Proper way to install a line of trees

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southern-ct-4
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Proper way to install a line of trees

Post by southern-ct-4 » September 30th, 2021, 2:53 pm

My neighbor is putting up a row of arborvitaes, and I just wanted the company make a 'plateau' of fresh dirt, approx. 1' high and 4' wide.

They are now digging holes in the middle of the plateau (presumably down to ground level) to plant the tree. Is that normal, or should they have just dug the hole in the normal ground (w/o building any plateau)?

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MorpheusPA
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Re: Proper way to install a line of trees

Post by MorpheusPA » October 2nd, 2021, 12:10 pm

Just dig holes at ground level. Displaced dirt can certainly be spread around the site, but other than that, the plateau is not necessary and can be a bit of a problem in the future. It'll tend to be a different soil type, overplant the tree roots, and alter the pitch to send water away from the central roots. Or worse, collect it at the point where the pitch changes at the rise of the curve and drown the roots there in wet periods. Most Thuja species are relatively tolerant, but there's a limit, and wet during winter with extensive heaving is usually that limit.

Heaving's more of an issue down here where freeze/thaw cycles are the rule and happen almost daily in December and February. Of course, that's true of you as well in November and March, so...

Spacing is another question. You didn't ask, but most Thuja will set their max height by their spacing. My Green Giant are centered about 8 feet apart, giving them a max height of around 25 feet. They're at 18-20 now and growing very slowly as they're not being fed specifically. Closer, they'll be shorter. Too close, and they'll thin at the base and/or just die. Specimen Thuja (Green Giant) can hit sixty to seventy feet, but it takes close to eighty years.

Something like the Thuja Emerald Green can be centered much more closely at 4'. Tiny Tower will go even closer and can be container-grown in warmer climates. Hopefully your neighbor calculated accordingly.

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