Video | Bigger is Not Always Better! Planting Small Can Lead to Big Benefits.
choosing to plant smaller trees is often a better option, both for you and for your tree. Saplings are easier to plant, need less care, and typically grow more quickly.
Planting trees is hard work, but today I’m going to show you it doesn’t have to be.
Hi, I’m Archie. I’m an arborist, and today I’m going to show you why planting small trees... not this guy; this guy is not only easier for you but better for the tree.
Planting is not as easy as it seems; it is often a technical process which we have detailed in our video in the description below. Balled and burlap and big container trees are often tough to handle, expensive, and difficult to plant properly.
Big trees cost hundreds of dollars, require hours to plant, and if not planted correctly, they could die young. However, the work doesn’t end at planting; these trees require years of follow-up care in order to properly establish in their landscape.
Worst of all, even if you plant it the right way, these trees have serious root issues, from being stuffed into a container or cut away to make a balled and burlap. Yuck! These root issues will stick with the tree for the rest of its life and could lead to health problems or premature death. But what if we could avoid all of these things?
Well, with saplings, we can! Saplings are trees that are just a few years old. They are cheaper, easier to plant, and will grow faster than larger planted trees. After planting, they require little to no follow-up care, and they don’t suffer from the same root issues we have seen before. That means saplings will live a longer, healthier life.
Don’t know how to plant a sapling? Well, let me show you!
- Put the shovel into the ground.
- Work the shovel back and forth to create a wedge.
- Remove the shovel.
- Make sure all the roots are pointing down.
- Put the sapling in the wedge.
- Squish the soil back together.
- Add some wood chips. You’re done!
You should only need to water these if there is a severe drought, and you might need to protect them from deer or lawnmowers.
There is one more important benefit to saplings. With saplings, you have access to far more native species, either through native nurseries, mail-order, or collecting them in the wild yourself. Native trees are a key to helping restore our declining bird and insect populations.
We love saplings because they are cheaper, easier to plant, and require less care. They live longer, healthier lives and come in a variety of native options, which can help heal our declining ecology. So next time you want to plant a tree, make it easy: plant a sapling!