How to pick and plant a tree

If you think trees are little more than obstacles to avoid when you're mowing, think again.

Trees provide oxygen for the environment, offer nesting places for birds and give kids a place to climb. If that isn't enough of an inducement, trees also increase your property value.

But there are a few things you should do before you buy a tree. First, make sure the tree you want will fit in the space you have -- when the tree's mature. A ginkgo, which can reach 60 feet tall, shouldn't be planted a foot from your back door.

Also, ask the garden center staff if your tree will be suited for the conditions of the site you want to plant in. Is it sunny or shady, exposed to or protected from the wind, etc.?

Container grown

At a garden center, you'll most likely find trees packaged one of two ways: in containers or balled and burlapped. Container-grown trees, typically smaller trees, are popular because they're easy to handle and easy to care for.

They can be stored for a while before they're planted, in part because their roots are covered. (While a tree is in a container it needs to be watered regularly. About once every one to three days should do.)

Trees in containers can become pot-bound at the nursery, so ask a nursery employee to remove the tree from the container, if possible, so you can see whether roots are circling before you buy it.

Balled and burlapped

Larger trees are usually balled and burlapped, rather than being placed in containers. Here's how it's done: A tree is harvested from the field -- along with the soil around its roots -- using a tree spade. The roots and soil are then wrapped in a burlap sack surrounded by a cage. Because the soil and trees together can weigh several hundred pounds, balled and burlapped trees aren't easy to move or plant.

In addition, balled and burlapped trees come with only a fraction of the roots that plants grown in containers do. To compensate for the loss of roots, a balled and burlapped tree may not produce quite as many leaves as it would have if its roots hadn't been cut. If you're planting after the tree has leafed out, it may lose some of its leaves. But unless it's planted in the middle of a drought and you don't water it, your balled and burlapped tree should do fine.

Like container-grown trees, balled and burlapped trees can be planted from spring through fall, but they do best when planted while dormant, in spring or late fall.

Once you get your tree home, you'll need to prepare a hole for it to live in. Don't dig the hole too deep. In a forest you can see that a tree's roots flare out where the trees trunk intersects with the soil. The trees in your yard should be planted in the same way. Whether you're planting a container or balled and burlapped trees, the root flare should be at -- slightly above -- the surface of the soil.

If you can't see where the top roots intersect the stem on the tree you've bought, clear away some of the soil so you know how deep to make the hole. Planting depth is critical because planting a tree too deep can lead to roots growing upward and around the tree's trunk, leading to strangulation.

No need to feed

There are plenty of amendments you can put in the hole you've dug for your tree. There are special soils, fungi that are supposed to improve nutrient uptake, hydrogels that are supposed to help reduce the need for watering and nutrients that are supposed to reduce transplant shock. Despite their claims, these additives are unnecessary. In most cases, you need only to apply fertilizer one year after you've planted your tree.

Water and mulch

It's a good practice to water newly planted trees thoroughly (with 5 to 7 gallons of water) once a week throughout the spring and summer, unless we get significant rain.

A layer of wood mulch helps control weeds around the base of the tree. Be sure to apply the mulch properly. It should be 3 to 4 inches deep and in a doughnut shape around the trunk out about 2 feet. The mulch shouldn't come into contact with the trunk of the tree. Instead, leave the trunk with an inch or two of breathing room.