Be Pls nly Tow 
(How We Plant Them at The Holly Farm) 
Oak Leafmold is the very best material in the world to plant Holly trees in. Every Holly we sell~ 
has Oak Leafmold around its roots. Nothing else we know of will make a Holly grow better than pure 
Oak Leafmold. We gather it from the New Jersey woods by the hundreds of tons to use on our plant- 
ings and to sell. You can probably find your own Oak Leafmold in woods near your home if you do not 
wish to buy it, for we are not trying to convince you to buy our Oak Leafmold, we just want you to be 
sure to use Oak Leafmold when you plant your Holly trees. 
How much Oak Leafmold should be used in planting a Holly? I like to use one bushel of Oak 
Leafmold for each foot of height of the Holly tree that I am planting. If the tree is broad and bushy I will 
use as much as two bushels to the foot of height. Dig a circular hole for the Holly that is at least twice 
as wide as the root ball of the tree. Dig the hole only an inch or two deeper than the Holly root ball, 
however, as Hollies do not like to be planted much deeper than they were in the nursery. If the Holly 
tree is potted, remove the pot. If the Holly is burlapped or is in a wire basket “Nature Pack” leave 
the burlap or basket right on the tree and plant it with the tree. Place the Holly in the hole. Fill the 
hole around the root ball with Oak Leafmold, nothing else. Throw away the dirt that came from the 
hole, or use it elsewhere but do not put the dirt back around the Holly, use Oak Leafmold only. 
Your Holly should now be thoroughly soaked with gallons and gallons of water. After the leaf- 
mold has settled, add more Oak Leafmold until it is level with the ground, or a bit higher. Be sure that. 
you have one or two inches of Oak Leafmold over top of the root ball to act as a “blanket” or mulch. 
Oak Leafmold will not be needed again for about five years. At this time add an inch or two of Oak 
Leafmold all around on top of the ground under the Holly Branches. 
Hollies that were never planted in Oak Leafmold may be given a new green color and new life 
by adding Oak Leafmold. One of the best ways is to dig a circular trench all the way around the Holly 
about at the ends of the branches. Fill this trench with pure Oak Leafmold. Spread Oak Leafmold two 
inches deep all under the branches after raking away all the old Holly leaves, etc. Water heavily once a 
week to get the roots out into the new leafmold. Best times of the year to do the trenching and feeding 
are either March, late August or November. 
In our forty years experience here at the Holly farm we have tested and tried many fertilizers and 
mulches. We like organic mulches because they feed a Holly slowly and steadily and also help build 
up the soil. Chemical fertilizers dissolve rapidly and give a tree a “shot in the arm” but seem to be 
harmful to Holly, because Holly needs a slow steady year-around feeding. Ifa chemical fertilizer were 
ever developed that dissolved very slowly, it might be good for Holly, but at present we feel that we must 
use and must recommend organic fertilizers only. 
Of all the organic fertilizers that we have tried over the years, none have been as satisfactory as 
tobacco stems (cigar factory waste). Tobacco stems are the only other thing we feed our Hollies besides 
Oak Leafmold. Tobacco is very inexpensive compared to most fertilizers, too. Tobacco stems seem to 
make Holly leaves a very dark green . . . almost a black green. And they improve the berry crops; tobac- 
co makes Holly bear berries more heavily and more steadily. ‘Tobacco is not fast acting ... it may 
take a year to improve your Holly tree greatly. It should be added once a year, in the early winter 
months. We use about one inch of tobacco stem mulch all around under the Holly tree, underneath the 
entire branch spread, on top of the ground. We use about one bushel to every three feet of height of the 
tree. 
—OAK.LEAFMOLD PRICE LIST 
SE A CT aa nes wee ne: 
$1.25 per bushel bag — 5 bags for $5.75 — 10 bags for $10.00 
Prices are F. O. B. Pay for Leafmold with order, pay Express or Freight charges when the 
Leafmold arrives. 
TOBACCO STEMS PRICE LIST 
$1.00 per bushel bag (these bags often contain nearer two bushels than one) 
$4.50 per five bags — $8.00 per ten bags 
EARLE DILATUSH’S HOLLY FARM 
HIGHWAY 130, RFD #1 ROBBINSVILLE, NEW JERSEY 
