PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS

Planting a container-grown shrub or tree is easy!

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1. Dig a hole as deep as the plant's container and twice as wide.  Place the container inside the hole to see if it is the proper depth.  The top of the root ball should be even with or slightly higher than the soil surface. 

 

2. Squeeze the container gently in several places to separate the root ball from the sides of the container.  Carefully tip the plant on it's side and slide the plant out of the container, being careful to handle the plant by the root ball and not the stem or branches.

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3. Using your fingers, carefully free the roots on the bottom of the root ball.  Breaking them free of the "container shape" they grew into helps them become established more easily in their new environment.

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4. Backfill the hole, firming the soil gently around the root ball to eliminate air pockets. 

 

5.  Water the plant in, making sure the soil in the hole is thoroughly saturated.  Mulching around the plant to a depth of 2 - 3 inches with material such as wood chips, straw, or grass clippings helps the soil to remain moist and easily penetrated by growing roots. Water often the first year to ensure the plant does not dry out until it becomes established.

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