How to Plant a Tree or Shrub

To plant a tree or shrub from a nursery pot, dig a hole two to three times as wide as the root ball and no deeper than it. Set the root flare even with or just above the soil, refill with the soil you dug out and soak the root ball. Mulch about 3 inches deep, clear of the trunk, then water often until the roots spread.

At a glance

Step	What to do
Hole width	Two to three times the root ball for a tree; at least one and a half times for a shrub.
Hole depth	No deeper than the root ball is tall.
Root flare	Even with or slightly above the soil; the top of the root ball about an inch above the ground.
Backfill	The soil from the hole, with no compost, peat or potting mix.
Mulch	About 3 inches deep, kept off the root ball and away from the trunk.
Staking	Only when needed; remove within one year.
Time to establish	In Florida, 3 to 4 months per inch of trunk diameter for trees and 20 to 28 weeks for shrubs. In zones 4 and 5, about 12 months per inch.

When to plant

In Florida, you can plant trees and shrubs in any season. Hot, dry, sunny spells, common in spring and fall, slow establishment unless you water regularly. If you can't water often, plant at the start of the rainy season and let the rain do much of the work.

In colder zones, container-grown shrubs can go in at any time during the growing season, and early spring to early summer suits most. In a cold-winter state such as Iowa, deciduous shrubs can also be planted from August through early November, and evergreens from mid-August through September. Evergreens planted later may not root in before winter and can suffer drying injury.

Choose the spot

Plan for the mature size. Look up the plant's full height and width, which our care guides give, and leave that room. Many large shrubs grow to the size of small trees.
Match the site to the plant. Check its light, soil, soil pH and water needs against the spot. If they differ, choose another spot or another plant.
Look up and around. Keep trees that grow large away from power lines, security lights and the house. Curbs, foundations and sidewalks bend roots, and a tree with straight roots stands more firmly.
Give shrubs air. Keep the center of a shrub more than 2.5 feet from the foundation of a building.
Call 811 before you dig so buried lines and pipes are marked.

Dig the hole

Dig a wide, shallow hole. For a tree, make it two to three times the width of the root ball, or dig it only slightly wider and loosen the soil around it with a shovel. For a shrub, make it at least one and a half times the width; wider is better. Slope the sides so the top is wider than the bottom.

Never dig deeper than the root ball is tall, because loose soil underneath lets the plant sink. For a shrub, dig an inch or two shallower than the root ball.

If people have walked or parked on the area, loosen the top 8 to 12 inches of soil across the whole bed first. In compacted or poorly drained clay, dig a wider, shallower hole so up to a third of the root ball sits above the surrounding ground.

Take the plant out of its pot

Our trees and shrubs are grown in containers, so planting starts with the pot.

Lift the plant by the container, not the trunk. Lay it on its side, tap the pot and slide the plant out. For a large plant or a loose root ball, cut off the pot's bottom, lower it into the hole, then cut away the sides.
Remove every container, including fabric grow bags and fiber pots sold as plantable.
Find the root flare, where the uppermost root leaves the trunk. If potting mix covers it, scrape the mix away until you reach the first main root. Judge depth from the flare, not the top of the root ball.
Cut any roots that circle close to the trunk. Do not cut a root thicker than a third of the trunk's width; spread it outward instead.
On a tree, shave off the outer inch or so of the root ball with a sharp shovel. This removes circling roots that could strangle the trunk later and sends new roots out into the soil. On a shrub that is tightly root-bound, slice the edges of the root ball in several places or loosen them by hand.

Set the height and backfill

Set the plant upright with the root flare even with or slightly above the surrounding soil. Once the hole is filled, the top of the root ball should sit about an inch above the ground. A little high is always safer than too deep: a tree planted too deep can die within months, or later develop girdling roots and trunk rot.

If the plant sits too low, lift it out, add soil to the bottom of the hole and firm it with your foot so the plant won't sink, then set it back.

Backfill with the soil you dug out, without compost, peat or potting soil. In Florida's sandy soil, compost in the hole breaks down quickly and leaves air pockets, so the plant can sink or dry out. In clay, an amended hole collects water and drowns roots. To improve the soil, amend the whole bed before planting.

As you fill around a tree, slice a shovel down into the soil 20 to 30 times all around it, then firm the soil with your foot. Fill around the sides of the root ball only; put no soil on top of it.

Water it in

Soak the root ball and the planting hole until both are thoroughly wet. This settles the soil and removes air pockets. Add soil anywhere it sinks after watering.

Mulch

Trees: spread mulch 3 inches deep in a circle at least 8 feet across, with a 12-inch gap between the trunk and the mulch.
Shrubs: spread 2 to 3 inches, kept at least 2 inches from the stems.
Keep it off the root ball. Mulch on top of the root ball stops rain and irrigation from soaking in, and the root ball can dry out. Start the mulch at its edge.
Never pile it against the trunk. Mulch heaped on the trunk invites rot, cankers, insects and rodents, and hides the root flare.
Use organic mulch such as pine bark, pine straw, wood chips or shredded bark. It holds moisture, checks weeds and evens out soil temperature.

Staking

Most plants need no stakes. Stake a top-heavy tree, or one in a windy, exposed spot. Drive one to three stakes into undisturbed soil outside the planting hole, with one on the side the wind usually comes from. Tie the trunk low with wide, flexible strips of canvas or rubber, which hold the root ball still and let the trunk sway. Skip rope, twine and wire, which rub and can girdle the trunk.

Remove stakes within one year of planting. If the root ball still moves when the tree sways, leave them a little longer.

Watering until it is established

For the first few weeks, every root is still inside the original root ball. A root ball from a container is dense and dries out faster than the soil around it, so aim the water onto the root ball itself. Light, frequent watering establishes a plant faster than heavy, occasional soaking.

Trees in Florida

For trees planted in spring or summer, water two to three times a week. After the first few months, water weekly until the tree is established.
Give 2 to 3 gallons per inch of trunk diameter each time. A tree with a 2-inch trunk needs 4 to 6 gallons.
Expect establishment to take 3 to 4 months per inch of trunk diameter, measured 6 inches above the ground.
Water less in winter and on poorly drained soil. The goal is a root ball that stays moist but never soggy.

Shrubs in Florida

For a shrub from a 3-gallon pot, give 1 gallon every 4 days south of Orlando and every 8 days north of it. For more vigorous growth, water every 2 days in the south and every 4 days in the north. More than a gallon at a time does not help.
Plants from smaller pots establish sooner; plants from larger pots take longer.
Water before 10 a.m. where you can, and skip a watering if a quarter inch of rain or more fell in the previous 24 hours.
Most shrubs are established after 20 to 28 weeks. From then on, water when you see wilting.

Colder zones

Check the root ball and water when it is dry 1 to 2 inches down. It often dries before the surrounding soil does.
Water a new shrub every day for 3 or 4 days, then less often. By 3 to 4 weeks after planting, a thorough watering every 7 to 10 days in dry weather is usually enough.
Wet the whole root ball and some of the soil around it, and widen the watered area as the roots grow.
Roots keep growing until the ground freezes, so keep watering in dry weather until then.
In zones 4 and 5, a tree takes about 12 months per inch of trunk diameter to establish, so a 2-inch tree needs about 24 months. Small trees usually need watering for one or two growing seasons; larger trees may need occasional watering for 3 or 4 years.

Planting a palm

Plant a palm at exactly the depth it grew in its container. Container-grown palms can be planted at any time of year. Water often for the first few months. Expect little new top growth in the first year while the palm puts its energy into roots. Each palm's care guide covers its feeding.