Tree planting - most failures happen in the first hour

What is tree planting?

Professional tree planting covers species selection for the site, sourcing the stock, digging and preparing the hole, setting the tree at the correct height, backfilling, mulching and establishment watering. The two decisions that determine whether it is alive in ten years are made in minutes: is the root flare at or slightly above finished grade, and have circling roots in the root ball been corrected. Almost everything else can be fixed later. Those cannot.

Signs you need tree planting

• A mature tree has been removed and the space is now bare, hot and exposed
• You want shade on a west or south elevation to cut afternoon heat load on the house
• A planting requirement has been imposed by a removal permit, a subdivision covenant or an HOA
• You need a screen along a boundary and are choosing between a hedge, a row of trees and a fence
• Newly built ground has no canopy and the landscape looks unfinished for it
• Previous plantings have died and you want to know why before spending again

Seeing something not on this list? Browse tree service problems by symptom →

How tree planting actually works

1. 1

   Matching species to the site, not to the catalogue

   Mature size against available space, sun and soil, drainage, salt and de-icing exposure, overhead lines and underground services, and how the species behaves locally. The right-tree-right-place decision is the one that has the longest consequences.

   Watch forA species chosen because it was in stock, or because it grows fast. Fast-growing trees are generally weak-wooded and short-lived, and they are how a cheap planting becomes an expensive removal.

2. 2

   Inspecting the stock before it leaves the nursery

   Container stock is checked for roots circling the inside of the pot. Balled-and-burlapped stock is checked for a firm root ball and for how much soil sits above the flare. A tree with a good structure at purchase stays that way.

   Watch forRoots wrapped tightly around the perimeter of the pot. They do not straighten out on their own - they keep circling, and years later they girdle the trunk from below. The correction is made at planting or not at all.

3. 3

   Finding the root flare and digging to it

   The flare - the point where the trunk widens into the roots - has to sit at or just above finished grade. Nursery stock frequently arrives with soil piled over it, so the flare is located first and the planting depth is measured from there, not from the top of the root ball.

   Watch forA hole dug to the depth of the container. If the tree was potted too deep, that reproduces the mistake, and a buried flare is the most common cause of slow decline in landscape trees.

4. 4

   A wide, shallow hole and native backfill

   The hole is dug considerably wider than the root ball and no deeper than needed, with the sides roughened. It is backfilled with the soil that came out of it, firmed to remove air pockets, and watered in.

   Watch forA narrow hole filled with rich imported compost. Roots circle inside the improved pocket rather than growing out into the native soil, and the tree effectively stays in a pot underground.

5. 5

   Mulch, staking only if needed, and an establishment watering plan

   Mulch goes on in a wide, shallow ring pulled clear of the trunk. Staking is only used where the tree genuinely cannot stand, and is removed once it can. Then it needs deep, infrequent watering through the first seasons.

   Watch forMulch mounded against the trunk, and stakes left on for years. The first rots the bark at the base; the second stops the tree developing its own trunk strength and can girdle it if the ties are forgotten.

What does tree planting cost?

Installed cost is driven almost entirely by size: a small container tree planted professionally often runs a couple of hundred dollars, while a large balled-and-burlapped specimen needing machinery can reach several thousand. Bigger stock is not a shortcut - smaller trees establish faster and frequently overtake larger ones planted the same day.

See the full tree planting cost guide - by material, size and region →

If the number is the problem, here are the ways people pay for it →