Happy Arbor Day! We hope you’re celebrating with us by spending a day in the trees. If you couldn’t join us, we hope you’re helping us Celebrate Arbor Day at Tree to Tree from afar by joining us to plant a tree.
Planting just one tree in an open pasture can increase bird biodiversity from nearly 0 up to 80! What a beautiful thing.
As poet Lucy Larcom said, “He who plants a tree plants hope.” Thanks for joining us to make the earth a beautiful place and to spread hope.
How to pick your tree
There’s a lot to consider when picking out what type of tree you want to plant. You have to pick something that’s native to your area or in the right hardiness zone to make sure it will grow well. You have to decide if you want an evergreen, a flowering tree, a fruit tree, or something else. How big do you want this tree to grow, and how quickly? Next, you have to determine if where you’re going to plant this tree has full light, full shade, or somewhere in between. Then, what’s the soil like?!? Yikes. Overwhelmed? Us too. Luckily, the lovely experts over at the Arbor Day Foundation have made this handy Tree Finder to help you to pick the right tree for you.
How to plant your tree
If you’re getting a seedling with bare roots, submerge them in water for a few hours. While they’re soaking, dig a hole – much wider than you think you need it to be – where you want to plant it. Turn the soil around the hole to help with root growth. Once your plant’s soaked for about 6 hours or so, plant it! Don’t add anything – just use the dirt you took to make the hole. Leave the soil level a bit lower than the surrounding dirt to allow the water to soak in around your newly planted tree. Water it generously!
How to care for your tree
Remember to mulch your tree (it helps to insulate the soil, retain moisture, prevent soil compaction, and more) Water it generously for at least the first two years (these trees will be spending a lot of energy to grow the first few years, so it will be harder for it to protect itself from heat), and to prune your tree in the winter and fall
Now get on out there and plant some hope!