Spring is the ideal time to improve the landscaping around the home by planting a tree. However, before grabbing the spade and digging a hole, Bob Frazee, University of Illinois natural resources educator suggests that there are several important factors to consider. These include the suitability of the site where it is to be planted, the species, growth characteristics of the tree, the tree's age, and how the nursery plants were grown. Trees typically become more difficult to transplant after they break dormancy, primarily because the new leaves and stem growth are susceptible to high transpiration or water loss.

Nursery stock is usually offered for sale in the following ways: Bare root, packaged, potted, container grown, and balled and burlapped. According to Frazee, these designations relate to the way the plants were grown and how they are being marketed. Bare-root stock designates the sale of plants with exposed roots that are very susceptible to drying out. Consequently, bare-root plants need to be kept moist until planting. Packaged plants are similar to bare-root plants, except they have their roots in a loose, moist organic material. Potted plants are bare-root stock that have been potted into containers and sold shortly thereafter. Potted plants differ from container-grown plants in that they were not grown in the original containers. Balled and burlapped stock are generally more durable than their bare-root counterparts because they contain a large soil ball with the root system relatively still intact.

To plant a tree, Frazee recommends digging a hole about 50 percent wider than the root ball or root spread of your tree. Amend the soil that is removed with peat moss or well-rotted manure. Starter fertilizer can also be applied with the first watering after planting.

If the soil is hard and compacted or has a high clay content, you may want to dig deeper than the root mass of your plant in order to condition the subsoil. If this is done, make sure that you backfill and firm the soil in the bottom of the pit so that it will not settle deeper, causing the tree to be lower than its position when grown in the container or in the nursery row. Frazee emphasizes that it is important to plant all trees at the same level in the soil at which they were originally growing—no shallower and no deeper!

Once the tree is set into the planting pit, the backfilling should be done by shoveling in and firming the soil around the root ball. Frazee recommends that a water basin be formed around the base of the plant to hold water, allowing it to soak in rather than running off. When watering new trees, make sure that the plants never dry out. Keep the soil moist at all times during the first season.

It is also a good idea to mulch newly planted trees with shredded hardwood bark, compost, or coarse peat moss. These materials conserve moisture, retard weed growth, and help maintain a more even soil temperature. A 2 or 3-inch mulch is usually sufficient for one season. Frazee also recommends that homeowners prune some of the tree's branches at planting time. Pruning helps to equalize the top growth with the amount of remaining roots. This reduction in top growth also reduces the amount of water that is lost through transpiration.