Field Guide / How-To
How-To
Plant a Tree Right
The 5 that matter
How to plant a tree so it actually lives: dig wide not deep, set the root flare at grade, backfill with native soil (skip the fancy amendments), mulch in a wide ring away from the trunk, water deep and slow. Save this before your next planting. 🌳
- Dig the hole 2–3× as wide as the rootball — but no deeper.
- Find the root flare; set it at or just above grade.
- Loosen circling roots; backfill with the native soil you dug.
- Mulch a wide ring — never piled against the trunk.
- Water deep and slow, then weekly through the first summer.
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