Why Trees Should Actually Be Planted In Square Holes To Grow Bigger And Faster
January 4, 2021
source: Gardens Illustrated/Andrew Montgomery
I’ve been trying to step up my gardening game over the past couple of years, so I’m always curious to learn new gardening tips and tricks. In the spring, we plan on ripping out the existing overgrown shrubbery in our backyard, replacing it with a neat row of trees. When doing some research on proper tree planting methods, I came across the following tip that I wanted to share with you all.
When planting a tree, most of us would go about the process by digging a traditional round hole. However, you may be surprised to learn that digging square holes actually encourages trees to grow bigger and faster. Planting your trees in a square hole will also make them more resistant to environmental events like droughts and periods of extremely heavy rain.
Planting trees in a circular hole will encourage the roots to grow within the circle, as they have a hard time penetrating the harder, more compact soil around the hole. Over time, the tight ring formed by the tree’s roots can greatly impact its growth. If you plant a tree in a square hole, the roots won’t grow in this tight ring. Roots aren’t known to be well-equipped to grow around corners, so when the roots hit the straight edges of the hole, they’ll be more inclined to spread and grow outwards.
Another way to ensure your tree grows big and strong is to not fill the hole with fertilizer and a different soil once planting the tree. You should fill the hole with the soil that you originally removed from it, which will encourage the roots to grow in their native environment instead of “spoiling them” with different, nutrient-packed soil.
Thanks so much to Intelligent Living for sharing these awesome tree planting tips! I feel much more confident about taking on our backyard landscaping project now that I know the proper hole-digging and planting methods.