One Hundred Per Cent. Success in Tree and 



Shrub Planting 



The Case in General 



Handling Newly Received Stock — M. G. Kains 



SUCCESS in spring planting of nursery 

 stock is simply a matter of attention 

 to details, step by step. 



I. Immediately upon receipt of the 

 goods, unpack carefully and feel the packing 

 material all around the bundle to make sure 

 it is still moist. Remove the packing material 

 and scrutinize the roots and tops of the plants 

 to make sure they are not the least particle 

 shriveled. 



2. Eithernowor just before planting PRUNE 

 off any ragged or mangled roots with a keen 

 knife or a very sharp pruning shears. If the 



Elants are to be heeled in for several weeks 

 efore planting, the pruning had best be 

 done as soon as the trees are received. 



3. If stock is plump and in as good condi- 

 tion as when just dug, plant at once 



or heel in. Before doing this latter, 

 loosen the bundle so the earth may 

 be worked well among the roots. 

 Heeling-in is simple. Dig a trench 

 the depth of the spade blade in a 

 moist spot preferably out of the wind 

 and the sun. Lay the roots in the 

 bottom with the tops lying almost 

 flat on the ground. Shovel soil first 

 on the roots and work it well among 

 both roots and trunks. Tramp down, 

 lightly at first, but when more soil is 

 added do it firmly so no air spaces 

 may be left. Finish by covering 

 the trunks at least half way up "to 

 the tops. 



4. Shriveled stock. If the nur- 

 sery stock is the least shriveled either 

 heel in or stand in a barrel full of 

 water, or lay it in a pond or a stream, 

 tops and all. Let it stay therefor a day 

 or two to plump-up. This will save 



even seriously dried stock. When ready to 

 plant trees and shrubs, dig holes wide enough 

 to receive the roots after any necessary 

 pruning has been done and without having to 

 bend these roots much, especially upward. 



Digging the Hole. Feeding 



TN DIGGING throw the "good earth" in a 

 -*• pile on one side of the hole and the lower 

 earth or subsoil in another pile on the oppo- 

 site side so the two may not become mixed. 

 Now is the time to add fertilizers, especially 

 long lasting ones such as coarse ground bone, 

 basic slag, ground phosphate rock, and potash 

 in any form. Scatter liberally in the hole and 

 even work them into the bottom with a spading 

 fork- Throw in a few shovelfuls of the 

 "good earth" and if the fertilizing just 

 mentioned has not been done, use fine bone 

 meal, acid phosphate, tankage, dried blood 

 or fish scrap, and mix well with the earth 

 before placing the tree, otherwise certain of 

 those fertilizers may "burn" the roots. 

 Better not use animal or poultry manures in 

 the tree holes as they may induce sappy 

 growth. 



How Deep? 



DLACE the trees or shrubs so that when 

 A planting is finished they will be about 

 an inch deeper than they stood in the nursery 

 as indicated by the different color of the lower 

 trunks or stems. Best have help when 

 planting. It's easier for one person to hold 

 the tree or shrub in position and do the 



tramping while the other shovels, than for 

 one person to do both. 



Work the "good soil" intimately among 

 the roots and press down hard with the hands. 

 Throw on more earth and when the roots are 

 covered, tramp down thoroughly with both feet, 

 finishing by jumping up and down if the soil 

 is sandy and you are light in weight. Use 

 "good soil" until all the roots are covered; 

 then finish off" the top with the poor stuff". 

 Leave the surface inch or two loose and 

 mounded slightly around trees but hollowed 

 somewhat around berry bushes until after 

 good growth has been made. 



Instead of tramping the soil so much, as 

 indicated above, water may be used when it 

 can be conveniently delivered as through a 

 hose. In doing this, however, only half fill 

 the holes with soil, then fill them with 

 water. If the soil is loose or dry perhaps fill 



Half the battle 

 chance to live. 



nay, almost all — lies in giving the newly arrived stock an even 

 Keep sheltered, plant firm in ample holes and prune back 



holes twice. The day after the water has 

 soaked away fill the holes with good soil. 

