Planting Trees in Square Holes Makes Them Grow Stronger?
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Date: 2022-07-16
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Comments and reviews: 9
Lee-Roy
In a nutshell on how to plant shrubs and trees:
1) preferably do it during their dormancy period
2) remove as much of the growing medium as possible using a tub or hose
3) identify the root collar/taper and cut all roots above that (they are adventitious)
4) cut all girdling, circling and back bending roots until the root system looks like a wheel with spokes
5) place the plant at grade (root collar at soil level, NOT BELOW) without disturbing/fluffing up the bottom of the planting hole
6) backfill using ONLY native soil; no compost, no fertellizer. nada. water the soil down in between shovels to remove air pockets (= mudding in)
7) mulch thickly (wood chips give best result)
8) only bigger trees and shrubs need actual staking and if so, only low enough to keep the roots from breaking; the top needs to be able to wiggle in the wind as this stimulates trunk (root collar) girth/growth and thus stability
9) keep it watered in dry spells for the first year.
Done
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In a nutshell on how to plant shrubs and trees:
1) preferably do it during their dormancy period
2) remove as much of the growing medium as possible using a tub or hose
3) identify the root collar/taper and cut all roots above that (they are adventitious)
4) cut all girdling, circling and back bending roots until the root system looks like a wheel with spokes
5) place the plant at grade (root collar at soil level, NOT BELOW) without disturbing/fluffing up the bottom of the planting hole
6) backfill using ONLY native soil; no compost, no fertellizer. nada. water the soil down in between shovels to remove air pockets (= mudding in)
7) mulch thickly (wood chips give best result)
8) only bigger trees and shrubs need actual staking and if so, only low enough to keep the roots from breaking; the top needs to be able to wiggle in the wind as this stimulates trunk (root collar) girth/growth and thus stability
9) keep it watered in dry spells for the first year.
Done
reply
Justin
OK I am a horticulture student and there are some truths in the article. If you mix in loose soil, compost, and fertilizer in with the hole you dig the roots will not want to go into the poor soils. Which could cause it to be pot bound in the ground. Next the hole you did has to be big enough at least twice as wide as the container and filled in with as much native soil as possible To encourage the roots to grow into the native soil. And if you must add compost, top dress it with like an inch above the soil and past the hole you dig To encourage the roots to grow out of the hole into native ground. Then also with watering don't water at the trunk, water around the tree in the drip line So the roots will grow out and seek the water.
reply
OK I am a horticulture student and there are some truths in the article. If you mix in loose soil, compost, and fertilizer in with the hole you dig the roots will not want to go into the poor soils. Which could cause it to be pot bound in the ground. Next the hole you did has to be big enough at least twice as wide as the container and filled in with as much native soil as possible To encourage the roots to grow into the native soil. And if you must add compost, top dress it with like an inch above the soil and past the hole you dig To encourage the roots to grow out of the hole into native ground. Then also with watering don't water at the trunk, water around the tree in the drip line So the roots will grow out and seek the water.
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Stuart
that article sounds like classic 'Click-bait'. Basically lazy people who would rather create fabricated, fictitious articles with article titles, descriptions and images that will intrigue the user to click on it, taking the user to a page (and subsequent pages) that are full of ads, bots and annoying popups, that only serve to get payments for advertising views that users probably didn't' want to see and wasn't related or tailored to the user. It's sad this pointless practice still happens. you may as well do banner ads! Glad you called them out Laura! It's sad when people get tricked into thinking this farce is true. x
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that article sounds like classic 'Click-bait'. Basically lazy people who would rather create fabricated, fictitious articles with article titles, descriptions and images that will intrigue the user to click on it, taking the user to a page (and subsequent pages) that are full of ads, bots and annoying popups, that only serve to get payments for advertising views that users probably didn't' want to see and wasn't related or tailored to the user. It's sad this pointless practice still happens. you may as well do banner ads! Glad you called them out Laura! It's sad when people get tricked into thinking this farce is true. x
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Kitten
I think it could be problematic to plant anything in hard pan, heavy clay soil with no amendments. I always try to create a fluffy texture by adding amendments, I water faithfully for at least 6 months which gives the tree a good head start. Don't count on whatever rain may fall during this early phase. I believe more baby trees are lost due to underwatering than anything else. It wouldn't matter what shape the hole is. The roots may go around and around for a while in hard clay, but eventually the strength of the will of the plant will overcome even hard soil.
