How to Clump a White Birch Tree
The white birch tree often grows in clumps of three. This is not a different variety of the tree, just a form of planting. They are a pretty way of adding interest to a landscaping bed, and homeowners often use them as the focal point of their yard. White birch trees transplant easily and so it is not necessary to have 1-year-old seedlings to start with, although the size of the root mass increases each year so the younger the tree, the easier the moving. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Choose a site for your birch trees. Although white birch trees grow in full sun, they are native to the cooler temperatures of New England forests where the heat rarely tops 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Find a site with partial shade if your summers are long and hot and you will reduce the chances of pests and diseases.
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Dig one large hole for the three saplings you wish to grow together as a clump. Make the hole as deep as the root ball and twice as wide. Save the dirt as you remove it to use later.
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Set the three trees in the hole, holding them as straight as possible and placing them close together. Remove some of the soil from one side of the roots if necessary so that they look like a clump of trees. Keep the soil line the same as it was in the nursery for each of the birch trees.
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Fill the hole in around the trees about half way. Tamp it down well with your heel. Continue to fill the hole until it is level with the surrounding ground.
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Form a watering ring around the whole clump about 8 inches high with some of the soil. Form it about 3 feet out from the perimeter of the trunks and then pack it down.
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Fill the water ring with several inches of water but without letting it flow over. Fill the ring once a week for the first four weeks after planting and then once a month for the rest of the summer.
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Layer 4 inches of root mulch under the perimeter of the trees but keeping the mulch pulled back from actually toughing the birch tree trunks. Add more mulch each spring to keep the depth consistent.
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References
- Photo Credit Liquidlibrary/liquidlibrary/Getty Images
