Planting Instructions

When your tree arrives, it will have traveling in its shipping box for up to 2-4 days. It is very importance to open you tree as soon as possible once delivered. This is also a good time to inspect your tree for any damage from shipping. If so, please contact us immediately for further instruction.

If you are not able or not planning to plant you tree once received, go ahead and move your new tree to a shady outdoor spot. Be sure to water it well. Because your tree has been shipped in its Root Pouch, it is fine to wait as needed until planting if the tree is receiving proper amounts of water. Some potting medium may have been removed from the Root Pouch for shipping purposes. If waiting an extended period, additional potting soil should be added as needed to the Root Pouch.

Prior to planting you will need to decide whether to remove your tree from the root pouch. If desired, you can plant the whole Root Pouch in the ground as the pouch is made of a 50/50 natural and synthetic blend. As the roots grow the natural fibers will break down allowing the root mass to expand to the surrounding area as needed. For more info on Root Pouches see our “How We Grow” page of our website.

If removing the tree from the Root Pouch you may notice that some roots have penetrated the bottom of the pouch. Take care and slowly remove the tree keeping as many of the roots intact as possible. If some roots separated and left behind this should not present a long-term problem.

Understanding your new tree’s preferences for light exposure and the mature growth size are the two most important factors in selecting the planting location. Light exposure will vary by species and will range from full shade to full shine. Understanding how much sun your desired location gets each day is important. An incorrect amount of exposure can lead to stunted tree growth or prematurely death of the tree.

Locations must account for the final mature size of the tree as well to ensure there is ample space for the tree to mature without impacting itself or its surrounding environment. Please refer to the product page for you tree and look under “Plant Info” section to learn the information needed for a selecting the proper location.

With the location selected, dig a hole that is approximately twice the diameter as the tree root ball being planted and just as deep. Be sure to not plant too deep as this can cause unwanted stress to the tree.

Break up or loosen the removed soil prior to placing back in hole. If your soil has a high amount of clay and heavy soil, it is highly recommended to mix additional soil conditioner or compost to the native soil. Not doing so in these conditions may allow for too much water to present around the tree’s root system.

When you are ready to plant the tree, give the tree an initial watering. Place the tree in the pre-dug hole and check to be sure the proper width and depth has been dug. (2x width, 1x depth). If needed, add soil to bring the hole back to the proper depth.

Place the tree in the hole and gently back fill with soil (mixed with soil amendments if needed). Prior to finishing filling, give the tree a good watering. Once finished, a tree with a mounded top 1-2” above the surrounding soil is ideal.

Newly planted trees will typically take 3-4 months for their roots to establish. During this time it is important to continue to care for the tree. Twice weekly watering will likely be needed for the first several months. Longer deeper watering is preferred over short shallow watering. This encourages deep root growth needed for long term health of the tree.

Watering should be adjusted as needed based on your local rainfall and temperatures. Hot dry summer months will need more watering than cooler spring and fall plantings.

At the time of planting, it is not suggested to fertilize your tree. A new tree needs 3-4 months to establish roots. Applying fertilizer at time of planting may stimulate stem and leave growth during this time of establishing roots. When planting your tree you may notice some residual fertilizer that is used at SRF while growing the tree in its Root Pouch. This is a time released fertilizer suitable for new trees and can planted with the tree.

Any additional fertilizer should be held off until the 2nd year. Early spring or late fall can be acceptable. Summer fertilizing should be avoided as it may encourage too much growth during the hot summer months adding unneeded stress to the tree.