AJ Southwest - Jay’s Blog

Planting Trees

In observance of Earth Day, many organizations are planting trees to honor the day.    We cross our fingers and hope for the best each time we see a tree planted.   But the truth of the matter is that too many builders, landscape companies, and even tree companies don’t plant trees correctly!  One of our services is providing correction to problems left from improper tree planting.   When you plant a tree, the hole should be dug one third to one half bigger than the width of the root ball, but no deeper.  The top of the root ball is NOT necessarily the top of the dirt in the pot.  Pull the tree out of the pot and knock off any excess dirt on the top until you see the trunk flaring out into the root zone – this is the top of the root ball and it should not be below the soil surface.  You really should leave the top of the tree’s root ball one to two inches above the adjacent soil grade.  Be sure to unwind or cut away any girdling roots.   Fill the hole with the native soil that you dug out of the hole.   Mulch when you’re done, but don’t pile the mulch up on the truck, this creates an environment for critters and diseases to attack the trunk.