When Should I Plant This Tree?

[animefangz]

I went to Menards recently and they were selling the remaining trees they had for 50% off list price. Naturally i was like i'm going to check this out. I found a Royal Frost Birch that was about 7 ft tall and it had small leaves, but it seemed to be doing alright. I'm considering buying it, but if i did then should i plant it when i got home or keep it in the pot until next year?

 

[treeclimber101]

Now

 

[animefangz]

Thanks

Now

Thank you ^-^

 

[Raintree]

For a paying customer, I will only plant Birches first thing in the spring while still in dormancy from fresh nursery stock. Old stock with small leaves maybe if it was 75% off.

 

[ropensaddle]

Well Fall early spring usually best however I planted trees this year in the worst drought in history just gotta water and mulch and properly prepare planting hole!

 

[arborsoldier]

For a paying customer, I will only plant Birches first thing in the spring while still in dormancy from fresh nursery stock. Old stock with small leaves maybe if it was 75% off.

Birch trees are historically a fall dig hazard. I Realize that you are probably looking at container stock, but keep that in mind.

 

[treeclimber101]

If its in a bucket sitting in your yard then plant it

 

[pdqdl]

It's been sitting above ground all year, whether container grown or dug last winter. Plant it ASAP.

Be sure to loosen the soil a long way further out than the diameter of the root ball. Pull down the burlap if bagged, and hope for a big surge of rooting action prior to fall dormancy.

Don't fertilize it!

 

[treeclimber101]

It's been sitting above ground all year, whether container grown or dug last winter. Plant it ASAP.

Be sure to loosen the soil a long way further out than the diameter of the root ball. Pull down the burlap if bagged, and hope for a big surge of rooting action prior to fall dormancy.

Don't fertilize it!

Nail on the head

 

[ropensaddle]

It's been sitting above ground all year, whether container grown or dug last winter. Plant it ASAP.

Be sure to loosen the soil a long way further out than the diameter of the root ball. Pull down the burlap if bagged, and hope for a big surge of rooting action prior to fall dormancy.

Don't fertilize it!

Water , Water ,Water lol
You know what gets me is; I know how to properly feather the planting hole and did so with my stump grinder but on one of them I'm still deeper than optimal!
It's harder to get that root flare higher than grade than it sounds. My Japanese oak i got right and it has grown 3 foot but my ginko is low the tree has not grown but is still alive I may replant when wet weather starts. Then my crape myrtle is borderline low but I think it may be ok.

 

[BigLar]

It's harder to get that root flare higher than grade than it sounds. My Japanese oak i got right and it has grown 3 foot but my ginko is low the tree has not grown but is still alive I may replant when wet weather starts. Then my crape myrtle is borderline low but I think it may be ok.

How low is too low? I know the root flare should be about 2" above ground level,, but what is too low? Anything below that ?

 

[ropensaddle]

It's harder to get that root flare higher than grade than it sounds. My Japanese oak i got right and it has grown 3 foot but my ginko is low the tree has not grown but is still alive I may replant when wet weather starts. Then my crape myrtle is borderline low but I think it may be ok.

How low is too low? I know the root flare should be about 2" above ground level,, but what is too low? Anything below that ?

Well the ginko is right at level so I know its lower than optimal Ill have to get better at digging with the grinder before planting many more. I got two trees free so decided to plant and the gink may be ok too I think they sometimes take a while to acclimate so this spring hopefully it does put out!

 

[pdqdl]

The "how far above grade" question is not too tough. Every tree in nature starts out with a seedling or a sucker coming up at the ground level. The root flare is exactly at the level of the soil.

After that, the roots and the root flair gain diameter, and the tree apparently rises out of the ground, curiously bringing the soil level up with it. As you might guess, the roots are displacing soil, and the uphill rise begins, mostly due to atmospheric carbon being pumped into the ground to make roots with.

Plant seedlings at the ground level. Small trees...about the same, depending on soil type. If you are planting a really big tree, then you need to guess how much the tree would have raised itself out of the topsoil at the nursery it came from, and then plant it that way.

Myself, I just always take the existing root flare, and plant it at soil level.