Plant a tree in February
I’ve seen and helped a bunch of different people plant trees a bunch of different ways — including burying one family’s old rooster under a new orchard tree. There’s plenty of ways to plant a tree and most of them are fine. Here’s a few big mistakes I’ve made so that you can avoid them:
Utility company right-of-ways: Georgia Power gets 10-ft on each side of their electric line as their right-of-way. The secondary line (the one to your house) is your responsibility. Forestry crews come out every couple of years to hack back greenery touching or near the primary line. I’m moving saplings out of the trimming danger zone this winter.
Weed control sprays: Road crews do use herbicides to control weeds on the highway. There’s few places these days not touched by herbicide run-off or drift from the road or neighbors. I’ve lost several trees, including a birch and two tulip poplars because I planted them too close to the road without any buffer plants. Some plants make great barriers for such pollutants. Tulip poplar and birch are not among them.
Soil test: This is more about the pH than adding fertilizer. I don’t add fertilizer to my newly-planted trees. I’ve worked for some folks who do. What I know will kill a tree is a pH that’s way out of wack. I’ve planted without a soil test before, only to find that soil is Too Acidic For Life. Big hint – if weeds aren’t growing there, you might want to do a soil test to see if a tree can live there.
A deep hole: Aim for digging out, instead of down. The National Arbor Day Foundation recommends a hole 3-4 times wider than the tree’s container. Keep the depth to how deep the tree is nested in its current container. On the whole, tree roots need more space to spread out than down.
Need more directions? Here’s some great information from the National Arbor Day Foundation.
National Arbor Day is the last Friday in April, but in Georgia Arbor Day happens in February. In 2022, that’s Feb. 18. Other Southern states also hold their Arbor days in late winter when it’s best to plant trees for our climate.
A Nebraskan newspaper editor started Arbor Day because he loved trees and wanted more people to recognize their value, according to the National Arbor Day Foundation. It’s estimated that 1 million trees were planted in 1872, the first year of tree-centered celebrations.