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I think it could be problematic to plant anything in hard pan, heavy clay soil with no amendments. I always try to create a fluffy texture by adding amendments, I water faithfully for at least 6 months which gives the tree a good head start. Don't count on whatever rain may fall during this early phase. I believe more baby trees are lost due to underwatering than anything else. It wouldn't matter what shape the hole is. The roots may go around and around for a while in hard clay, but eventually the strength of the will of the plant will overcome even hard soil.
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Holly
I think that I will take that article like a grain of salt and a lot of compost, lol, we put things in bigger containers to help their roots grow better, and whether it's a round hole or a square hole I think it's just a shape and I will continue to dig my round holes for the plants and trees I plant, and reading the comments below, I think common sense may have been left out, and someone just wanted to write an article on a subject they really didn't have anything to back it up with scientific proof, thanks Laura, this was an interesting video, bye for now.
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I think that I will take that article like a grain of salt and a lot of compost, lol, we put things in bigger containers to help their roots grow better, and whether it's a round hole or a square hole I think it's just a shape and I will continue to dig my round holes for the plants and trees I plant, and reading the comments below, I think common sense may have been left out, and someone just wanted to write an article on a subject they really didn't have anything to back it up with scientific proof, thanks Laura, this was an interesting video, bye for now.
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June
It is not unusual for me to dig and move a shrub or small tree a year or so after placing it in it's original site. At that time, what I find with the 'wall' of the planting hole is that the earthworms and other detritivores have chewed and pooped and left a beautiful blending of the backfill material and the soil composition of the 'wall', reaching farther out than the original size of the planting hole. We must remember that the soil is a busy, beneficial, silent ecosystem of life and is active all the time.
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It is not unusual for me to dig and move a shrub or small tree a year or so after placing it in it's original site. At that time, what I find with the 'wall' of the planting hole is that the earthworms and other detritivores have chewed and pooped and left a beautiful blending of the backfill material and the soil composition of the 'wall', reaching farther out than the original size of the planting hole. We must remember that the soil is a busy, beneficial, silent ecosystem of life and is active all the time.
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Texanna
My husband plants trees for a living. after years of people making him dig a square hole for the warranty trees he replaces (normally because of inconsistent watering) his favorite dad joke is, what is the square root of a tree? Dead Also; he plants palms, cherry laurels, and cypress that come from the grower in square boxes and they still get root bound in the shape of a square. So like you said, proper care is most important. Thanks for this video, it was cathartic for us.
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My husband plants trees for a living. after years of people making him dig a square hole for the warranty trees he replaces (normally because of inconsistent watering) his favorite dad joke is, what is the square root of a tree? Dead Also; he plants palms, cherry laurels, and cypress that come from the grower in square boxes and they still get root bound in the shape of a square. So like you said, proper care is most important. Thanks for this video, it was cathartic for us.
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Sanhita
Great job. One of the things we face in the age of prolific social media is stuff like this. As someone who has to teach students the difference between evidence based information and junk I really appreciate you taking the time to do this. I teach Environmental Science at a community college. I have a PhD. Cannot tell you how frustrating this kind of nonsense is. Thank you for using your platform and doing some coolheaded, on the mark, myth busting.
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Great job. One of the things we face in the age of prolific social media is stuff like this. As someone who has to teach students the difference between evidence based information and junk I really appreciate you taking the time to do this. I teach Environmental Science at a community college. I have a PhD. Cannot tell you how frustrating this kind of nonsense is. Thank you for using your platform and doing some coolheaded, on the mark, myth busting.
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Nettie
Saw this some time ago when it was only two clicks from the original. Im too lazy to go research it now, but in fact the original science actually was done in the UK if I remember correctly, at a respectable place like Royal Horticultural Society or some such. It wasnt just someones shady article. However, the shady articles were derivative. That said, I loved Lauras points.
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Saw this some time ago when it was only two clicks from the original. Im too lazy to go research it now, but in fact the original science actually was done in the UK if I remember correctly, at a respectable place like Royal Horticultural Society or some such. It wasnt just someones shady article. However, the shady articles were derivative. That said, I loved Lauras points.
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