Planting a tree is a really joyful thing, but if your tree is being planted in an area of compacted, clay soil, it could really struggle. In this article, we briefly discuss how to go about planting your next tree if your soil is not so soily.

Proper Tree Selection

The first thing to consider if you have more compacted, clay like soil is your tree selection. The easiest way to ensure you’re getting the right tree for the area is to consult an arborist.

Nebraska Forest Service’s article “Avoiding the Top 10 Mistakes of Tree Planting” by Eric Berg and Tim McDonnell offers another easy tip: look around your neighborhood to see what’s thriving and what isn’t. If you’re unsure what tree species is what, take pictures.

One further tip is to select native trees. This is not only idea for tree survival as they’re more adapted to the area, but helps your regional environment.

Proper Digging

Whether planting a container-started tree or a root ball tree, proper planting begins with a proper dig.

Before digging, be sure you have had your property inspected marked for utilities.

When it comes to the hole, make sure it’s 2-3 times the diameter of the container or root ball. Form a concave hole – sort of saucer shaped. The wider hole will allow more room for eventual root spread.

Ensure the depth of the hole matches the height of the root ball or container. In some cases, it’s ok to have the hole an inch or two shallower than the root ball or container.

New Tree Placement and Backfilling

Proper Balled-and-Burlapped (Root Ball) Tree Placement and Unpacking

Place your balled-and-burlapped tree in the center of the hole. Cut away any wires and remove the burlap. Once your tree is placed and steady, back fill with excavated dirt (in some cases you’ll want to use amended dirt) up to the root collar of the tree.

It’s important to mulch over the spot in order to hold in moisture. When mulching, be sure it’s cratered so that it directs water toward the roots and trunk of your newly planted tree.

Proper Container Tree Placement and Unpacking

When you’re ready to plant your tree, tap at the sides of the container to loosen the soil.

Next, cut an X going down the length of the shaped dirt as well as along the underneath. You’ll want to use a good knife for this.

Carefully place your tree in the center of the hole, and begin filling the area with excavated dirt. Make sure only to fill the dirt up to the root collar of the tree.

Just like with balled-and-burlapped trees, lay mulch around your container planted tree in a concave fashion that preserves moisture and directs it toward the center and roots of the tree.

Proper Tree Watering

With clay-like soil, water absorption isn’t always properly distributed. Too much watering can lead to root-rot because compacted soil doesn’t easily absorb water.

When you initially plant your tree, water it the first day, and then again on the second day. Wait three days to water it again. During the first month only every three days.

During dry spells, water your tree every seven – ten days. Please note, however, container started trees will need more water than balled-and-burlapped started trees.

Let’s say for example, you found a tree with a trunk circumference of six feet (72 inches), a height of 100 feet and a crown spread of 75 feet (these numbers were arbitrarily chosen). The math would work out to 72+100+.25(75). This simplifies to 72+100+18.75 and amounts to 190.75 points.

To forest enthusiasts and researchers, these champion trees hold a greater value than being a living trophy. According a New York Times article, champion trees hold a genetic key to the United States’ tree history. The strategy gets even more interesting as researchers take clippings from these gigantic specimens in order to culture, graft and grow replicate offspring. The progeny allows researchers to further study the genetic makeup of these champion trees as well as work to eventually reseed the country with the types of trees that once existed before the abundance of logging.

The baby champs are grown in archival libraries located at Arlington National Cemetery, Mount Vernon (George Washington’s home), the Botanical Gardens near Tampa, the Oregon Botanical Gardens, and the Henry ford Museum and Greenfield Village.

The champion search faces some challenges. Over time, previously registered trees have died and new ones are registered. One sad example has to do with The Senator, a bald cypress tree that was not only the biggest bald cypress in the world, but the oldest. The Senator was 3,500 years old and approximately 120 feet tall. It was destroyed in a 2012 fire originally thought to have been caused by lightning. It was later discovered, however, that the fire was started by an arsonist. The Senator held a deep history within our country. For the Seminoles, it was regarded as a landmark. It also survived a hurricane, which did reduce its original height from 165 feet to 120 feet. The tree attracted several tourists, and eventually got its name from Senator Moses Overstreet who donated the tree and land to Seminole County Florida. The remains of The Senator stand about 20 feet. It is believed that clones were taken from The Senator, and this is yet another reason why the champion tree projects are so important in preserving a living history.

According to the same New York Times article, because the forests in the Unites States have been cut and regrown numerous times, several champions are found in more urban settings rather than in a forest. I’ll add to this that in my own research of champions in Missouri, these trees are not only found in urban settings but also on private residences. This means that you won’t easily get the opportunity to marvel at them.

Trees, long living and long standing encapsulate numerous stories. They are shrines that connect us with our past and gently inspire our future. The taller the tree, the more stories they seem to have. 

Some, however, might take us by surprise, not the tallest of their kind, not very striking, yet they hold a very unique origin story. And if you happened upon one of these trees, the only indicator of their story would be a small plaque commemorating their extra-planetary adventure.These trees are no ordinary trees. They’re Moon Trees.

What Are Moon Trees?

Moon trees are special trees found around the world, mainly in the United States, that arose from seeds that orbited the moon during the Apollo 14 mission.

