How to plant a tree

December 2014

Following the compost practical our Go Organics class visited Ngaire's expansive garden to plant shrubs.  We were supposed to be planting trees but it was the wrong time of year for that and Ngaire had many shrubs that needed to get out of pots and into soil.  The same planting rules apply for shrubs and trees.

We began the day with our Tutor Micky showing us step by step what to do and then we were put into groups to plant where Ngaire had laid out the plants.

Micky says when she is planting the night before she fills a wheelbarrow with water and sits the  plants in it to soak up as much water as possible.

First step on the day is to dig a hole.  Sounds simple but so many people get this first step wrong.  They dig a round hole perhaps because the plant is often in a round pot.

But your hole should be square and at least twice the size of the plant.  If you have difficult soil then the larger the hole the better chance your plant will have to succeed.

Why square? If round the roots will continue to grow in a circle like it does when bound in a pot for too long. It even helps to make cuts in the square  sides to encourage roots to explore further. Also break up the soil with a spade in the bottom of the hole.

Next add compost and mix with the soil.  If you just use compost then the plant will want to stay in that perfect environment and will not want to spread its roots into the surrounding soil.

Micky also added a sprinkle of Bio Fert.  She was planting a flax and while native plants are not usually heavy feeders the Bio Fert's added fish fertiliser, microbes and trace elements will give the flax the best start it can have.

This flax was a good example of a root bound plant.  If you plant a root bound plant it is never going to thrive without its roots being freed.  For tough rooted plants like flax Micky said rather than teasing out the roots with your hands, believe it or not,  it is less invasive to use a spade to cut the roots.

Make 4-6 cuts around the edges towards the centre of the plant with a sharp spade. We were planting Clivia's and Micky said their thick juicy roots would get infections if cut like the flax.  The Clivia's were really root bound so we had to cut the pot to avoid damaging their roots and we had to carefully untangle the roots by hand.

Next step is to mound up compost and soil so that the roots of the plants will dangle down rather than spread out if there was no mound.

You can see the perfect mound that Lezandra made when planting her shrub.  Lezandra squeezes the sides of the pot to ensure the plant will come out of the pot easily.  Of course soaking the plants will also assist in releasing the plant from it's pot.

You can see here that the roots are pointing downwards and that the base of the plant should be at the same height as the top of the hole or slightly lower.  Never plant higher than the surrounding soil level because once heavy rain falls the mound of soil is likely to be washed away leaving the plant's roots exposed.

Fill in with a mix of soil and compost.

Next with your foot firm the plant into the soil.  This may seem wrong as if you are compressing the soil but it is necessary to anchor the plant firmly and to avoid it being blown over by the next big wind.

Finally Micky creates a kind of moat wall around the plant so that when it is watered the water will not run off.

Finally give your plant a good drink of water.

Ngaire's cat approves!

And here's proof that I planted a Cabbage tree Cordyline "Can Can".

December is not the best time to plant but it is most timely for Lezandra who is just starting out gardening and has a big property and many trees to plant.  I have planted a few trees but after this work day I realised I wasn't doing it 100% right.  Thanks to Micky we will all be planting better from now on.

Saturday 11 April 2015

I had the opportunity to share my tree planting knowledge with my family at our family farm at Kaweku, close to Riversdale in Southland.

On a sunny, cool and clear day we planted two trees in a living memorial to my brother Don. 

The shelter belt of trees in the background completely shelters the house
but a waratah stake will be added to ensure it isn't affected by winds.

The first tree that was chosen by Don himself was an Italian Alder Alnus cordata.  

This tree will reward the family with a fast growing, nitrogen fixer and a tough tree that'll survive clay and drought. I have learnt that this Alder's fungi will feed other plants quite a distance away so it is placed well with the plastic growing house nearby.

I passed on the wisdom of digging a square hole and not a round one which is the natural inclination with a round tree bag.  I also told him to make cuts on the corners and forming a hump of soil in the bottom of the hole so that the tree roots will be facing downwards, not out.

Since our tree planting workshop I have been convinced by Stefan Sobkowaik of the Permaculture Orchard not to add additives to the soil at root level but instead mixed well into the top section of the soil as this imitates what nature does. But if the potting mix is quite different material to the soil then I would mix in compost to make it more inviting for the roots as discussed in our class.   Being conventional farmers that use artificial fertilisers, it wasn't the occasion to discuss the down side of using artificial fertilisers for the soil biology.  So they added granules. The soil was a good clay loam so the tree should do well here.  

The second tree planted was a Southern Rata Metrosideros umbellata at the entrance to a reserve my other brother Jamie has set up on the top corner of the family farm.  It's going to be planted out completely in native trees and runs into a wetland area where Jamie has a duck pond.  He has put the land under covenant through the QEII Trust and to ensure the land will never be sold he will ensure upon his death it is gifted to the nation.   Jamie started planting trees 2013 and each time we visit we clear the grass from around the base the trees.  One tree is already the height of Jamie.

We all felt the Southern Rata aka "Iron Wood" would be a fitting tree to remember our tough and brave brother Don.  It will have a tougher time than the Alder as it will be in a wilder environment.