How to Handle Bare-root Dogwood Trees

Dogwood trees are sold in containers, burlap balls and bare-root. Bare-root dogwood trees have been harvested when dormant and sold without soil around the root system. Their dormant season is November to March. The advantages of buying a bare-root dogwood tree are ease of transporting, selection, planting and price. Bare-root dogwood trees purchased from online nursery suppliers or local garden centers must be planted immediately to preserve root moisture. There are several steps to take when handling a bare-root tree.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Homemade or commercial compost
• Mulch materials such as shredded bark, dry leaves or pine needles.

Instructions

1. Choose a bare-root dogwood tree without suckers, bark scarring or weeds. Look for small holes at the base of the trunk. This is a sign of insect damage and indicates a weakened tree.

2. Select a planting site with northern or eastern exposure. Dogwoods prefer a site protected from hot late-afternoon sun. Excessive sun exposure causes susceptibility to the dogwood borer insect. Dogwoods do well as an understory tree planted under tall pines, or as a backdrop for azaleas or other spring-flowering shrubs.

3. Dig a hole as deep as the root system of the tree and two to three times wider. The hole should be slightly shallower than the root system with the base of the trunk slightly above the soil line. Prune any damaged or diseased roots before placing it in the hole. Shovel enough soil back into the hole and place the tree on it. Shovel the remaining soil around the roots, filling in the hole.

4. Spread one shovelful mature compost around the tree. Dogwoods prefer soil with the high organic content and 17 essential nutrients that compost provides. Water thoroughly.

5. Spread a 3- to 4-inch layer of mulch material around the tree 1 foot from the trunk. Mulch retains soil moisture, eliminates weeds, modifies soil temperature and provides additional nutrients to the growing tree.

Tips & Warnings

• Purchase bare-root dogwood trees from a nursery rather than transplanting from the wild. Nursery-grown trees have been root-pruned and grown in prepared soil. They have a denser root system that is more capable of withstanding the rigors of transplanting.

• Dogwood trees prefer soil pH of 5.2 to 6.0. Test the pH content of garden soil with a testing kit available from garden centers or a soil testing lab. Alternative soil labs test for pH levels as well as biological analysis of the microorganism population.

References

• Alabama Cooperative Extension; Selection & Care of Dogwoods; J. David Williams et al.; June 1998
• University of California Davis Extension; Planting Bareroot Plants; Glenn Davis

Resources

• Oregon State University Extension: Dogwoods