Advice on Planting a Tree

It is not to early to plant it outdoors. Dogwoods like Virginia soil that is acidic clay. Sounds like you have given it a healthy start. AF

Hi T.,

Definitely wait until October to plant your tree. Keep it in a cool place, best in the basement if you have one, for the summer. You're keeping it somewhat dormant by doing this, but you still need to water it and keep it healthy. When you plan it in the fall, put a lot of peat moss in there with the soil you use to fill the hole, which will probably be very tiny since your plant is really tiny. :) The weather should have cooled off when you plant it, not frost yet, but not hot hot hot. Good luck.

D.

Sorry-I have to disagree with the person who told you not to plant it until fall. The best time to plant it is right now, especially since we're having a cool, moist spring. Dogwoods like shady spots and slightly acidic soil--so try putting in a couple tablespoons of coffee grounds into whatever soil you use. Pick a shady, sheltered spot, make sure the roots have room to grow and amend the soil a little with some compost. You'll have to make sure it gets enough water this summer, since new trees need deep watering to establish their root system. The best way to do this is to leave the garden hose on near the roots and let it drip slowly for, oh, half a day.

And don't be discouraged if it doesn't work. Dogwoods are very persnickety and if you didn't get it from a reputable landscaper or plant store, it might not be healthy enough to grow anyway. But it's certainly worth a try.

Hi- I have had best luck with keeping the 'sticks' in a nice sized pot that can stay for a few years so you won't need to transplant it again next year. I have been nurturing along a 'stick' gingko tree this way for 4 years. The one my MIL law got the same day at Longwood Gardens got put in the ground and and got lost in the kaos of her yard-mowed, eaten, stolen for a nest? who knows. Make it a decent sized pot with a bottom saucer and put it in part sun/shade. If the pot is too small it dries out to fast. Put some annuals or something else in there too so it doesn't look like a stick in a pot!LOL! In winter, I move the pot to a protected area, for me it is the corner of the deck where the two walls meet. It winters over great there and doesnt get harsh direct cold winds from all sides. It WILL grow if you take care of it. My gingko is several feet tall now and just popped a TON of leaves. I have creeping myrtle in the pot too that grows out and down the sides- when I eventually plant it in the ground it will have that already established underneath- gonna be georgeous someday! When they are that small, they often get mowed down or forgotton if left in the ground. It's cool thing for your child to see grow- my son reported the first buds that appeared this year. It was sweet how excited he was.

Ha! My son came home with a tree for Earth Day/Week also. I read all the instructions, looked over the whole package - no where did it state what kind of tree it was. I found the web site of the people who sent the trees home with the kids and sent them an email asking them to identify what the tree was (need to know in order to have a clue as to how to take care of it). I got an auto message stating I'd get feedback on Monday. In the meantime, I took the seedling to a local nursery, explained I had no idea what it was or how to plant it, and could they help me identify it? They were wonderful! I have a bald cypress. They can grow to be 70 feet tall with a 30 ft spread (over 25 years). They love wet, moist spots (it's impossible to over water this tree). We planted it well away from the house, not near any overhead wires or under ground lines, in the wettest part of the yard. It looks quite happy. I got a confirmation from the site I originally emailed. They too said it's a bald cypress. I send my son out with a few gallon jugs of water to keep it wet on days it does not rain. It's showing signs of new growth already.