• Fillholewithoriginalsoil.

• Removeburlapandwirebasket.

• Keepmulch6inchesfromtrunk.

• Mulch3to4inchesdeep.

• Makesuretrunkflareisaboveground.

• Floodpartiallybackfilledholewithslow-runninghose.

• Loosenandspreadoutroots.

• Spreadrootsonfirmsoiltopreventsettling.

• Digwide,shallowholeatleast2timesthewidthofrootspread.

Illustration Copyright © Robert O’Brien

PlantaTree

Select the right place for your treeConsidersoilconditions,exposuretosunandwind,humanactivity,drainage,hardinesszoneandspaceconstraints.Mostrootsgrowinthetop4to18inchesofsoilandfarbeyondthedripline.Howmuchspacewillyourtreeneedaboveandbelowgroundwhenitismature?

Righttree,Rightplace,Rightway

For more information:Landscape Plants for Alaska: www.alaskaplants.org

Trees are Good: www.treesaregood.org/treecare/treecareinfo.aspxCommunity Forestry (see publications and resources): http://forestry.alaska.gov/community

Care for your tree• Watertreesduringthefirstfiveyearsafterplantingifsoil4inchesdownisdry.

• Apply,asneeded,2to4gallonsofwaterforeachinchofcaliper,twiceaweek.Forexample,givea2-inchcalipertree4to8gallonstwiceweeklyduringthegrowingseason.Waterslowlyuntilsoilismoisttoadepthof12inches.

• Iftreeisstaked,checktiesregularlytobesurethetrunkisnotdamaged.Removetiesafteronegrowingseasonorassoonasrootsarewellanchored.

• Mostlandscapetreesdowellwithlittleornofertilizer.Useonlyifsymptoms,suchaslittlegrowth,indicateaneed.First,besuresymptomsarenotduetoothercauses,suchastreeisplantedtoodeeporneedsmorefrequentwatering.

• Ifsymptomsindicateaneed,applyslowreleasefertilizerinspring,earlysummerorlatefallandfollowproductdirections.Don’tfertilizeastressedtree.

• Donotusede-icingsaltneartreerootsorwhereitwilldrainintotherootzone.Remember,rootsspreadfarbeyondthedripline.

• Perennialsandshrubsmaybeplantedalongwiththetree,butdon’tplantannualsorbulbswhererepeateddiggingcandamageshallowtreeroots.Don’tplantanythingoverrootsofnewlyplantedtrees.

• Donotcompactthesoilorspreadadditionalsoilovertreerootsoraroundthetrunk.

• Keeplawnmowersandweedwhipsawayfromtreetrunkstoavoiddamage.Mulchreducestheneedforweedingneartrees.

• Improvethehealthofyourtreesbymaintainingalayerofmulch,3to4inchesdeeptothedriplineand6inchesawayfromthetrunk.Fallenleavesmaybeleftonthegroundtoserveasmulch.

• Contactaqualifiedarboristtoprunelargetreesorprovidespecialservices.HireonlyanISAcertifiedarboristwhoisinsuredandcanprovidereferences.

UAF Cooperative Extension Service1-877-520-5211www.uaf.edu/ces

Alaska Division of ForestryCommunity Forestry Program907-269-8465 / 907-269-8466The State of Alaska is an equal opportunity employer. The Community Forestry Program receives federal financial support through the USDA Forest Service.

UAF is an AA/EO employer and educational institution

(2-2012)All Illustrations Copyright © Robert O’Brien

Don’t:• Createshadewhereyouwant

sunlight.• Blockdesirableviews.• Plantwheresnowisstoredor

slidesfromroofs.• Encroachonneighboring

property.• Interferewithutilitylines,

poles,andtransformerboxes.

• Treesplantedtooclosetobuildingsandchimneysdropdebrisonroofsandarefirehazards.

• Avoidblockingtrafficsignsandsightlinesatintersectionsanddriveways.

• Treesplantedtooclosetogethercan’tachievematuresizeandshape.

• Givetreesspacetoreachmaturesizewithoutdamagingdriveways,streets,sidewalksortrails.

Select the right place for your tree

• Treeswithlargecanopiesinterceptrainandsnowfallandreducerunoffanderosion.

• Deciduoustreesonthesouthandwestallowsunshinethrough

inthewinterandprovideshadeinthesummer.

• Treeswithspringflowers,fallcolorandattractivebarkaccentlandscapes.

•Treesandshrubswithfruit,berriesandseedsprovidefoodforhumans,birdsandotheranimals.

•Evergreentreesplantedbetweenabuildingand

prevailingwindsserveasawindbreak.

Avoid sites where your tree will cause problems or be damaged

• Branchesformwideangleswithtrunk

•Brancheswell-spacedaroundtrunk

• Trunkflareabovesoil

• Rootsfillcontainerbutarenotpot-bound

•Noweeds

•Undersizedyellowleaves

•Weedsincontainer

•Rootscirclecontainerortrunk

•Competingleaders

• V-shaped,ornarrowanglesbetweentrunkandbranches

•Trunkwounds

Preferable

Plant it right• Prepareaplantingholethatencouragestherootstospreadandgrowintothe

surroundingsoil.

• Beforedigginghole,removealltwine,tagsandwrapfromaroundthetrunkandcutawayandremovethecontainer,wirebasketand/orburlap.

• Removevegetationandloosensoilinasaucer-shapedareaatleasttwotimesthespreadoftherootsandnodeeperthanheightfrombaseoftrunkflaretobottomofroots.Theholewillbewideandshallow.

• Separateandspreadtherootssothattheywillgrowoutintothesurroundingsoil.Prunerootsthatarediseased,damagedorcirclingthecontainerorrootball.

• Setthetreeintheholeonsolidgroundsothatitdoesnotsettle.Thetrunkflaremustbejustabovegroundlevel.

• Ifsoilisverypoororcompacted,youmaymixsometopsoilwithexistingsoil,creatingatransitiontosurroundingsoil.

• Usewatertosettlethesoilasyoubackfillin1/3increments.Donotcompactsoilordamagerootsbywalkingonwetsoil.

• Stakeonlyifneededtostabilizetheroots.

• Usesmooth,flexiblematerialthatallowssomemovementoftrunk.Removetieswithinoneyear.

Unacceptable

Good quality tree Poor quality tree

• Evergreensanddenseshrubsscreenundesirableviewsandcancreatewind-breaks.