Installing & Maintaining Woody Plants ( For Proper Establishment & Health) Alicia Lamborn Horticulture Agent Baker County Extension Service

When Should I Plant?  Dormant Season is usually best. (Jan-Feb) A must for field grown/B&B trees  Containerized Plants – any time of year if provided with irrigation, but should try to time planting with the coming of the rainy season.

Preparing to Plant  Weed removal Hand pull Use herbicides or smother with black plastic or thick newspaper  Post emergent herbicides 2 to 3 weeks before planting  Loosen soil (tilling or turning) Depth of 6” or more

Amending the Soil  Most plants prefer moist but well drained soils  Organic matter (compost) has many benefits… Provides slow release of nutrients to plants Increases water and nutrient holding capacity of the soil

Amending the Soil  Incorporating organic matter – add to entire planting area, not just the planting hole Add at least 3” of manure compost, peat, mushroom compost, or composted pine bark (fines) Woody trees and shrubs prefer pH = 6.0

Preparing to Plant Before digging the hole… Step 1: Locate the point where the top-most root emerges from the trunk (it should be within the top 2 inches of the ball)

Locate the Top-most Root  Remove excess soil from the top of the root-ball so the top-most root is within the top 2” of soil Three inches of soil and media were removed from the top of this root ball

The point where the top-most root meets the trunk of the tree should be no more than 2”deep in the root ball. Locate the Top-most Root

Preparing to Plant Before digging the hole… Step 2: Measure the distance between the top- most root and the bottom of the root ball. This will determine how deep to dig the hole.

Digging the Hole: Planting Depth Dig the hole slightly shallower than the depth/height of the plant’s root ball.

Digging the Hole: Planting Width Dig the planting hole as wide as possible times the width of the root ball is best.

Cut Circling Roots New roots will grow quickly into backfill soil following cutting Cut roots that circle the outside edge of the root ball

Balled and Burlapped (B&B) Wire baskets and burlap should be removed from the root ball (as much as physically possible) Synthetic materials will not decompose and therefore inhibit root growth.

Straighten the Tree Before adding backfill, be sure to check that the tree is straight by looking at it from two perpendicular directions.

Backfill Backfill soil should only contain the native landscape soil – no garden soil, potting soil, top soil, organic compost, rocks/pebbles, etc.

What about fertilizer?  No fertilizer in the planting hole! There is no need to mix it with the backfill soil or place it at the bottom of the planting hole because most roots end up close to the soil surface (top 6” to 12” of soil).  Whether in the planting hole or on the soil surface, adding soluble (quick release) fertilizer to a newly installed plant can burn roots if too much is applied. This will injure the plant and could kill it.  A newly planted tree or shrub should be fertilized 4-6 weeks after planting.

 Keep backfill off the top of the rootball.  Water the backfill as you fill the hole to remove air pockets.

Bad Fill!!

Good Fill

Mulch  Retains soil moisture (reducing evaporation)  Minimizes water needs of plants  Inhibits weed growth  Improves soil fertility (organic mulches)  Eases maintenance  Neat, uniform appearance

Mulching  Apply a 2-3 inch layer (after settling) of mulch to landscape beds and trees Mulch out to a tree’s drip line or beyond, at least an eight-foot diameter circle  Apply a thinner layer of mulch over the root ball, but keep it at least 2-3” from the trunk

Improper Mulching Never pile mulch in a volcano-like manner against the trunk. This cuts off oxygen to roots, can rot the trunk, can keep roots too wet (esp. in poorly drained soils), and can even repel irrigation and rain water.

Should woody plants be pruned at planting?

Establishment Time Period After Transplanting: Trees and shrubs provided with regular irrigation through the first growing season require about… 3 months (hardiness zones 9-11) to 6 months (zones 7-8), per inch of trunk diameter to fully establish roots in the landscape soil. This means that a 1 ½ inch caliper tree will take approximately how long to get established?

