You will have to bury a root ball no matter what type of plants that you will plan to grow. Whether you are planting fruits or ornamental trees, most of them contain a root ball or system of roots with attached soils. It supports the health of the tree. In order to provide suffice nourishment to the tree that it supports, the root ball must remain in a growing medium at all times. The root ball will eventually die if left without the right type of soil, fertilizer and water. Here are the steps on how to plant with root ball.
Things that you need:
- Shovel
- nursery tag
- lime or peat moss
- pitchfork
- water
- soil pH testing kit
- soaker hose
- tape measure
Steps:
- First, choose a location for the plant. Consider the space and sunlight requirements that can be referred on the nursery tag attached to the tree or on its container.
- Check if the soil drains well as most of tress dislike growing in a soggy soil. Wet soil can cause root rot diseases which kill most of trees. If you want to test the soil drainage qualities, make a 1-foot deep of hole and fill it with water. The soil has good drainage if it drains within four hours. But if it takes more than that such as 12 hours or more, consider choosing another place.
- The other information that you can find on the nursery tag is the soil pH requirements. You can determine the acidity of the soil before planting by using a soil pH testing kit. You will have to amend it with either lime or peat moss if your soil pH is off after you break it up with a pitchfork.
- Measure the nursery container or the burlap with a tape measure that is protecting the root ball. Dig a hole that matches the height of the container. Then, dig the hole twice the width of the container.
- Replace the tree from the nursery container. If the tree has a root ball wrapped with burlap, remove the metal basketry with a pair of wire cutter. Untie the burlap at the top of the root ball. Peel the burlap down just far enough to expose the root flare.
- Place the root ball gently in the hole, dead center and backfill it halfway. Add enough water with a garden hose to moisten the soil and secure the root ball. Continue backfilling up to the root flare. Tamp down the soil with your hands or foot to remove any air pockets. Water the tree liberally and provide with approximately 1 inch of water per week.
Additional Reading:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5912613_plant-tree-root-ball.html
Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/snokite/2820103573/
