Tree planted too deeply and poor drainage. Photo: William Fountain, University of Kentucky, Bugwood.org
Updated: November 16, 2023
Planting too deeply
- A planting depth of only one-inch too deep can cause trouble.
- It is not uncommon to see trees planted as much as three or more inches too deep with mulch piled on top adding to the problem.
- Deep planting causes bark deterioration at the soil line, which can eventually kill the plant.
- It usually takes a few seasons for a tree or shrub to die from this. Therefore, residentstypically do not associate the decline of a tree with how it was planted.
Symptoms of excessively deep planting
- Some new growth may develop each spring, only to die-off during the stress of summer.
- Advanced symptoms of depth-related stress are cankers and deep cracking of the bark. A canker is an area of dead tissue on a woody stem.Some shallow cracking of bark is normal for many trees as the trunk grows but there is a problem if the bark is also peeling near the cracking.
- A tree may survive until fall but may not survive the winter because of insufficient storage of food reserves caused by the damaged bark.
- Deeply planted trees tend not to be very vigorous and look like they are struggling to grow.
- If the root flare is not visible then be suspicious of deep planting or another problem such asgirdling roots.
Management
- Aproperly plantedand established tree trunk flares at the base or the soil line where it joins the root system.
- If the tree or shrub was recently planted too deeply it can be lifted and replanted.
- To avoid the tree settling excessivelyin future plantings, do not loosen the soil at the bottom of the planting hole.
- Root collar excavation, which is the removal of excess soil and mulch around the root collar (base of the tree), can sometimes be helpful. Carefully remove the excess mulch or soil from the circumference of the trunk to the point where the trunk flares out into root growth. Arborists can perform root collar excavation by using an air spade, a special tool powered by an air compressor, which causes minimal root disturbance. The procedure is recommended for valuable or specimen trees.
FAQs
Signs of trees suffering as a result of deep planting include girdling roots, few or no buttress roots showing; yellowing, undersized or fewer leaves; and stunted height. You may be able to remedy buried trees by replanting them at the proper height or removing excess soil from the tree's root flare.
What happens if a tree is planted too deep? ›
Planting too deeply
A planting depth of only one-inch too deep can cause trouble. It is not uncommon to see trees planted as much as three or more inches too deep with mulch piled on top adding to the problem. Deep planting causes bark deterioration at the soil line, which can eventually kill the plant.
Is it better to plant a tree too high or too deep? ›
Dig a planting hole only deep enough to ensure that the root flare will stay exposed just above the soil line. Remember that the tree will settle in and lower a bit after planting, so higher is better.
What happens if we plant too many trees? ›
When trees grow too close together, they have to compete for these resources. This results in weaker trees that are more susceptible to disease, insect infestations, and drought. Because of these susceptibilities, overstocked forests, or dense forests with too many trees, are prone to high rates of tree mortality.
What happens if trees are planted too close? ›
However, if you plant trees too closely together, a number of issues may arise. For example, sunlight will not be able to filter down to the lower leaves, moisture won't be able to make it to the soil and your trees won't be able to get the nutrition that is needed.
How deep can I plant a tree? ›
When you have cleared around the circumference of the trunk and exposed the root flare, stand your tree up and measure from the root flare to the base of the rootball. (You don't want the root system exposed, but just covered by the rootball soil.) This is the maximum depth to plant your tree.
Which tree roots go deepest? ›
The greatest reported depth to which a tree's roots have penetrated is 400 feet by a Wild Fig tree at Echo Caves, near Ohrigstad, Mpumalanga, South Africa. The Greatest Spread of a tree occurs on a Banyan tree in the Indian Botanical Gardens in Calcutta.
What are the effects of planting 100 trees? ›
In one year, 100 mature trees can remove 50 Metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent and 430 pounds of pollution from the atmosphere! Forests across the US are the nation's largest carbon sink and offset between 10-20% of our annual fossil fuel emissions.
Why should we stop planting trees? ›
Tree planting programs often lead to a loss of biodiversity, taking us further away from achieving a nature-positive world. Mexico's Sowing Life campaign destroyed over 180,000 acres of forest in its first year due to a perverse incentive structure.
How many trees can one person plant in a day? ›
A rough estimate is that an inexperienced, but physically fit, tree planter can plant 1,000 to 3,000 seedlings per day. If you want to plant more than 1,000 trees, you may want to consider using a planting machine.
Over time, a buried stem (trunk flare) will begin to die and decay fungi will move in. This dieback inhibits the translocation of food and other materials, and tree hormones communicating within the tree are impacted, causing the tree to not harden off in preparation for the cold temperatures of winter.
Can you plant a magnolia tree too deep? ›
Planting too deep results in those feeder roots smothering due to lack of oxygen which can lead to deterioration of the bark at the soil line and also kill the tree.
What happens if you don't dig a big enough hole for a tree? ›
Numerous people have complained the planting crews dug the hole only wide enough to fit the box. After that, a little bit of mulch was mixed with the soil, watered in and called good. That's no deal. The tree will decline and maybe die in a couple of years because of these poor planting techniques.
What is the maximum depth of a tree? ›
The height or maximum depth of a binary tree is the total number of edges on the longest path from the root node to the leaf node. In other words, the height of a binary tree is equal to the maximum number of edges from the root to the most distant leaf node. The height of an empty tree or tree with one node is 0.
How deep can tree roots go? ›
In general, most tree roots can grow anywhere from two to six feet deep. However, there are some tree roots that have been known to grow much deeper than that. The world's deepest tree root was found in South Africa, and it reached a depth of 24 feet!