Establishment  Tree and shrub irrigation bags can help

Irrigation  Research clearly shows that recently transplanted trees and shrubs establish most quickly with light, frequent irrigation. At each irrigation… Trees: apply about 2 to 3 gallons of water per inch of trunk diameter over the root ball. Shrubs: Shrubs planted from 3-gallon containers may require as little as one gallon of irrigation water applied every eight days in north Florida. There is no need to wet the soil outside the root ball except during dry/drought periods. Never add irrigation if the root ball is saturated.

Size of Nursery Stock Irrigation Schedule for Vigor Irrigation Schedule for Survival < 2 inch caliperDaily for 2 weeks; every other day for 2 months; weekly until established. Twice weekly for 2-3 months 2-4 inch caliperDaily for 1 month; every other day for 3 months; weekly until established. Twice weekly for 3-4 months > 4 inch caliperDaily for 6 weeks; every other day for 5 months; weekly until established. Twice weekly for 4-5 months Tree Irrigation Schedule

Shrub Irrigation Schedule LocationIrrigation Schedule for Vigor Irrigation Schedule for Survival North FloridaEvery 2-4 daysEvery 8 days

Tree and Shrub Maintenance  Watering  Fertilizing  Mulching  Pruning  Pest Management  Cold Protection

Watering After Establishment  Many established, drought-tolerant landscape trees and shrubs require little or no irrigation.  Shallow-rooted shrubs (azaleas) that lack drought tolerance may require irrigation during extended drought periods to look their best.  After establishment, water on an "as-needed" basis. Frequency of irrigation will depend on soil type, exposure to sunlight, kind of bedding plant, and season of the year.

Fertilizing – When is it Appropriate? Fertilization may be justified…  When faster growth is desired (increase shoot and root growth)  To improve flowering or fruiting  To correct or prevent nutrient deficiencies *Most established trees (3-5 yrs after planting) where surrounding turf and shrubs are fertilized, do not need additional fertilizer.

Fertilizing Established Plants Level of MaintenanceAmount of Nitrogen Fertilizer Basic1-2 pounds N / 1000 sq ft / yr Moderate2-4 pounds N / 1000 sq ft / yr High4-6 pounds N / 1000 sq ft / yr Area (sq ft)6%8%10%12%14%15%16%18%20% oz 1 tsp 0.1 oz ½ tsp 0.1 oz ½ tsp 0.1 oz ½ tsp < 0.1 oz ¼ tsp < 0.1 oz ¼ tsp < 0.1 oz ¼ tsp < 0.1 oz ¼ tsp < 0.1 oz ¼ tsp 50.7 oz 1 ½ TB 0.5 oz 1 TB 0.4 oz 2 ½ tsp 0.3 oz 2 ¼ tsp 0.3 oz 2 ¼ tsp 0.25 oz 2 ¼ tsp 0.25 oz 2 ¼ tsp 0.25 oz 2 ¼ tsp 0.2 oz 2 ¼ tsp oz 3 TB 1 oz 2 TB 0.8 oz 1 ½ TB 0.7 oz 1 ½ TB 0.6 oz 1 TB 0.5 oz 1 TB 0.5 oz 1 TB 0.5 oz 1 TB 0.4 oz 2 ¼ tsp % Nitrogen in Fertilizer This chart explains the approximate weight of fertilizer to use for a given landscape bed area in ounces and also in teaspoons/tablespoons to deliver ½ lb N / 1000 sq ft (the recommended rate for a single application of quick release fertilizer). If applying a fertilizer product that has at least 30% slow-release nitrogen, these rates can be doubled to deliver 1 lb N / 1000 sq ft. In other words, a quick release fertilizer could be applied 2-4 times per year using the amounts above, or a slow release fertilizer could be applied 1-2 times per year by doubling the amounts above.

Maintaining Mulch  Maintain a 3” layer of mulch around all plants to conserve water, block weeds, etc. Course materials (course pine bark) can be maintained at a depth of 4 inches.

Cold Protection  Water 24 to 48 hours before freeze  Tree Wraps – prevent bark splitting

Thank you for your attention. For more information…    Solutionsforyourlife.com