Tree Planting Service

Purpose

Define the tree planting service - the install-side of tree care work. Many tree service businesses focus only on removal + pruning, leaving the planting work to landscape contractors. Adding planting captures a high-margin cross-sell. Customer who hired you for removal often wants a replacement; same call closes both jobs.

Scope

Applies to:

• Container-grown tree planting (15-gallon to 30-gallon residential)
• Balled-and-burlapped (B&B) tree planting (1.5" caliper to 5" caliper)
• Bare-root planting (typically dormant-season specialty)
• Multi-tree installation projects

Excludes: large tree transplanting (specialty + equipment-heavy), specimen tree spading (specialty equipment), forestry-scale planting.

Tree selection consultation

Before planting, recommend to customer:

Site assessment

• Soil drainage (well-drained / clay / wet)
• Sun exposure (full sun / partial / shade)
• Available space (root space + canopy space at maturity)
• Overhead obstructions (power lines, building eaves)
• Underground utilities (CALL BEFORE YOU DIG mandatory)

Climate appropriateness

• USDA hardiness zone match
• Heat tolerance for warm zones
• Drought tolerance for dry areas
• Native vs imported (natives generally more disease-resistant + lower-maintenance)

Mature size

• Customer often picks the cute little sapling without realizing the mature size
• Show photos / measurements of mature size
• Avoid mature 80-ft trees within 30 ft of foundation OR power lines
• Match canopy width to space (don't plant 40-ft-wide canopy in 20-ft-wide yard)

Aesthetic + use

• Shade: fast-growing canopy trees (oak, maple, ash)
• Color: fall color (maple, sweetgum), spring flower (cherry, dogwood)
• Screening: evergreen (arborvitae, holly, magnolia)
• Privacy hedge: closer-spacing planting

Tree quality

• Healthy bark + leaves
• No visible damage to root flare (where trunk meets root)
• Well-developed but not pot-bound root system
• Avoid trees with circling roots OR girdling roots

Pre-dig preparation

Locate utilities

• Call 811 (USA) 2 - 3 business days before digging
• Utilities mark electric, gas, water, telecom on the surface
• DO NOT dig until utilities marked
• Federal law in many states requires this; penalties for skipping

Site marking

• Customer agrees on location
• Mark with paint OR stakes
• Confirm no overhead conflicts
• Confirm distance from foundation (most large trees 15 - 25+ ft minimum), driveway (5+ ft), neighbor's lot line (per local ordinance)

Hole digging

Size + shape (modern best practice)

• Width: 2 - 3 times the root ball diameter
• Depth: equal to root ball height (NOT deeper)
• Sloped sides (saucer-shaped) NOT vertical walls
• Loosen surrounding soil; don't compress dig walls
• Excavated soil reserved for backfill

Common mistake: digging too deep - settling tree below grade is the #1 transplant-kill cause. The flare of the trunk (where main roots branch) should be AT GRADE OR slightly above.

Planting procedure (container tree)

1. Remove from container: lay on side; slide out; slice pot-bound container with knife; score circling roots 3 - 5 vertical cuts
2. Identify root flare: brush away top soil from root ball; trunk-widens-to-roots is the planting level
3. Set in hole: lift by root ball (NOT trunk); center; flare at OR 1" above grade; plumb
4. Backfill: original soil; 3 - 5" at a time; water between stages to settle; final grade matches flare; saucer rim around edge
5. Water + mulch: 5 - 10 gallons; 2 - 4" mulch; KEEP 2 - 4" AWAY from trunk (no mulch volcano)
6. Stake only if necessary: high-wind sites; two opposing stakes; soft ties; remove year 1

Balled-and-burlapped (B&B) variations

Larger trees come with root ball wrapped in burlap + wire cage.

1. Once tree is in hole + positioned, REMOVE wire cage (cut + lay back; remove top half minimum)
2. Cut + remove burlap top + sides where accessible
3. Burlap remaining underneath decomposes (typically)
4. Wire cage left = girdles roots within 5 years
5. Burlap left fully wrapped = roots can't penetrate quickly

Bare-root variations

Common for dormant-season planting + nursery shipping:

1. Pre-soak roots 1 - 24 hours
2. Set with roots spread outward (use small earth mound under trunk)
3. Cover roots gently
4. Water deeply

Post-plant care customer briefing

• Water deeply 1 - 2 times per week for first growing season
• Reduce frequency as root system establishes (1 - 2 years)
• Mulch ring maintained
• Stakes removed at year 1
• Fertilizer NOT immediately (most landscape soil sufficient; over-fertilize stresses transplant)
• Pruning minimal in first 2 years (cut only dead OR damaged)

Provide written care instructions.

Warranty

Most tree service businesses warranty trees for:

• 30 - 90 days "establishment" warranty (we replace if dies in first month)
• 1 year limited warranty (replace once if dies in first growing season) - premium

Define warranty terms IN WRITING. Customer who watered insufficiently isn't a warranty claim. Document customer education + water-instruction at handoff.

Common planting mistakes

• Planting too deep (root flare buried) - #1 transplant-kill cause
• Mulch volcano against trunk (causes bark rot)
• Wire cage + burlap left intact
• No watering / inconsistent watering first year
• Wrong tree for site (overhead lines, foundation proximity)
• Skipping the 811 utility locate

Multi-tree projects

• Spacing: per mature canopy size + customer aesthetic
• Stagger straight rows for natural look unless customer wants formal allée
• Diversity: avoid planting 20 of the same tree (vulnerability to disease - Dutch elm disease, emerald ash borer, etc.)
• Mix native + adapted species

References

• ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) Tree Planting Standards
• ANSI A300 Part 6: Tree, Shrub + Other Woody Plant Maintenance - Planting
• Arbor Day Foundation planting guides
• Local 811 utility locate service
• Manuall internal: Tree Pruning Service SOP, How to Grind a Tree Stump