How to Heel in Baby Trees

Planting a tree beautifies your home and helps support a healthy environment. If you have saplings, but aren't going to be able to plant them for a few days, special steps have to be taken to keep your precious little trees from dying. Keep your baby trees safe by "heeling them in." Once you've heeled in your saplings you can safely wait as long as you need before planting them permanently.

Instructions

1. Fill a bucket with room temperature water. Soak the roots of your saplings in the bucket of water for up to 6 hours. It's important to keep the roots of your saplings moist until you are able to take them outside and plant them.

2. Pick out a protected spot to plant your saplings. Find a place with good sunlight and worked up soil, but protected from heavy winds and animals that might munch on your saplings.

3. Use a shovel to dig an angled trench about a foot deep. Depending on how large your saplings are you may have to dig your angled trench a little deeper to make sure that the roots will be deep enough to be protected, but not too hard to get out when you're ready to actually plant them.

4. Lay the roots of your saplings in the angled trench. Make sure they have enough room and the roots aren't being squished or crowded.

5. Cover the sapling roots with soil. Fill the trench so the roots are completely covered and protected.

6. Water saplings generously and often to make sure the roots stay moist until you are ready to plant them.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep an eye on your little saplings to make sure that no animals are uprooting them for a snack.

Resources

• Purchase saplings at Great Big Trees.