Planting Guide

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Thank you for purchasing your plants from Eaton Grove Nursery. We are providing you with the highest quality and best conditioned nursery stock available. In order to further ensure the continued well-being of these plants, we offer the following suggestions:

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Preparing the Hole

Properly handle the plant by the container or ball ONLY. Lifting or carrying by the stem or trunk may loosen the soil ball and kill the plant. This precaution is especially important for larger trees. It is always a temptation to use the trunk as a lever or handle to maneuver the tree but this practice may cause fatal damage. Keep your plant moist until you can get it into the ground.

Dig the hole twice as wide and almost as deep as the root ball. Roots will initially grow sideways from the plant; therefore, width is more important than depth. The bottom of the hole should not be loosened since settling of the plant may result after watering.The TOP of the root ball should end up being slightly higher than the surrounding soil. When planting in established yards, you may wish to put soil from the hole on a tarp to ease cleanup.

Improving the soil will further ensure initial survival and continued vigorous growth. With the soil from the hole make a mixture of 2/3 soil and 1/3 Soil Pep com post or 1/3 Peat Moss. Then, either 1: AddMyke®near roots, or 2: Add ¼ cup super-phosphate/bone meal for every 5 gallons of soil and mix thoroughly or 3: You can use Ferti-lomeRoot Stimulatoras you water-in your plant after you finish planting. You can repeat Root Stimulator every 3-4 weeks!

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Planting

Plant as soon as time permits, but in any case, keep the root ball moist. If a plastic pot contains your plant, carefully slide the pot off, and by holding the root ball, set the plant into the center of the hole. Setting the ball onto a gunnysack or other mat may ease the handling process. Planting larger trees will require more than one person.

Container grown plants (except for roses) should be planted so that the top of the soil ball,as it is in the container, is set slightly higher than the soil level of your yard.Balled and burlapped plants(B&B) should be planted so that the top of the ball is 1 to 2 inches above the surrounding soil level.Rosesthat are grafted should be planted so that the graft is 2 inches below soil level (for over-wintering purposes, avoiding their graft union to die over the winter).

Balled and burlapped (B&B) trees. Since burlap decomposes readily, it may be left on the ball after planting. Cut away any twine and exposed burlap on top of the ball after planting. If the ball is contained by wire it is important to use the wire as a “handle” to set the ball into the extra wide hole. Remove the very bottom of the wire basket before lowering the rootball into the hole. The remaining wire needs to be cut away after the ball is placed into the hole to avoid root-girdling damage in future years.

Place the improved soil in around the root ball, lightly tamping it in around the root ball. Form a “watering basin” around the plant. Larger tree s will require staking to be done at the time of planting. In lawns, take away the “watering basin” after watering-in your tree.

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Watering

Water the plant by filling the water basin twice the same day as planting. Future watering depends on plant variety, soil type and environmental conditions. Too much frequent watering will starve the roots from much needed oxygen. As a good rule of thumb, check the soil at a depth of 3-4”; if you can make a ball by wadding the soil in your hand, it is wet enough. If the soil crumbles, water is needed. A once a week “deep” soaking is better than frequent watering. During WINTER, it is important to provide water to trees and shrubs about once a month.

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Winter Care

WINTER protection should be provided for trees at least during the first three winters after planting. Watering, mulching, and wrapping the trunks with paper-type tree wrap (to prevent winter sun scald injury) will greatly improve your success with your new trees. (WRAP MAPLE AND LINDEN TREES FOR AT LEAST 4 TO 6 WINTERS.) DO NOT use black colored wrap on tree trunks! Wrap cottonwood or aspen loosely as the bark needs to breath. Remove tree wrap in April for the summer season, and re-wrap in mid-October.