Sep

Your Fall Tree Planting Guide

This fall is all things trees for Urban Roots’ Conservation program. We are in full swing delivering and planting trees as part of our tree giveaway program.

Did you know that now is a perfect time to plant a tree? The weather has cooled and gotten wetter, which makes for a great environment to help a new tree get acclimated in your yard. If you are interested in planting a tree read below for tips on picking the right tree and setting it up for success.

Step 1: Pick your tree

So you’re in the market to plant a tree (or two, or three) in your yard. The first step is to ask why. Trees are important for our communities for many reasons. They increase climate resiliency, combat heat island effects, create shade for our homes, provide habitat for wildlife, sometimes provide food for us and wildlife, and trees are just cool and provide us with joy to be in their presence. They provide us many benefits, but when choosing a tree some benefits might help narrow down what tree is best for you:

Are you looking for a tree to provide shade in your yard or for your home to reduce cooling costs? You would want to look for a large canopy tree such as a Bur Oak, Basswood, American Elm, or American Sycamore.
Are you looking to create habitat for local wildlife? If so maybe consider a Bur Oak, Basswood, Serviceberry, White Pine, Sugar Maple, or Black Walnut.
Do you want some fruit? Try an Apple, Plum, or Cherry tree, or you could look to our native trees that produce fruit and nuts like Serviceberry or Butternut.
Or maybe you want a tree that will bring you joy. That can be subjective, but popular ornamental trees include Crabapple, Serviceberry, and Redbud for their spring blooms or Red Maple, Pin Oak, and Shagbark Hickory for their striking fall colors.

Step 2: Pick your site

When choosing where your tree will make its home, consider proximity to infrastructure. Make sure your tree is far enough away from your home, sidewalks, and any underground or aboveground utilities. A safe rule to follow is to make sure the tree is at least 3 feet from pavement or fencing and 15 feet from any buildings. Also be sure to contact your local call-before-you-dig service (Gopher State One Call in Minnesota).

Once you’ve found your spot, check the soil. If the soil is rocky or compacted clay, you might want to mix in compost to ease the tree in settling in.

Step 3: Plant

First, look at your tree. You want to find the beginning of the main root system. Remove soil from around the base of the tree until you find the root flare – the part where the trunk meets the roots and flares out. Usually this looks like a slight bulge in the trunk, and often there is a change in color. You want the root flare level with or slightly above the surrounding area. Measure how deep down the roots go from the root flare – that is how deep to dig.
The width of your hole should be about 2x larger than the root system.
Put the tree in the hole and back fill with the soil (mixing in compost if needed).
Halfway through filling in the hole, stop and water the hole. This will help mix up the soil and remove air pockets.
Finish filling in the hole and water more.
Finish up by spreading a 2-4 inch layer of mulch around the tree, making a donut around the tree. Do not have mulch piled up at the base – that can cause rot issues in the future.

Step 4: Care and enjoy

Your tree is planted – hurray! For its first few years make sure the tree is getting plenty of water, ideally 20 gallons a week. Protect the trunk of the tree as you go into winter with a tree tube (rodents love to gnaw on young bark in the winter). And enjoy your tree. As it grows it may need more mulch and pruning, but that’s a topic for another blog.

Urban Roots Youth Interns Planting Trees