Alan Titchmarsh's tips on planting a tree
GETTY Make your mark on the garden in 2017. Plant a tree
New Year resolutions are rarely successful beyond the end of January (and I speak from personal experience). But there is one that I am resolved to carry out from tomorrow and onwards, and that is the modern way of planting trees. Techniques come and go over the centuries but when a good method of planting trees is advised by the experts at Kew it is as well to sit up and listen. The traditional way is to dig a round hole, work in plenty of well-rotted compost or manure, knock in a stake, plant the tree, tie it in and mulch it.
The stake is removed when it rots away some years later. Well that’s all changed (yes, I know most of the trees you have planted using this technique have grown well but techniques are all about giving plants the very best chance to thrive). For a start, make the hole square. It is, apparently, more effective at getting the new roots to explore outwards rather than going round in a circle.
GETTY Plant the tree but don’t bury it too deeply
Next, tease the roots of container-grown plants out of the rootball if they are densely packed.Knock the stake into the hole, checking its position by standing it next to the tree before hammering it in. Do not apply any form of organic enrichment to the bottom of the hole or to the soil that is being returned. Experience has shown that this has a tendency to dry out after planting and that it also decomposes and sinks, leaving the tree in a sump. Instead, scatter a packet of mycorrhiza over the roots before returning the soil to the hole. The bacteria speed up establishment and sachets are available at garden centres. Plant the tree but don’t bury it too deeply. The soil mark on the stem must be level with the new soil level.