Failing to plant a tree is easier than it seems. Despite their general robustness compared to annuals or perennials, with a bit of know-how, you can manage it quite well. Follow our step-by-step advice and soon you too will be able to successfully mess up the planting of your trees and bushes!
Lesson 1: Don't Neglect the Planting Hole Preparation
The die-hard fans of the spade and the hoe who succeed in their plantings recommend digging a hole 2 to 3 times larger than the root ball and adding compost, drainage materials and other permaculture tricks that promote root development. To mess up properly, here are the steps to follow:
- Dig a small hole in a hurry, using a pick, hoe, trowel, or even a teaspoon. As narrow and shallow as possible.
- Place the roots, which you will have previously left to dry in the open air and sun for a whole day. Form a compact mass and do not trim the damaged ends, as this is the best way for fungi to develop and infect your tree.
- VERY IMPORTANT: Bury the collar well! You know, that part that separates the roots from the trunk. This is the key gesture to successfully mess up your planting. Bury it more than 3-4 cm underground; the roots will no longer be able to breathe, and the tree will die more or less quickly in spring or during the summer. This method is particularly suitable for large trees: oaks, beeches, birches, etc.
- If your soil is wet or poor, do not add drainage materials or compost, NEVER!
- Do not compact! And above all, do not water to keep as many air pockets in the soil as possible, thus suffocating the roots.
This is a method that has proven effective and that we recommend. A small planting hole is also the best technique for the roots to form a girdle and suffocate themselves. Guaranteed failure!
Lesson 2: Plant Anytime!
"At Saint Catherine, all wood takes root," is often heard from the mouths of seasoned gardeners. And only they would put their hands in the soil at the end of November, when it’s grey and cold, while common sense tells us to stay warm under the duvet (or in front of the fire with a good book) all winter...
If you want to mess up with flair, first plant when YOU feel like it. Starting with bare-root trees, which you will install in spring, just when they produce their new roots and their branches fill with sap. This will block their growth and surely make them wither.
Temperatures above 25°C and the sun shining? Slip on your best shorts, your flip-flops, and rush to the garden... And above all, don’t forget to go on holiday right after, for at least three weeks. This is the express method to fail! You will indeed have the chance to have a tree that cannot acclimatise to your soil, nor take the time to root and seek water deeply. If by miracle the tree survives, then go directly to lesson 5.
Lesson 3: Skip the Staking!
Gardeners obsessed with everything growing straight may tell you that it is essential to stake any tree planted in the wind. These same eccentrics will also tell you that the stake must be sized according to the height of the tree. They will use strange terms, bordering on dialect, such as "oblique stakes," "bipod stakes," or even "tripod stakes." They will talk about a wild technique called "guying" that allows for strong anchoring of large trees.
To properly mess up the planting of trees exposed to wind or planted in loose soil, of course, ban any support. Dig, plant, and let nature take its course. With the first gusts, the tree will lean and eventually lie down. And for a lovely twisted growth, besides the absence of a stake, do not compact the soil during planting. What could be more charming than a tree that crawls on the ground after the first gust of wind?
Lesson 4: Select Any Varieties!
"Consider your soil, climate, exposure, and know-how for successful planting," can be read on Plantfit, the new app that seasoned gardeners use without moderation.
To mess up your plantings, plant what YOU want! Do you live in Strasbourg and think that this lovely azalea would look wonderful in your beds? Plant it! The foliage of this acid-soil shrub will yellow upon contact with alkaline soil and will eventually languish and die. Well done! Tired of growing Mediterranean plants in your beautiful city of Avignon? Succumb to the charm of tree ferns and plant them in spring, when the Mistral is blowing. Their bright green foliage will quickly turn a lovely brownish colour. Decorative effect guaranteed.
So when choosing your trees and shrubs, completely forget about "planting suitable" according to your garden and know-how: this is the best way not to see them grow, or to have to rely heavily on fertilisers and other nutrients, which are oh so responsible!
Lesson 5: Water from Time to Time, If You Think of It!
If your tree is still alive, it’s because you’ve pampered it too much. The chlorophyll addicts who succeed in their plantings often quote excerpts from their esoteric literature. It can be read that the first year is crucial for the resumption of vegetation in trees: they must be watered regularly to develop their root system, create a planting basin around the root ball to create an essential water reserve, preventing the tree from suffering in summer, or even spread ramial chipped wood (known as RCW) at the base of your trees to keep the root ball cool during the summer period.
Forget all this! To mess up the planting, forget your tree! Let it live its life and fend for itself!
Good luck!
-> Find all our varieties of trees here.
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