Shade in a hurry
With proper preparation and handling, large trees can be planted to supply needed shade. Good results can be expected from a young tree one to five inches in diameter (measured at chest height.) This size tree will be from ten to thirty feet tall and will add beauty and shade within a couple of years. The first root ball on such a tree will weigh several hundred pounds. It’s best to have a reliable nurseryman to plant it.
Trees like to be transplanted before the end of March. In mid-and-upper South, April is satisfactory. Trees require good soil drainage. Poor results usually follow if water stands for a long period after a heavy rain.
Make the planting hole at least two feet deeper and wider than the ball of the tree. It’s helpful to add peat moss mixed with soil at planting time. For a one-to-five-inch tree, add a cup of 20 percent phosphate to each bushel of soil in the hole. Phosphate doesn’t move down into the hole very fast, but it does stimulate root growth.