CULLMAN — Cullman County lost many of its stately, old, and beloved trees when tornadoes ravaged the city and county. Replacing them is on the minds of many homeowners.

Cullman County Extension Coordinator Tony Glover has some timely and informative advice for those who will be planting trees.

Glover, who has bachelor of science and master of science degrees from Auburn University in horticulture science, worked for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) from 1984 -1998. His assignments ranged from commercial to home horticulture. He spent several years managing Master Gardener programs, including a three-year assignment as the state Master Gardener coordinator. After departing Extension in 1998, Glover was a self-employed businessman until 2006. At that point, he returned to ACES as a regional extension horticulturist at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, and more recently he was promoted to county extension coordinator for Cullman County.

The first bit of advice might be coming a little late for some folks. That involves the time of planting. “Optimum planting times are the late fall and winter months, but we still have time,” said Glover.

Although it might be tempting for folks to plant when the weather warms up, most trees are dormant in the winter and have a much better window in which to adapt to their new surroundings before they have to cope with the stresses of heat and drought.

According to Glover, most trees which don’t survive the first three to six years, fail due to incorrect planting.

Glover says that the first rule to remember is that you want to plant the right plant in the right place.

Making the right choice can save you lots of headaches in the future. For instance, you wouldn’t want a tree which drops fruit near your front door, nor would you want one whose roots tend to spread above ground near your sidewalk, patio or driveway.

“A tree should be suited to the location’s light exposure, soil drainage, soil chemistry, and available space,” Glover said. “Think about both the above- and below-ground space needed for the mature canopy and root system of the tree.”

It is important to remember that you want to give the tree and the roots room to expand, so don’t overcrowd them, especially the ones with spreading limbs, like maples, oaks and other shade trees.

Take stock of your landscape and choose a place that will add curb appeal to your landscape as well as being a suitable spot for the tree to thrive.

“Avoid overuse of any one type of tree, so that your landscape will be visually interesting and so it can better weather both storms and future pest outbreaks,” he added.

Putting some thought into the things you don’t see can help to insure your plant’s success.

“Eighty percent of all landscape problems start below the ground,” Glover explained.

When purchasing new trees, Glover suggests choosing those that are manageable in size. “I hear a lot of people say they want a mature looking landscape right away,” he said. “The problem is that the bigger the tree, the longer it takes to recover from the shock of transplanting. When they are removed from the nursery’s fields sometimes the roots are severely cut back, then they have another shock when they are installed.”

“You want your ‘root to shoot ratio’ to be in balance above and below ground,” he stressed.

By removing those important roots it sets the tree back more than you would imagine. “It takes a 10-foot tree as much as 13 years to recover, “If they even live that long,” he said.

“Younger, more supple trees with smaller root systems stand a much better chance of survival,” he advised. “And they are easier to handle in lightweight pots than the larger balled and burlap trees.”

Other problems that might cause a tree to fail are heavy, compacted soil, planting at the wrong depth or adding fill dirt after planting.

“When you remove your plant from the pot, it’s very important to get rid of the planting medium that it was potted in,” Glover stressed. “This potting medium — mainly ground pine bark — is fine for nurseries to use, but not good when left around the roots when planting.”

If your tree is encased in natural burlap, cut away the top portion and fold it back. If it was grown in synthetic burlap, remove it altogether.

Glover recommends the following techniques for correct planting.

Find a spot in your landscape for the tree, giving it plenty of room to grow.

Dig your hole several feet in circumference so that the roots will have optimum space to spread out. Dig no deeper than the root ball itself.

Remove the tree from the pot, shaking all loose potting medium away from its roots.

Remove any clinging potting medium with a water hose.

“It is critical to get the tree planted at the correct depth,” said Glover.

“The root flair, or the place where you first see roots start to extend from the trunk of the tree, should be at ground level,” he explained.

Placing the tree carefully into the hole, adjust the soil so that the roots are even with the topmost edge of the hole.

Replace the soil into the hole carefully — and don’t tamp it down too hard — this causes compaction, which can impede water from getting to the roots. These roots need to breathe, so just replace the soil firmly while not compacting, watering as you backfill, leaving only an inch or two of soil over the topmost roots.

Glover pointed out that 95 per cent of the root system is within the top 2- to 3 inches of the surface of mature trees. “The upper 6 inches contain tiny hair roots, which help provide minerals and water the plant needs, along with oxygen all tree roots need to grow.”

Although it may be tempting to replace the natural soil with bagged potting medium, Glover stresses that doing so will actually do a lot of harm in the long run. “Do not use any filler soil from bags, such as peat moss or other soil amendments. This can cause the roots to remain in the amended area, instead of spreading out the way they should.

“By giving the roots amended soil, as they start to spread out and hit the side of that hole, they begin to ‘girdle’ or to grow in a circle, much the same as if they were still in a pot,” Glover said. “Eventually this will make them so thick and entangled that they can’t take up moisture properly and they will most likely die.”

It might take several years for this to happen and in the meantime you will have poor growth. Often when agents are called out to diagnose problems with landscape trees, this is the reason.

“They need to become accustomed to their new soil right away,” said Glover. “By digging your hole wide enough and allowing them to expand, and getting them accustomed to their new soil, you give them the best chance of survival.”

 You might have heard the expression “dig a five-dollar hole for a fifty-cent plant,” Glover says. “This is good advice even if inflation may have changed the numbers. According to Glover, a newly planted tree may spread its root system up to 10 feet laterally if the soil was prepared properly before planting. Putting forth that extra effort at planting time can make a lot of difference in how quickly you can sit in the shade of your new tree.

Another temptation might be to cover the newly planted area with too much mulch. “They actually require very little mulch,” said Glover. “Too much mulch on top of the area causes the roots to grow up into the mulch itself. When we have a drought those roots will dry out and die very quickly. You want to encourage them to grow as deeply and as wide as possible, both for moisture retention and to anchor the plant, keeping it from toppling over in a strong wind.”

“You should, however, extend the mulch over a minimum of an 8-foot ring around the trunk,” he said

Another frequent mistake is staking the plant in the wrong manner. Most trees don’t require staking, but if it’s absolutely necessary, you want to be sure to allow the tree to sway in the wind. “This is called ‘Thigmomorphogenesis’,” Glover laughed. “It’s a big word that means ‘movement in the wind’.”

Allowing the tree some movement causes it to form strong roots and a thicker trunk. “A six-foot tree should be staked loosely and only about three feet above the soil line,” he instructed.

Now that you know the proper planting techniques, all you have to do is water your tree every couple of days in the first critical few weeks. When the plant has been in the ground a few weeks start watering less frequently but a little wider and deeper to encourage root spread. Keep up the regular watering through the first summer. A little extra effort the first year will allow you to sit back and watch it become a lovely addition to your landscape.

For more information on replacing and planting trees and shrubs, contact the Cullman County Extension Office at 256-737-9549, or email Tony Glover at gloveta@aces.com.



A soil analysis is only $7 and provides valuable information to help you select trees and learn what soil nutrient and pH adjustments are needed for your particular site. Find soil testing information at your county Extension office or visit the Auburn University Soil Testing Lab website at www.aces.edu/anr/soillab. Always call 811 to locate water and utility lines.