How do I plant a tree or shrub so it survives?

New plants fail from two causes: being planted too deep, and not being watered enough in their first summers. Neither is obvious at the time, and both take a year or more to show as a dying plant.

What you'll need

• Spade
• Watering can or hose
• Compost (optional)
• Stake and tie (optional)
• Mulch (optional)

Step by step

1. Plant during the dormant season if you can.Autumn to late winter for bare-root and deciduous plants. The roots establish before the plant has to support leaves.
2. Dig the hole wide, not deep.Two to three times the width of the rootball, and exactly as deep. Roots spread sideways, so width is what they need.
3. Loosen the sides and base of the hole.Especially in clay, where a spade smears the sides into a smooth barrier roots cannot penetrate. Score them with a fork.
4. Check the planting depth carefully.The point where the trunk flares into roots should sit at or just above soil level. Planting too deep suffocates the roots and rots the bark — this kills more new trees than anything else.
5. Tease out circling roots from a pot-grown plant.Roots that have circled the pot keep circling and eventually strangle the plant. Loosen them and spread them outwards.
6. Backfill with the soil you removed.Do not fill the hole with rich compost — roots then stay in the enriched pocket instead of spreading into the surrounding soil.
7. Firm gently and water thoroughly.A full watering can settles the soil around the roots and removes air pockets. This first watering matters.
8. Mulch, keeping it clear of the stem, and stake only if needed.Mulch conserves moisture. A stake should be low and short-term — trees develop stronger trunks if allowed to move.

Tips

• The critical part is the first two summers. A new tree needs a thorough weekly soak in dry weather — a light daily sprinkle is far less useful.
• Keep a clear circle of at least a metre around a new tree free of grass. Grass competes for water far more effectively than a young tree can.
• Bare-root plants are much cheaper than container-grown and often establish better. They are only available during the dormant season.

Common mistakes

• Planting too deep — It suffocates the roots and rots the bark at the base. It is the single most common cause of new tree failure and it is not visible from above.
• Filling the hole with compost — The roots stay in the rich pocket rather than spreading, and the plant never anchors or finds water properly.
• Watering lightly and often in the first summer — It encourages shallow roots. One thorough weekly soak is far better than a daily sprinkle.

Questions people ask