| at said, I should tell you all that I still can’t play | | | | Round, smooth-sided planting holes might be easier to |
| a DVD on my television without my wife’s | | | | dig, but they discourage the roots from exiting the |
| help; even though she’s shown me at least | | | | planting hole and penetrating the native soil around it. |
| ten times. | | | | Rather than circling round and round, as roots are |
| Sometimes we never get shown how to do certain | | | | encouraged to do in a round planting hole; a hole with |
| simple things. We plod along, doing these things | | | | jagged, irregular edges will encourage the roots to |
| incorrectly, ignorant of our own incompetence. It | | | | break the confines of the hole and set off into the |
| wasn’t long ago that I assumed hot water | | | | native soil. |
| was always best for washing clothes. I still assume a | | | | Watering |
| flush beats a full house in poker. | | | | The final instruction in my hole-digging lesson is to |
| In our gardening pursuits how many of us have ever | | | | water the hole first, before planting. Most people dig |
| been shown how to dig a planting hole — one | | | | the hole, install the plant, add the soil mixture back |
| of the most fundamental skills. I suspect most | | | | into the hole and then go get the hose. But, it is |
| gardeners just picked up a shovel one day and | | | | better to fill the hole with water now, while it is |
| started digging and pretty much do it the same way | | | | empty, and then proceed with the planting after the |
| today that they did twenty or thirty years ago. | | | | water has completely drained. This has two |
| They’ve never been shown. | | | | advantages. First, it lets you measure how good the |
| Size of the Hole | | | | drainage is in the area. If the water drains through |
| One of the most common misconceptions is that a | | | | the hole at less than an inch per hour, most plants |
| planting hole should be about as deep as it is wide. | | | | are going to fail without more complex adjustments; |
| Furthermore, it the soil is heavy clay, most gardeners | | | | but that’s another article. Secondly, by soaking |
| dig the hole even deeper. In fact, almost all planting | | | | the hole first, when the planting is finished and the |
| holes should be much wider than they are deep, | | | | final irrigation is given, the drier surrounding soil will not |
| especially those in clay soils. For better drainage and | | | | wick the water away from the rootball, a common |
| root growth, a planting hole should be dug about | | | | occurrence. |
| three or four times as wide as the container and just | | | | Any complete instruction of shrub or tree planting |
| slightly deeper. A shallow, wide hole is best. | | | | should also include soil amendments, placing the plant |
| Shape of the Hole | | | | at the correct height in the hole, irrigation wells, |
| The hole should be round, right? Of course shovels | | | | checking the rootball for matted roots, plant handling |
| have rounded backs which make the | | | | and more. But first, the hole must be dug. |
| round-hole assumption almost automatic. But in | | | | So there it is, after twenty of thirty years of planting |
| fact, planting holes should be irregular in their outline, | | | | trees and shrubs, you’ve finally been properly |
| with jagged edges, creases and pointed corners. | | | | instructed on how to dig a hole. Good digging. |