Schlatter Family Site

Trees

Our lot was old farmland, flat as a tabletop, covered with grass, and not a tree within 100 yards.  We weren't bothered by this as we wanted to plant our own trees.  Of course, the problem with planting your own trees is that they grow slowly so it takes a few years to see any real results of all your work.  Regardless, we decided to plant:

•  Flowering trees:

  • Dogwoods

  • Redbud

  • Japanese cherry
     

•  Fruit trees:

  • Apple

  • Peach

  • Fig
     

• Shade trees. We decided on a zelkova (Zelkova serrata—Keyaki or Japanese Zelkova).  We choose this one because it grows fairly rapidly, does not drop blossoms or fruit that have to be cleaned up, and it has a nice shape.

How we plant trees

Of course, planting a tree is not for the faint-hearted because of the size of hole that must be dug.  Also, because our soil has a lot of heavy clay, we have to mix the dirt that comes out of the hole with organic matter -- compost, peat moss, and topsoil -- to ensure that the tree will root.

First, we research which trees do well in our area.  Local nurseries and garden clubs can help out with this information.

Next, we buy trees from an established local nursery that offers a guarantee to replace the tree if it does not survive the first two years.

Then -- we start work.

1.  Dig a hole that is twice the diameter of the root ball of the tree being planted and that is half again as deep as the root ball.  Thus, for a tree with root ball that's 12 inches in diameter and 12 inches tall, we dig a hole 2 feet in diameter and 18 inches deep.

2. The root ball should stand 1-2 inches above the surface of the soil.  However, we dig out hole deeper than the root ball is tall -- BUT -- we take the excess dirt, mix it half-and-half with compost, put it back into the hole, and pack it down by stomping on it.  By doing this, we put good soil in the bottom of the hole and we raise the bottom of the hole 1-2 inches so the root ball will stand slightly above ground.

3.  We put the dirt from the hole onto a tarp lying on the ground next to the hole and mix that dirt with compost, peat moss, and topsoil.

4. Remove from the root ball the plastic bucket.  Set the tree in the hole, moving dirt around underneath the root ball to make the tree stand vertically.  Then, start filling the hole.

5.  We fill the hole about one-third with the dirt mixture from step 3 and tamp it down firmly.  Then, we water the tree by pouring about a gallon of water in the hole.

6. Continue filling the hole with dirt mixture from step 3 -- fill about 1/3 more, tamp, fill the rest of the hole and tamp.

7. Put shredded hardwood mulch around the tree to cover the soil in the hole to a depth of about 3 inches.  HOWEVER --  do not put mulch against the tree trunk -- leave a circle around the trunk about 4 inches wide without mulch.  You need to do this because critters such as voles, mice, and other rodents that chew the tree bark will burrow under the mulch and destroy the tree.

8. Stake the tree.  Move out to undisturbed soil about a foot beyond the edge of the hole in which the tree is planted and drive three stakes into the ground, forming a triangle around the tree.  I use steel temporary fence stakes; wooden stakes made of 2X2 pressure treated are fine, also.  Ask your local nursery what sort of rope, twine, or whatever they recommend for staking trees and get several feet of that -- figure 12 feet or so per tree.  You will tie this material from the stake to the tree and loop it around the tree trunk about 1/3 to 1/2 the height of the tree up the trunk.  The purpose of this exercise is to keep the tree from whipping around in the wind.  Caution:  Do not tie the rope, twine, whatever, tightly around the tree trunk -- loop it around so the tree can move an inch or so.  Look at the photos below to see how I do it -- I use a woven nylon tape instead of rope or twine.  Keep the tree staked for two years.

9. Go to this link for photos showing how I planted the zelkova tree.

Photos of our trees

Looking northeast, toward the Potomac River:

•  Closest to the camera is a dwarf Elberta Peach tree; the second tree is the same.  Look at the tree closest to the camera and you see three wooden stakes with the dark green nylon tape used to stake the tree and support it against the wind.

• Beyond the two peach trees are two small fig trees -- one Celeste and one Brown Turkey -- you can't see the trees in this photo but you can see the stakes supporting them.

•  In the distance, beyond the air conditioner unit you can barely see one of our two dogwood trees.

This photo was taken from the same position as the first photo -- I turned around and faced away from the river.

• Bluebird house with snake guard on the support post

• Three apple trees, staked:  Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Gala

• The white objects are two bags of shredded hardwood mulch that I will apply around the trees.

• The building is our garden shed/workshop.

This third photo is our zelkova tree.  I just finished planting it when this photo was taken; the tree is not yet staked or mulched.