Knowledgebase
Evergreen planting #873734
Asked June 19, 2024, 3:27 AM EDT
We recently had 30 different varieties of evergreens planted the Gateway Prayer Garden in Fountain Colorado. We are concerned with how they planted and the possibility of the trees dying. Our soil is very compacted proved by their auger breaking and as a result 27 trees in burlap and 3 in pots were left in a pile for a day and half in the full sun and only stayed with the hose once after a full day. No amendments were incorporated into the native soil and some of the trees are well over 3inches above the berm that was put in place with a bobcat one day before the trees arrived so this berm is not solid it is rocky clay silt soil push into a berm shape. We were instructed to water every 2 days for 2 hours twice a day in mid morning and ĺate afternoon on a drip line with 2 gph drippers two per tree. Now using a moisture meter I have been testing the root balls and they are wet with needle as far as it can go and I tested them again after letting 2 days pass without watering and they remained at the same moisture level extremely wet. Some of the root balls i could barely get the meter into the ball and some the meter fell into the ground. Help what is the proper procedure to plants evergreens and how do we or can we corrections to already planted evergreens?
El Paso County Colorado
Expert Response
Hello Heidi,
Thank you for contacting us with your question regarding the recent installation of your evergreens. Based on the photos you sent, I can see your reasoning for your concerns. I see at least one tree where it appears that the burlap was not removed from the root ball. This can certainly cause issues restricting the root growth of this tree. It is best practice to remove all root ball wrapping materials before transplanting and without specialized equipment, this is not something that you are going to be able to address yourself. You may want to contact the company responsible for installation to see what remedies they can provide.
Additionally, it is a bit concerning how high the root ball sits above the soil line. If there are not a tremendous amount of roots in the upper layer of soil, you could remove some of the excess soil in the root ball, to bring it closer to the soil line. You may also want to mulch around your trees to increase soil moisture in the surrounding soil. Do not mulch over the root ball or directly against the tree. Instead, apply 3-4 inches of mulch in a ring around the soil surrounding the root ball.
Regarding your comment about the existing soil not being amended before transplanting. Generally, there is no need to amend the native soil before transplanting and no need to amend the backfill soil. However, if your soil is very compacted, the trees may struggle to establish. Amending the soil would not be a standard practice by the installation company and soil improvement would be a slow process over time as you continue to add organic matter to the soil.
I think you will find this tree planting guide helpful as you think through how the trees were installed: https://cmg.extension.colostate.edu/Gardennotes/636.pdf
Additionally, this resource will help you as you continue to evaluate how your trees are doing and how much water to apply: https://cmg.extension.colostate.edu/Gardennotes/635.pdf
Feel free to reach back out with any additional questions.
Best,
Allisa Linfield
Horticulture Coordinator
CSU Extension El Paso County