 Tramp this down and then add the poor 

 subsoil but leave it loose to serve as a mulch 

 and hold the moisture below. 



Staking and Tying 



"\X7"HERE strong winds are likely to blow, 

 * * place stout stakes on the leeward side 

 and tie the trees to them. The best tying 

 material is strips of burlap or other cheap 

 cloth about two inches wide. Injury to the 

 trees may be avoided by placing each strip 

 between the stake and the tree, carrying each 

 end around the trunk, then carrying each end 

 around the stake from opposite sides and 

 tying between the stake and the tree. Both 

 tree and stake are thus completely encircled 

 by each strip and the bands are more likely 

 to stay in place than if tied by any other 

 method. Moreover, no strangling of the 

 tree should occur because the bands can always 

 be loosened in a moment. 



Cutting Back 



A FTER the trees have been planted, cut 

 **■ off all twigs not desired and shorten 

 those that are to form the frame work. 

 Fifty per cent, of these frame branches is none 

 too much to remove. Better have the frame 

 branches placed low — the lowest 6 to 12 

 inches above ground. This pruning is 

 essential to balance the unavoidable loss of 

 the roots when the stock was dug. Cutting 



130 



back and thinning out shrubs are just as 

 essential to success. 



Special Problems Met in the 

 Middle West 



Alexander Lurie; Shaw (St. Louis) Botanic Garden 



jD ECAUSE of the unusual drain upon the 

 - L * system of the plant during our hot 

 summers, particular pains must be taken in 

 spring planting, in the Middle West. It must 

 be done just as early in the season as the 

 condition of the soil will permit. This of 

 course, applies only to hardy dormant material 

 and not to pot plants grown in the green- 

 houses or hotbeds, which though inherently 

 of hardy nature, do not become such until 

 well established outdoors. 



The difference of opinion with regard to the 

 most suitable time for planting often causes an 

 unnecessary confusion in the minds 

 of amateur gardeners. It has been 

 found that with proper care in per- 

 forming the operations of planting 

 and subsequent painstaking attention, 

 most plants, woody or herbaceous, 

 may generally be moved satisfactorily 

 either in the spring or fall. With us, 

 however, this does not hold true. In 

 general, 'fall planting is preferable for 

 most of our trees, shrubs and herba- 

 ceous perennials with a few excep- 

 tions as Magnolias, Tulip-trees, 

 Sweet Gums, American Holly, Bald 

 Cypress, Roses, etc. 



In localities where the transition 

 from spring to summer is sudden and 

 where extremely hot dry summers 

 are the rule, the pruning of the top 

 must be quite severe, often one-third 

 to one-half the wood. Each shoot of 

 a shrub should be shortened to an out- 

 ward pointing bud, while in the case of 

 trees the lower branches should be removed, the 

 remainder thinned out to a desirable head, a 

 leader started and all except the leader cut 

 back. Even when transplanting woody plants 

 with a ball of soil adhering to the roots, 

 "heading back" is essential though not to 

 such a high degree. Obviously in trans- 

 planting herbaceous perennials pruning plays 

 no part. 



The mere digging of a hole, placing the 

 plant in and throwing in a few spadefuls of 

 soil will rarely result satisfactorily. 



For our heavy soils sheep manure and lime 

 form an invaluable combination, often pro- 

 ducing seemingly miraculous changes in a 

 brief period of time. For quick action, in 

 border plantation of hardy flowers 30 pounds 

 of sheep manure and 10 pounds of lime for 

 every 100 square feet produce satisfactory 

 results. 



The proper preparation of soil for hardy 

 flowers will often spell success especially 

 when young pot grown plants are set out. In 

 order to become thoroughly acclimated to the 

 heat of the summer and the cold of winter, 

 growing facilities must be provided which 

 will keep the plant vigorous and insure full 

 development before winter. The planting 

 distances for herbaceous perennials are quite 

 variable, though it is a safe rule to plant them 

 apart half their total height, thus Foxgloves 

 growing to 3 ft. in height should be planted 

 18 inches apart, or Hollyhocks reaching 5 

 ft. should be spaced z\ ft. 



