Planting High vs Plating Low
When it comes to planting your plants into the ground, it is important to understand why it is recommended to plant high, closer to the surface of the soil, rather than planting low.
First off... always clear out any root bound-ness by hand when taking your plants out of containers before transplanting them into the ground. Not doing so will encourage the roots to choke itself out at base, and/or cause the roots to wrap around the base of the tree as it grows.
This is critical to know up front because your plant may take OK and look fine for a while, but in the long run it won't root properly because it was root bound and wrapped up where the roots meet the base when put into the ground. Later down the road you may find you can rock your plant back and forth at ground level, or it may begin to show signs of ill health. When well established and rooted properly, plants should be stable and solid at the base when you try to rock them back-and-forth.
Planting high also encourages breathe-ability. This place where the roots meet the ground and base of the plant, is the place that some of the greatest breathing takes place. If the feeder roots aren't right at the surface of the soil and exposed, you risk the long term potential of your plant being thwarted because having them buried puts a damper on this flow exchange.
Below is an excellent example of an apple tree that was properly planted. See how the roots are on top of the soil where they enter into the trunk base of the tree, and see how the roots are going straight out from the base? This is what you want and how you should plant for optimal health, breathe-ability, encouragement of firm establishment, and longevity.
You can also notice how the trunk of this tree is leaning to the right. Because it was planted properly when it was originally planted, this stabilized and anchored it through the heavy winds that bent it this way over time. When I tried to lean my whole body into and move the truck of this tree it was like stone and rock solid - how it should be!
The rule here is similar to cooking. When adding spices you can always add more, but you can't take back. It is better to learn towards plant high, rather than planting too low. You can add more soil to the area later if need be. Set the stage and think ahead when you are doing your planning and planting.
Lastly... removing a tree or shrub that was planted too low is your best bet. If for whatever reason though you don’t want to do this, digging out the feeder roots and keeping it clean is a band-aid type solution. I have tried this at the request of one of my clients. This does seem to help it breathe and stay alive as long as you can help it.
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