By Chris Cohan

Pullquote: Like petulant, privileged progeny, if trees are never encouraged to spread their roots and venture forth, you may find yourself saddled with a permanent basement dweller.

He wouldn’t talk. He held tough. Under a bare bulb, on a hard chair in a stuffy tool shed he just wouldn’t break. I pressed harder. Finally, he caved. “OK, OK, you’re right, I put a ten-dollar tree in a one-dollar hole. I confess I did it. I’m guilty.”

The horror of it all. He had it backwards: it’s make a ten-dollar hole for a one-dollar tree. Never go cheap when preparing a planting hole. A mistake he promised not to repeat.

You and your plants will be better off if you always put effort into creating a welcoming hole. Dig it twice the size of the root ball. Remove any debris, rocks, and poor soil, if present. Save and reuse the topsoil. Add compost and peat moss. Compost will increase organic matter and attract beneficial organisms. Peat moss will loosen heavier soils for easier root penetration, aid in water retention, and provide slow-release nitrogen. Avoid synthetic fertilizers, as they may burn the roots and set your hard work back. 

Incorporate mycorrhiza, one of Mother Nature’s natural wonders. It is a fungus that has a symbiotic relationship with plants. (Imagine if we could sprinkle mycorrhiza on Washington to promote a symbiotic relationship?) The fungus stimulates plants’ uptake of vital nutrients, which in turn promotes hardier plant growth to better withstand disease and drought.

Mycorrhiza is safe, natural, and readily available at most garden centers and, of course, online. David Austin of rose fame, Myke, and Roots are a few good brands. Simply spread around root ball at planting time.

Prepare a welcoming, generous-sized hole. Most roots grow shallow and wider than the branches above to promote self-reliance. Provide them room to grow. A broader root system will ensure plants stand tall and able to feed themselves without your attentive care. Like petulant privileged progeny, if they are never encouraged to spread their roots and venture forth, you just may find yourself saddled with a permanent basement dweller.

In the end, the key is to feed the soil. An active dynamic soil with a lot of microbial activity will be far better for your plants to grow in. So, prepare holes well, incorporate compost, peat moss, mycorrhiza, and water when hole is half full. Allow water to soak in. Fill the hole. Then build a berm with the leftover planting soil to create a watering reservoir around the tree. Don’t rely on lawn irrigation or light sprinkling, since that will only moisten a few inches of topsoil and thus encourage weak surface roots. The bigger the tree, the more water it will require.

Finish off the hole with mulch, which suppresses weeds, regulates soil temperature, and keeps soil moist in between rainfalls. However, keep it away from the trunk! Always leave trunk flair exposed. NEVER, EVER create a volcano-shaped mound of mulch up a trunk. This is wrong and defies all horticultural logic. If you see your gardener doing it, stop him!

How did this practice start? Is it classic lemming-like behavior? ‘That guy did it so it must be good.’ Whatever the mindless excuse, all you are guaranteeing is rot, infection, and a weakened root system for your plants.

Sadly, it can be observed all around, from municipalities to schools, to even some estates. <Oy, vey, what <mishegoss is dis?> Remember to dig a ten-dollar hole for a one-dollar tree and never ever mound up trunks. Otherwise, you could find yourself under a bare bulb, on a hard chair, in a stuffy tool shed.

Improper Mulching

Proper Mulching Around