Planting a Tree on Your Property: How to Proceed

Trees are the ultimate evidence of time gone by. Once you plant a type or species on your property, with time, the sprout will grow, the trunk will thicken, the branches will spread, the buds will bloom, and the foliage will change along with the seasons.

A tree adds a certain lushness to your property, and it contributes to the preservation of the environment. All you have to do is plant it the right way!

Tree-Planting: What You Need to Know

Spring vs. fall: When should you plant a tree?

Source: Canva

Every year, thousands of deciduous and coniferous trees are undoubtedly planted incorrectly. Although trees don’t necessarily succumb right away or at all, it often takes quite some time to get them to a healthy state. Trees vegetate and become susceptible to disease," Pierre Gingras wrote in a 2007 article in La Presse (French only). However, fall—right up to the moment when the ground starts to freeze—remains an excellent time to plant a tree on your property," he explained. When the weather is cool, plants replenish their stocks, a process that's done by the time the leaves have changed colour. Once the leaves change colour, the plant is dormant and will only have an opportunity to revive in the spring.

During spring, you solely have a month, from mid-April to mid-May, to plant a tree. Basically, once the ground has thawed right up until the buds start sprouting. Coniferous trees are planted during the fall (from August 15 to September 15) and during the spring, as soon as the ground has thawed until the new growths bloom in June.

Ball and burlapped and plug plants can be planted as early as the spring thaw and as late as the fall frost. Make sure to pick a cool, cloudy day. In periods of heat waves, water abundantly and regularly, and use an anti-drying agent, along with protective materials like burlap (windbreak) or a shading structure.

The Tree’s Size

First off, determine the available space you have for the tree and bear in mind that it’ll reach maturity one day. Several factors must guide your decision-making, like the following:

• Tree’s size once it reaches maturity;

• Its resistance to strong winds and cold weather; 

• Over-cast the leaves (crown) will create;

• The likelihood that the tree will hinder public service lines;

• Space needed for the tree to fully develop;

• Municipal rules and regulations.

Keep in mind that big and leafy trees planted south- or west-ward will provide some much-welcomed shade during the summer without so much as obstructing the winter sun, while coniferous trees positioned in the north-most corner of your yard will shield you from the cold winds. 

Next, willow and poplar trees have roots that tend to spread out in their search for water sources and risk clogging water and sewer lines. Therefore, it's best to avoid planting them near underground pipelines.

Several trees are said to be columnar or fastigiate, meaning they grow more in terms of length, with tight, narrow branches along the trunk, explained Larry Hodgson in a 2008 article featured in La Presse. These trees, he listed, take up little space on the ground: Lombardy Poplar, Swedish Columnar Aspen, Tower Poplar, Fastigiate English Oak, Colomnar Crabapple.

Need to prune a tree that’s taking a bit too much space? Check out our article Tree Pruning: Why, When, and How?

The Biological Needs of Trees

Source: Canva

Beyond the amount of space occupied by the tree, plants have biological needs related to climate and soil (texture, structure, pH, nutrients, and drainage). Furthermore, each individual species has a different degree of resistance when it comes to frosts, flooding or drought, strong winds, poor exposure to sunlight, and compact, heavy, acidic or alkaline soils.

Tree Canada’s mission is to fortify urban Canadian forests, as well as inspire people to participate and advocate for community greenspaces. As such, they’ve listed all trees and species available in the country.  

Inspect the tree prior to purchasing it: Look at the foliage to spot the presence of insects or illnesses; look at the branches and trunk to ensure there are no wounds; observe the disposition of the branches and their sturdiness while favouring those that have already been pruned in some capacity. Check the state of the roots: white or light-coloured roots are a way to gauge a tree’s health, more so, the fewer spiral-shaped roots, the better, meaning the tree will recover easily.

Looking for inspiration before planting a tree of your own? Check out our article Renovation Inspo: 10 Tree and Shrub Ideas for Your Landscaping Project. 

How to Plant a Bare-Root Tree

Source: Canva

1. Dig a hole big and deep enough to allow for the roots to spread. If needed, fertilize the soil that's been set aside.

2. Cut the dead, sick, broken, or crisscrossing branches. Prune dead or damaged roots. 

3. Dip the bare roots in a mixture of water and soil right before planting to prevent the roots from drying out and ease their re-growth.

