How to plant a Kwanzan Cherry tree in clay soil?

[MDragofire]

I live in Houston Texas 77014 zone 9 and according to this

https://www.arborday.org/Shopping/Trees/TreeDetail.cfm?id=149

the tree can live here any help on how I can make it survive ?

[bullthistle]

Make sure you plant in a protected area, out of the wind and make sure it doesn't get the sun all day.

[tomc]

If you are growing on Texican gumbo clay, make sure the hole you plant in does not have smooth sides and that the bottom of hole has fractures.

It is very easy to plant cherry into what is in effect a bowl, and the tree drowns.

[MDragofire]

Should I build it in a mound above soil level ?

[tomc]

No raising the tree is not a fix to creating the beginings of good drainage. A smooth sided bowl in heavy clay is the perfect vehicle to drowning any tree.

Your going to fracture the sides and bottom of the hole you dig.

You're going to mulch the tree with bark mulch and your going to work a little mulch into the soil you back fill with.

All this 'mulch' will become the fodder for worms. All the extra steps of making a rough sided hole will be to give those worms their first toe hold for doing the heavy lifting for you that not even a back-end loader can provide you with.

You are going to keep your prunus mulched out to its drip edge yearly for ever.

[MDragofire]

Any more tips like fertilizer and horticulture oil and pesticides fungus killers tell me all I need to keep this tree alive in texas

[tomc]

Its true for most trees. They dance with them what brung 'em. For deciduous trees that is often mostly mycoriza (read mushrooms).

This symbiotic relationship between mushrooms and trees needs a regular supply of water.

Oh you can add a little low number fertilizer like compost or manure in a thin layer out to the trees drip edge, and cover it over with bark mulch.

Your county extension office will be able to suggest spray schedule if you are willing to spray to reduce curilo, scale, and other prunus loving bug-vermin, if you are willing to spray.

Always read understand and fallow safety instructions on sprays. it aint just bugs they can kill.

[MDragofire]

I should mention tha this tree is going to be bare root ? any difference in the planting procedure if its not tooo much trouble ?

[tomc]

I should mention tha this tree is going to be bare root ? any difference in the planting procedure if its not tooo much trouble ?

Bare root dormant trees are pretty common. They are a value compared to shipping a soil ball.

Keep roots moist with damp saw-dust or bark mulch till you plant out.

[bullthistle]

Since it is bare root it may need to be staked. Also when you start back filling after 4 or 5 shovels tamp the soil down around the roots, water, let dry, back fill again, tamp. Throw in some bonemeal.

[MDragofire]

And I backfill with the same soil that I dug up as you know I got that texaclay soil haha

[MDragofire]

Sorry if this may seem like spamming but I want to know step by step if its not too much trouble how I should do this.

This week my 1 foot BARE ROOT Kwanzan cherry tree will come. I live in houston texas 77014. As you know I have that Clay soil Real hard clay soil. What are the steps I need to preform so I can have this plant successfully grow. I am new to planting!

I cleared the area but I have not started digging yet!

[applestar]

The way I do it here (not Texas but hard clay subsoil) is I start by edging and peeling up all the sod in a big circle about 3-4 feet wide. Usually there is at least 1"-3" layer of clay attached to the bottom.

I don't dig any deeper than that, but thoroughly break up the clay soil under neath to a garden fork depth (NOT shovel) which achieves the rough sides mentioned above and avoids the smooth.

I then dump a layer of unscreened mostly finished compost (ususally contains big pieces of sticks, crab claws, seashells, corn cobs, some leaves and straw as well as resident earthworms and other denizens) and small (pea sized but sharp) gravel and composted bark chip mulch plus a layer of top soil collected from under leafpiles in another part of the yard. I usually add some rock phosphate and green sand as well as dolomitic lime depending on the tree. -- fork that in.

Usually, this is enough loose soil to plant the tree slightly raised above the grade.

I will be laying all the sod grass side side down except in the middle where I'll be planting the tree. Here, I chop the sod into small chunks and put them in the bottom of the tree planting hole. Then plant the tree on top.

I end up with clay around the perimeter of the circle and mounded soil in the middle. I put the sod grass side down with all the clay on the top. The sod will help to hold the mound while I water thoroughly. If the water tends to pool and not soak into the clay in the circle, I'll cut breaks in the surrounding sod to help drain it away, sometimes creating a mini V trench with my edger or shovel.

Then put another layer of compost on the clay underside of the sod which is on the top now. Cover the entire circle with wet cardboard and/or several layers of newsprint (newsprint where ground is contoured) to smother the grass and weeds, and then cover them with decorative mulch.

In less than a week the whole area will be full of earthworms.

I water thoroughly every other day during the first week, twice a week for the next two weeks, then once a week for the next month and the rest of the season if it doesn't rain.

[MDragofire]

Thanks so much that really helps

[cynthia_h]

I've copy/pasted your post and mine to your original thread about this tree.

If the tree is developing a problem, whether it's a disease, an attack by insects, or simply due to watering, those who wish to respond will be able to give you better advice if they have all the background information on this tree available to them.

Cynthia H.
moderator

[MDragofire]

What color is the bark on a kwanzan tree 1 foot sapling suppose to be mines turned from brown to light tanish and has some brown spots on it the buds are still there