than the drip line is better. Mulch helps with moisture retention – a must for newly established plants!
6.) Water until fully established. Here’s the thing to remember: you can kill a tree just as easily from too much watering as you can from not enough. The secret to finding the right amount lies in the process. We like our irrigation to be slow and deep. The slower and deeper, the better. By hand, this might look like a soaker hose or another form of drip irrigation. This can also be established by a dedicated in-ground irrigation system. This method of watering allows the soil and the roots to saturate while avoiding excess moisture. We like to water every day for the first week, then about every other day for the next two weeks. After the initial 3 to 4 weeks, you can back it down to a more routine cycle.
That’s it! Give it a shot and watch your beautiful trees grow! If you want us to handle the job, we’re ready to take on any size project. Just give us a call 205-583-0265
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