Planting a tree? Plant it right.
Well, everyone’s talking about how trees are the saviour and we should keep planting them more and more to regain the balance that has been lost due to deforestation and many other human activities that lead to carbon emissions in huge numbers.
It might look so simple when it comes to planting a tree but it is a very delicate process because how and where we plant that tree matters a lot for the growth of that tree in the healthiest way possible.
Following is the whole process through which you can plant a tree, read it and see which step are you missing or weren’t doing correctly.
- Selection
It includes selecting the tree according to the place and its climate, then what kind of soil will be suitable for it. Choosing the right tree is the first step in the journey of a successful planting. Mostly, trees are planted in the earlier phases of the autumn or spring season. Make sure that the particular place where you are planning to plant the tree isn’t near some building or electricity wires or any other utility because when the tree grows up, it’s going to create a problem and surely we don’t want that as it will result into cutting down of that tree.
- Planting
You’re guessing wrong if you think the steps just end here because you just have to put in the seed and then water it every day.
- To reach this stage, we need to start with prepping the soil itself, so to do that when we are done with selecting the perfect spot for our tree, we should water the soil where we want to dig the hole to sow the seed. It will make the soil moist and easy to dig.
- Then, while digging, we need to make sure that we dig deep enough equivalent to the size of the root ball and do not forget that the soil that you have dug out only has to be used for backfilling so just mindfully dig the soil and collect it beside the hole.
- Finally, plant the tree by carefully placing the rootball and then filling it back with the original soil.
- Then, water the tree sufficiently till the point the soil is damp enough as it will just help the tree to adapt to its new home more quickly.
- Maintenance
After planting the tree, one has to take extensive care of the tree, especially in the initial few years. Pruning and Mulching are some techniques that can be counted on.
There are chances that a tree is planted wrongly and there are sometimes mistakes on our part while planting that show disappointing results afterwards.
Sometimes, the hole we dig can be too deep or it might not be enough for the tree’s roots to breathe, it is the most common kind of mistake one commits while indulging in planting. Another mistake can be that there is contact between the tree and the grass, so one shouldn’t forget to add a mulch layer between them. It’s a fact that grass and tree do not go along well with each other.
Have you heard any arguments on tree staking? Whether it is important or not? But what is it? Tree staking is basically using stakes of wood or steel to keep the roots of the tree in place. There have always been assumptions about its basic use, people think that it is done to keep the tree straight and not let it fall due to strong winds but they just forget that trees do not need any support to stand tall if they are healthy. This practice is done so that the new roots do not lose their way and die but easily get attached to the ground. If the roots are not properly fixed in the ground and are easily movable then the new roots will not be able to attach themselves tightly, that is when tree staking comes into the picture. To test if your tree needs stakes or not, just try lifting up the trunk of the tree and see if you can feel that it is easily movable or not, if yes then you do need stakes to make it fixed.
So next time you plant a tree keep the above mentioned text in mind, it will just make your task easier but efficient too. There is a popular saying that whatever you do, do it with your whole heart. Plant a tree with a promise that you will plant it’s roots so strongly and take care of it that it grows into a tree full of strength.