Plant An Arbor Week Tree
It’s still Arbor Week in Ontario and the best way to celebrate is by planting trees! Planting trees is a great way to spend a spring afternoon and fill our planet with hard-working air-filtering oxygen producers.
Here are a few tree planting tips to get you started:
1. Picking a Seedling
The best way to pick a seedling is to look around your area and see what sorts of trees are growing successfully. Many tree species are best planted at certain times of the year, and spring is the most popular season. Consider poplars, willows, birches and evergreens.
2. Picking a Place
Make sure the tree species you pick outgrows in this area. Pick a spot that will have both access to sunlight and shelter from winter storms. It helps to have adult trees around to guard your tree from harsh winds.
3. Digging a Hole
Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball of the tree and no deeper than the height of the root ball. “Roughen” the soil around and below the root ball – make the soil nice, smooth and compact (no so the roots can grow easily).
4. Mmm..mm Moisture!
It’s important for your young tree to retain moisture. A great way to do this is by creating a mulched area around the tiny-trunk of the tree, about 50 percent larger than what the circumference of the branches is. You use pine needles, oak leaves, or bark. What you’ll do is create a blanket to hold moisture in the soil.
5. Don’t forget!
Check in on your tree and see how it’s growing. Make sure the roots are well-hydrated – nice and moist, not too wet and not too dry.
And remember, when you go to buy your tree or seedling, be sure to ask lots to the workers at your local garden centre! They’ll be able to give you all the information you need about your specific species of tree and its needs.
Happy growing!
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