4. Drop the tree in the pit while ensuring that it’s very straight and the flare is ground level. Spread the roots apart and position the longest root on the wind-prone side of the pit.

5. Get a plant stake for support.

6. Backfill the hole, layer by layer, with the dirt and soil set aside. Slightly press down on the patch of dirt around the roots. Add potting soil up to ground level and the root flare, without covering the latter.

7. Make a border or a basin-like shape with the dirt around the tree to favour watering.

8. Water abundantly and deeply, and add dirt as needed.

9. Lay some mulch or a ground protective material around the border or in the dirt, basin-like shape, ensuring the mulch isn’t directly touching the trunk. Water to ensure it holds in place.

10. Remove the protective material and everything around the trunk: ropes, tags, etc.

How to Plant a Balled-and-Burlapped Tree

1. Clear the bottom section of the burlapped root ball to locate the flare and tree. Measure the height of the root ball up to that point. The measurement obtained will dictate the depth of the pit. The size of the cavity must be twice as big as the burlapped root ball. 

2. Dig a pit that’s big and deep enough, with sloping side walls. Fertilize the soil that’s been removed.

3. Prune the dead, sick, broken, or crisscrossing branches.

4. Drop the root ball in the planting hole while also ensuring that the tree is very straight and that the flare is level with the ground.

5. Remove every single part of the geotextile mesh or any other non-biodegradable material. If the root ball is wrapped in a wire mesh or a rope-wrapped burlap, gently free the upper middle section of the root ball. Cut and re-wrap the burlap and the wire mesh toward to bottom of the hole. Cut and remove the rope that’s holding the burlap in place.

6. Add a supporting stake along the tree’s trunk.

7. Backfill the hole, layer by layer, with the dirt and soil set aside. Slightly press down on the patch of dirt around the roots. Add potting soil up to the existing ground level and the root flare, without covering the latter.

8. Make a border or a basin-like shape with the dirt around the tree to favour watering.

9. Water abundantly and deeply, and add dirt as needed.

10. Lay some mulch or a ground protective material around the border or in the dirt, basin-like shape, ensuring the mulch isn’t directly touching the trunk. Water to make sure it holds in place.

11. Remove the protective material and everything around the trunk: ropes, tags, etc.

How to Plant a Potted Tree  

Source: Canva

1. Cut the dead, sick, broken, or crisscrossing branches.

2. Gently remove the plant from its pot ensuring the root ball isn’t damaged.

3. If needed, prune the spiral-shaped roots.

4. Clear the top section of the root ball to locate the plant’s flare. Measure the height of the root ball from this point. This measurement equals the depth of the planting hole. The depth of this cavity must be twice as big as the root ball itself. 

5. Dig a planting hole that’s big and deep enough, with sloping side walls. If you choose to plant a hedge or create a plant bed, dig continuous cavities. Fertilize the soil that was removed as needed.

6. Drop the root balls in the pits while ensuring that the plant is set straight and the flare is level with the surrounding ground. 

7. Add a supporting stake along the tree trunk, if needed.

8. Backfill the hole, layer by layer, with the dirt and soil set aside. Slightly press down on the patch of dirt around the roots. Add potting soil up to the ground level and the root flare, without covering the latter.

9. Make a border or a basin-like shape with the dirt around the planting hole to favour watering.

10. Water abundantly and deeply, and add dirt as needed.

11. Lay some mulch or a ground protective material around the border or in the dirt, basin-like shape, ensuring the mulch isn’t directly touching the trunk. Water to make sure it holds.

12. Remove the protective material and everything around the trunk: ropes, tags, etc.

How to Plant a Tree in Poorly Drained Soil

If the soil is either too dense or poorly drained, you'll have to set up a drainage system by reshaping or raising the ground so that the tree can survive. Since such operations are complex and costly, the Espace pour la vie (Space for Life) website suggests another option: planting in an artificially raised ground. Follow these simple steps:

1. If you’re working with a potted tree, you’ll have to remove it from its pot and prune its spiral-shaped roots.

2. Clear the top section of the root ball to locate the plant’s flare. Measure the height of the root ball from this point. 

