What are the 4 important factors in planting trees?

It’s National Tree Day this Sunday – a great opportunity to to do something positive for your local environment and community by getting your hands dirty and planting a tree or two.

If it sounds like too much hard work, it really isn’t. All it takes is these 6 simple steps:

1. Soak

Soak the tree while you work to ensure the root ball is soaked through, as a dry root ball could reject water from the surrounding soil. Consider adding a seaweed product to the water to help the tree avoid transplant shock and to improve root growth going forward.

2. Dig

It’s important to dig a hole that’s at least twice the size of the existing root ball of the tree. Depth is more important than width in most cases, so be sure to dig enough of a hole that the existing roots can be completely covered. A bigger, deeper hole is better, but you don’t have to go to any great lengths.

3. Improve

Improve your soil to help the plant survive in the long-term. In clay soils, add some gypsum to improve the soil structure and drainage, and well-rotted compost to provide organic matter and further structure. In sandy soils, compost is a must as it helps hold moisture around the roots. In all soils consider using a good fertiliser to help feed the plant, such as a slow-release fertiliser with microbial coating, or something as simple as blood and bone.

4. Decant

Take the plant out of its pot in a way that keeps the roots as intact as possible. Root disturbance in healthy stock will shock the plant. If the plant is pot bound, or the roots have poor structure, consider teasing out the very bottom.

5. Plant

Place the plant in the hole, and back-fill it with soil to cover the roots. Make sure the soil around the plant is firm, leaving a slight well at the top so that when it rains the water gets caught directly above the roots. This trick makes the most of any rain that comes, which is important in our climate.

6. Water

Water the plant in. This ensures that the soil settles around the plant, and the roots get good contact with the soil. It also provides an important first drink if the soil is otherwise dry, and provides deeper moisture even if it is already damp.

If you’re interested in protecting the planet, planting trees is an obvious choice. Here are a few reasons why trees are so cool:

They have a cool and calm effect

Trees literally ARE cool. Including more trees in urban planning creates cooler and more liveable environments. So Adelaide’s parklands don’t just look nice – they keep our city cooler. And we all know the benefits of connecting with nature in terms of health and wellbeing – helping us to keep calm and carry on.

They can help reduce your energy bill

Planting the right trees and shrubs around your house also helps to reduce energy. Planting the right trees or shrubs will help cool your building, which means using your air conditioner more efficiently and less energy use. Less energy use = lower energy bills. According to the United States Forest Service Centre for Urban Forest Research, just three trees, properly placed around a house, can save up to 30 per cent of energy use.

They help fight climate change

Trees are also very important in helping mitigate climate change. Through the natural process of photosynthesis, trees use energy from the sun to absorb carbon dioxide, storing it and emitting pure oxygen. It’s estimated that over their lifetime, 5 trees offset 1 tonne of carbon.

There are lots of other things that you can do to help your tree along, such as weeding, mulching, and putting on a tree guard. If in doubt about what is needed in your situation, ask an expert, such as our friends atState Flora.

This story was originally posted in July 2017.

Before planting a tree, there are a few factors one must consider. Examples of these factors include soil quality, the place you want to plant the tree, the size of the plantation, the size of the pit, the type of tree to plant, weather conditions, and the overall climate of the area.

However, when it comes to planting a tree in a city, the factors to consider an increase, and in some cities, certain regulations must apply. Let us check these factors into details:

1. Tree Maintenance Point of View

Before planting a tree, you must first take the area of planting the tree into consideration. In other words, you must check all factors, including future maintenance possibilities. It does not matter if you want to plant the tree along the highway pedestrian zones, pathways, park, or anywhere similar; one thing should be in mind is the future ability to maintain it.

Also, you have to consider the type of tree to plant. The good news is that planting trees in public parks does not need a lot of cutting, compared to a narrow street with limited space. Therefore, certain tree types are best for narrow streets and those that are best for public spaces.

Another factor to consider is - if there are tree care services in that area to clean fallen leaves from the streets. It is important to note that huge piles of leaves will make the streets unsafe for everyone. That is because due to rain and other factors, they tend to be slippery, which makes them a hazard for cyclists, pedestrians, and even car drivers. Also, tree branches should be a distance away from any building to prevent property damage.

2. Accommodate The Future

When planting trees and you aim to have a nice avenue planted, you have to accommodate the future. What does this mean? Well, it simply means that you need to consider future advancements and expansions. In other words, you need something that will last for decades and even a century. For this reason, soil quality plays a huge role. In such a case, you will also need to make ecological improvements, like adding things like cubes or mineral wool flocks, which play a huge role in retaining and holding moisture.

Such improvements will help even where there is a drought. If the soil quality is poor, one can always add fertilizer, which helps add vital minerals and salts in the soil. Furthermore, adding mineral wool in the soil does help prevent nutrients from eroding away with water.

3. Tree Plantation Design

The type of tree one prefers; depends on what a person is planning to achieve. In other words, the size and shape of the tree area around the trunk depends on what you plan to achieve. For example, redirecting water around the tree means creating a larger area around the tree with a slight funnel-shape dip in the middle. This kind of design means that you will get better control of rain-water, which will gather around the tree.

Doing this has added benefits such as retaining and adding more nutrients to the trees. This means that the soil around the tree will not only retain water during dry seasons but have adequate nutrients.

4. Tree Type

Choosing the right tree is very important. This simply means that one has to take into consideration the characteristics of the tree and the climate right climate for them. For this reason, it is always wise to choose local trees and plants. Doing this will guarantee their survival and also requires minimal maintenance. Furthermore, the kind of tree to plant does depend on the plantation site. Trees need proper maintenance as well as environmental care. In other words, cleaning leaves is a problem, then you can always opt for trees with few leaves.

If you wish to plant trees along the roadside, then you need to consider using salt-tolerant trees such as birch, cherry, horse chestnut, white oak, and others with similar characteristics. Also, you need to take factors such as traffic lights, car traffic, maintenance cost, and other related factors into consideration.

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