Planting and Care.

• Dig a hole 2-3 times the diameter of the container and the same depth as the container.
• If available about 1/2 a bucket of rotted cow manure could be mixed through the soil you removed. Its even better than anything you can buy!
• Drive a 4 ft stake in the hole, slightly off center.
• Make sure the tree rootball is saturated before planting.
• Gently tease out and prune if damaged any circling roots. But be very careful not to overdo this when the tree has leaves. In the wintertime you can be much less careful....in fact its preferred to loosen the rootball in the dormant season. (end of Autumn and Winter)
• Put the tree in the hole and backfill the soil you dug out, firming often using your heel. Essential that your tree should not be planted deeper than it was in the pot. It should be at soil level.
• Tie the tree to the stake at approx 1/3 the tree height, using a soft tie (which prevents damage to the bark). Keep staked for 2-3 yrs untill tree is wind firm. But make sure the "tie" allows a little room for the trunk to grow. So check all is ok once a year.
• Apply a mulch to prevent grass from competing for moisture and nutrients.

Those Pesky Varmints!

Rabbits can kill a young tree overnight by knawing on the bark. If you have rabbits in the area, I strongly suggest using a treeguard. This can be as simple as using some land drainage piping around the base of the trunk. About 2 ft high. You would need to cut the piping down one side to get it around the trunk.