Unlike deciduous trees, evergreen trees maintain their foliage all year long. These trees offer year-round color and interest so they are great for the home landscape. Conifers are the most common evergreen trees and include pine, cypress, arborvitae, and spruce. There are broad-leaf evergreens too, like holly, many magnolia trees, ligustrum, camellia, eucalyptus, and many other tropical trees. Read on to learn how to plant evergreen trees.
How to Plant Evergreen Trees
1.Water your potted evergreen trees thoroughly prior to planting.
2. Dig a hole that is approximately 2 times wider than the root ball, but not quite as deep as the root ball is tall. If your soil is clay or any other hard dense soil, dig the hole at least a few inches deeper and break up the soil to improve drainage and circulation. Replace the soil back to the recommended depth. If you choose to amend your soil with a planting mix, do not use more than 50%. Your trees will need to adjust to the native soil over time so you don’t want to overdo it.
3. Place your evergreen tree in the hole and make sure it is level on all sides. The root ball should be slightly above the existing soil line.
4. Water your plants well and let the water absorb into the ground.
5. Backfill the soil and tamp it down gently to remove any air pockets. Avoid using your feet to pack the soil in as this can cause the soil to be overly compacted. Hands are a much better tool for this job.
6. If you choose a safe fertilizer like our PlantingTree Slow release fertilizer, you can fertilize your evergreen trees at the time of planting.You can mix it in with the soil or just put the granules over top of the soil.
7. Water your trees thoroughly again until water begins to pool on the surface.
8. Mulch your trees with about a 2 inch mound of pine bark or mulch of your choice. Pine bark or pine straw are great choices for evergreen trees because they like acidic soil and pine mulch adds acidity to the soil over time as it breaks down naturally. Your mound should cover the entire rootzone or extend out to the dripline of your tree, whichever is larger. Do not stack mulch up against the trunk of the tree. This can invite pests and disease. Pull mulch away from the trunk to allow for air flow.
9. To have the healthiest evergreen trees with the best root systems and quickest establishment set up a watering schedule for the first 2 to 3 months. Water deeply 3 to 4 times per week for the first few weeks. In week 4 drop back to 2 deep waterings per week. In week 8 you should be fine with a 1 deep watering per week. It is much better for your trees and the growth of their roots to have a deep and thorough watering less often that just a shallow watering daily.
For additional info on how to plant evergreen trees, check out our planting directions. Be sure to browse our huge selection of Evergreen Trees and Privacy Trees. Some top picks include the Thuja Green Giant, Italian Cypress and Leyland Cypress. Shop all trees for sale in our online nursery.
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