Planting A Tree Made Easy As 1-2-3

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Planting a tree is an easy way to spruce up your yard. It sounds like a simple task, and it can be if you know what you're doing first. Susie Bachman of Bachman's said there's a little more science to it.

Once you find a spot in your lawn, you'll want to first call Gopher One to mark any underground utilities before digging. This is for your safety and to make sure no repairs will need to be made to buried utility lines of you hit them while digging.

Next, Bachman suggests digging a hole 20 inches wider than the root ball and 8 inches less deep than the root ball if you have clay soil in your yard. If you have sandy soil, it should be 3 inches less deep than the root ball because it keeps the root flare above the soil line.

When you place the tree in the space, make sure it's lined up vertically. Bachman said you will want to fill the hole half-way with a mix of a good top soil and existing soil. Then add water to help settle the soil and use a plant starter.

Fill in the rest of the hole with more of the soil mix and stamp it down, sloping it away from the trunk of the tree.

Lastly, mulch the base of the tree to help it grow and maintain moisture.