Going to plant a tree? what are the requirements? obviously the tree, normally in a planting bag bought from the nursery, a hole dug in the area where you wish to plant the tree. Remove it from the bag, place in the hole, fill with soil and water. It sounds so easy, but is it?

The planting of a tree is so much more complex. Lets look at nature, the mother tree is already there, it flowers, forms seed and disperses the seed in various ways. This is not the issue here, but the result of the seed dispersal is. This seed when landing on the soil will only have a successful fruition if certain conditions of nature met. The soil, conducive with the requirements of the specie. The seed will germinate, send out a root, subsoil conditions being perfect, the tree will develop and grow to the potential of the area.

To plant a tree at your property requires more research. Is the tree you wish to plant, indigenous and is it endemic to the area? If not endemic, are the natural conditions correct for it to survive? What type of soil it requires? Is there enough sun light, air movement and space for it to grow to the fullest potential? Will the roots encounter obstructions, i.e. too close to a building? Once you have this detail you need to test the soils in the area where the tree is going to stand, and check they are similar to the trees requirements.

Now a hole is needed, much debate to the need for a square hole, or a round hole, has taken place, I say it is of little consequence, as long as it is big enough. The hole 3 times the diameter of the plastic bag or container in which your tree is now planted, and 3 times as deep as the bag is high. What to fill the hole with? I like to start with a good supply of bone meal in the base of the hole, followed by a layer of course material mixed with a good compost, this ensures a localised water table as well as a good area to attract the root system. This layer should fill a third of the hole depth. The soil removed from the hole needs mixing with a good composted material. Good compost is that available in bags at your local nursery, this has been treated for weeds and pests.

Fill the hole to a level equal to the depth of the bag in which the tree came in, ensuring that it is well compacted, subsequent subsidence should be avoided. Remove the tree from the bag, loosen the root system. Often the root system will be found to have circulated when reaching the plastic container, the roots may have built a memory and continue to grow in that pattern. This is to be avoided, so loosen the roots on the edges and bottom, damaging a few will have no effect on the future growth. This type of damage can encourage the tree to develop hair roots at the damaged areas, and this is actually helpful. Wake the tree's roots to the fact that they are in new soil for them to grow.

The tree is now placed in the hole, centralised and ready for the rest of the soil. The soil already mixed with compost can now have a good sprinkling of a phosphate based fertiliser, 2.3.2 being a good mix, mix it into the remaining soil and fill the hole, ensuring again good compaction. Loose soil will have an over abundance of air space and will drain to quickly, so ensure a fair compaction, enough to keep moisture at the level of the plants root system. Create a dam around the tree's base, so that any precipitation, or watering, will concentrate in an area conducive for good dampening of the soils close to the root system. Scatter a further handful of 2.3.2. around the tree's base, so that watering will dissolve the fertiliser and filtered down to the roots.

Now that the tree is in the ground, if wind can affect the tree, then for the earlier period of growth, stake or support the tree with tie downs. Avoid wind movement that can loosen the tree's roots until such time as they have grown sufficiently to support the tree.

Water requirements? not too much. I have always watered for the first six weeks, ensuring a good soak at each application, but after six weeks give the tree a chance to grow by itself. If you continue to water constantly, why is it necessary for the tree to develop a root system? If it is obtaining all its requirements at its present stage of development it will not grow to its full potential. Let it suffer for short periods, it will send out roots looking for food and moisture, and in the end, reach a stage of self reliance.

Do not kill your tree with kindness, allow it to develop naturally and enjoy the future rewards of shade or fruit, from a healthy tree depicting the beauty of nature.