How to Plant a Tree for Earth Day

What better way to celebrate your awareness and appreciation of the environment on Earth Day than by giving back by planting a tree.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Be sure the tree you want to plant is appropriate for the soil and weather conditions of the planting area. You probably won't get very far with a palm tree in Minnesota.

2. Buy container-grown or balled-and-burlapped trees because their roots are already well developed.

3. After you buy your tree, keep it in a cool, shady place and keep the roots moist until it's time to plant.

4. Before you begin, make sure you have some help. Digging is hard work and, unless your tree is tiny, you'll need help to move it. Balled tree roots are much heavier than you'd think.

5. Pick your planting area and figure out the size of the hole you need to dig. A good rule of thumb is to measure the root ball and plan on digging a hole that's 6 inches wider and deeper than it.

6. Dig the hole. Watch your back!

7. Use some of the soil you dig out of the hole to make a little bed for the base of the root ball in the hole and tamp it down hard.

8. Lower the balled root, still covered, into the hole. Position the tree so that the top of the root ball will sit just under the ground when it's level. The biggest mistake in planting trees is burying the root ball too deep.

9. Place the tree root ball on the base you made in the bottom of the planting hole. This base must be firm, as you don't want the tree to sink or slide.

10. Remove any synthetic wrappings or fastenings from the root ball. Also cut back the natural burlap and twine around the sides of the root ball although you can leave it with the tree in the hole and bury it when you fill in the hole. It's not necessary to remove burlap from the bottom of the root ball because 98 percent of root growth will be on the sides.

11. Fill the hole halfway with the soil and tamp it lightly to remove any air pockets. Make sure the tree or shrub is standing straight up.

12. It's a good idea to add some goodness to the soil you're returning to the hole. You can add one part organic material, such as peat, compost or well-rotted manure, to two parts soil.

13. Insert a hose into the backfill and run water to saturate the soil around the tree until it settles and removes any remaining air pockets.

14. Finish filling the hole with soil and water again until the soil settles.

15. If you need to stake the tree for stability, use only flat tree straps made of a soft material and allow enough slack for some sway in winds. (see also eHow, "How to Stake and Tie a Tree").

Tips & Warnings

• A good watering regime is the key to growing healthy trees. During the first week make sure the soil around the tree is moist at all times.

• Mulch the tree to retain moisture but be careful to keep at least six inches around the trunk uncovered so it gets plenty of water.

• Some Earth Day factoids: More than 20 million people participated in the first Earth Day in 1970. It was inaugurated after United States Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin called for an Environmental Teach-in Day to be held on April 22, 1970. More than 500 million people in 175 countries now celebrate it each year.