3. Dig a hole two-thirds the height of the root ball and three times the width of the root ball. The walls of the dug-out pit must be sloped. 

4. Don't add any amendments or fertilizers to the soil that has been set aside, or gravel at the bottom of the pit.

5. Drop the root ball in the hole while ensuring the tree is set straight.

6. Clear the top half of the tree.

7. Place a stake against the tree trunk if needed.

8. Backfill the hole, layer by layer, with the dirt and soil set aside. If needed, use firmer soil to shape out a small mound with a height that doesn’t exceed a third of the root ball, otherwise, the roots will dry out fast. 

9. Avoid making a border or basin-like shape for watering purposes. Water freely and deeply, and add soil as needed.

10. Don’t add mulch or soil protective materials.

11. Remove the protective material and everything else around the trunk: ropes, tags, etc. 

Do you have to stake a young tree?

Source: Canva

Indeed, oftentimes, you will be advised to stake a young tree, especially during the first few years of its life. Here are a few reasons why staking a tree might be beneficial:

1. Stability: Young trees often have an underdeveloped root system, which renders them unstable and likely to tip over as a result of intense gusts of wind or harsh weather. Staking helps maintain the tree in a vertical position and prevents any damage to it.

2. Protection: By staking a young tree, you’re essentially protecting it from human-made damage, such as trampling, as well as animal attacks.

3. Growth: A well-positioned stake can promote proper, healthy growth, guiding the tree trunk in the right direction.

4. Recovery: If the tree is damaged or moved, staking it can facilitate recovery by maintaining its position and limiting stress.

It’s important to note that staking must be done correctly to prevent damaging the tree. Use soft, non-abrasive materials to tie the tree to the stake, and make sure to remove the stake once the tree is sufficiently established and can uphold its weight. As a general rule, stalking is solely necessary during those first few growth years.

Are you allowed to plant a tree in the city?

Source: Canva

According to World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF-Canada), urban soils are often poorly oxygenized, and in areas where oxygen levels are low, anaerobic bacteria take over, producing toxic elements for trees, such as acid or methane. In forests, where well-oxygenated underground life converts into mineral and organic substances that can be assimilated by plants, trees can live up to 200 years.

Whereas, in the city, a tree doesn’t surpass the 30-year mark. Cigarette butts, salt spread throughout the winter, wounds caused by snow ploughs, construction work, and the lack of civic responsibility on the part of some citizens contribute to a reduced life expectancy of 5 years in regard to trees lined up in a sidewalk pit.

In Montréal

During the spring of 2024, the Green Municipal Fund will launch its Growing Canada's Community Canopies (GCCC) initiative. This new project aims to encourage tree planting within and around communities across the country.

In partnership with Trees Canada, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) is committed to providing municipal governments with expertise and essential information to identify best practices in tree planting, species selection, site selection, and supply management, while considering future climate conditions and preserving a diversity of urban forest covers.

According to the Éducaloi website, it’s permitted to plant a tree on one's own property in Montreal. However, it's important to keep in mind the rules of good neighborliness and ensure that the tree in question does not damage or harm the neighbor's property. Check with your municipality before planting a tree too close to a fence, or planting an apple tree whose fruits would fall into your neighbor's yard all summer long.

In Laval

One doesn’t need any sort of permit to proceed with tree planting or tree maintenance on private property. Once you’ve obtained a permit to fell trees or you’ve gained eligibility for the financial aid program, you have to make sure that the tree that’s to be planted is amongst the species recommended by the City of Laval. 

Note that planting, maintaining, or felling a tree on public grounds is prohibited. By that, we mean any stretch of public land; one adjacent to a public roadway on City-owned property, of varying dimensions, from one street to the next, between 0 to 10 metres.

In Québec

The city goes forth with planting hundreds of “street trees” in public spaces—a stretch of land of varying dimensions. Tree planting is done according to these circumstances: replacing felled trees, a citizen request by way of the Tree Planting Program, new housing developments where existing tree plantings are already in place, and in neighbourhoods with no trees and poor-quality ash trees.

Once you’ve planted a tree, take note of these 8 tree maintenance tips!

For landscaping project examples and exterior renovations done by RenoQuotes-affiliated contractors, check out our article 10 Examples of Landscaping Projects.