When is the best time to plant a tree?

It's summer time. You're upset you didn't quite get around to planting that beautiful red maple or that hedge row to block out those pesky neighbours. Can you plant your trees now? 

 

Well. Yes. You probably could. 

 

But why risk it? The best time to plant is either spring or fall time (all the way into November. As long as the trees are in the ground and well heeled in before the ground freezes). This is when the conditions will be most conducive to starting a healthy tree. It is cooler, and generally there is more moisture for the tree to drink up while pushing those new roots out (that's a lot of work!)  Studies show that if a tree experiences drought or transplant shock from a lack of water, a tree planted later will catch up and even surpass the tree planted earlier in poor conditions.

 

Here's the exception: If you're like me, and you just can't wait to plant new trees, make sure you are planting something with an established root system (ie, a container grown tree) These trees have large, healthy root mass, and will be better able to survive being planted in the summer.

 

WATER! Yes, water your tree (rocket science, I know!) Depending on the size of the tree, be sure to water for at least 1-2 minutes every other day or so during dry conditions only. If it is raining lots, every 4-5 days should be fine. This is something you will have to play by ear as you can overwater your tree and drown it (this is especially common in poor draining soil types --- ahem, yes that's you clay) 

 

MULCH? Yes, place mulch around the base of your tree. A layer of roughly 5 inches around the roots will help to keep the moisture in and the weeds out. Do not pile the mulch up the stem or base of the tree as this will create rot around the base. Think of it as adding a donut of mulch around the tree. Mmmmmmm. Donuts.....

Hopefully this helps you when planning on when to plant those beautiful trees to liven your landscape.