On January 31, 1971, Apollo 14 launched. Among her crew was former U.S. Forest Service smokejumper Stuart Roosa. With him, Roosa carried between 400-500 tree seeds as part of a joint project between NASA and USFS. 

There were five seed varieties selected for this mission: Loblolly Pine, Sycamore, Sweetgum, Redwood, and Douglas Fir. For 33 hours, these seeds orbited the moon with Roosa in the command module and then were brought back to earth.

Moon Tree History

According to NASA, the seed containers burst during decontamination after the astronauts returned. It was feared that the seeds would no longer be viable after that. Nevertheless, they were given to Forest Stations in Gulfport, Mississippi and Placerville, California. There, many of  the seeds germinated.

The Moon Tree seedlings were distributed across the United States and in some international locations. Many of the US Moon Trees were planted during the nation’s bicentennial in 1976. In some cases, the Moon Tree was planted alongside its control, an “earth bound” version. 

Some Moon Tree sites have dedicated the trees to our future and the importance of trees. Beyond the basic needs they supply: food, air, shelter and beauty, trees are living pillars. These trees in particular mark the perseverance of mankind. There are those among our own who have ventured off this planet, and with them, these trees tell that story.

Who Was Stuart Roosa

Smoke jumper, test pilot and astronaut, Stuart Roosa was an adventurer. He was born August 16, 1933 in Durango, Colorado.

His initial career was as a smoke jumper for the USFS. During that stint, Roosa fought at least four fires.

Smoke jumpers are an elite group of firefighters who attack wildland fires, fires that fire trucks cannot easily get to. Jumpers parachute out of a plane into isolated, wild burning areas. Usually, when an alarm goes out, a smoke jumper crew won’t know where they’re being deployed or for how long. This means that upon jumping, they carry with them several pounds of equipment and essentials to sustain them for long periods.

During the early 60s, Roosa was a maintenance test pilot and later became a fighter pilot, flying the F-84F and F-100. 

He was later selected for the astronaut class of 1966 and supported multiple Apollo missions. It was Apollo 14 in 1971 where the Moon Trees came to be. And after that mission, he was backup Command Module Pilot for Apollo 16 and Apollo 17. 

The initial space missions were incredibly dangerous (they still are very dangerous). The thrill of being among the few in space doesn’t make that pill any easier to swallow. But Roosa’s career track forced him to repeatedly face the possibility of a brutal death. His tenure prepared him well for the risks that come with leaving the planet. And through it all, he brought us something back. These Moon Trees are a tribute to him, to our past and to our future.

Where to Find Moon Trees

We’ve got a table to help you plan your moon tree adventure. Here, you can find the state, city, location and date of moon tree planting. If you are a treephile, this is a great adventure to start planning.

Protip: There are three moon tree locations within an hour of Evansville Indiana, making Evansville a great stop to check off a few trees. In addition to moon trees, Evansville (and small cities nearby) is home to several Indiana state champion trees.

* Notes that as of 01/01/2020, these trees are no longer living.

Interestingly, this is considered an invasive species in the United States and some states even prohibit planting or selling trees. A species is considered invasive when it is non-native to the local ecosystem and disrupts the ecology.

In 1856, the amur cork was introduced to the United States from China. It grew in popularity quickly, shading streets and landscapes. However, the tree got comfortable in its new habitat and quickly seeded into forests. Because of its ability to grow quickly and out compete local vegetation, the spread of the amur cork posed a problem.

Why is it a fantastic tree?

Even though it’s considered invasive, this tree is fantastic. The branch spread and bough length was what really attracted us to the tree. From a distance, the branching, especially the ones that touch the ground and still stretch upward make this tree look like a cluster of separate trees. Similar to a banyan, this tree has amazing shade ability.

It’s easy to see why this tree was introduced to the United States in the first place. I am not sure when this particular tree was planted, but the Missouri Botanical Gardens was established in 1859, around the same time the tree was introduced.

Quick facts about Amur Cork Trees:

1. Deciduous
2. Native to eastern Asia, particularly China, Japan and Korea
3. It has been used in various medicines and treated ailments such as meningitis, bacillary dysentery, pneumonia and tuberculosis
4. it is a dioecious species, meaning there are female and male plants. The female plants produce seed.
5. Height and shade spread range between 30-50 feet.

Want more facts about Amur Cork Trees? Here are some great resources:

UMN’s Info Page

Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources info page

Fantastic does not do the sequoia tree justice. These ancient sentinels are MAGNIFICENT. They grow to be several hundred feet and can live to be a few thousand years. The wooden mammoths draw worldwide crowds and make sprites of the people who wonder the forests. Despite their great height and long life, sequoias face a lot of obstacles. They are fire dependent in a world that needs to control fire, and they chronically stressed due to drought.

Quick facts about Sequoia Trees:

1. Evergreen and part of the Bald Cypress family.
2. Can live up to 3,000 years. The oldest is 3,500 years. The most notable, General Sherman is ~ 2,000 years old.
3. Sequoia trees can grow to be up to 250 feet. General Sherman, the tallest tree on earth is 275 feet.
4. Sequoias have a diameter of 30 feet.
5. Their wood is not desirable for building; however, in the early 20th century, they were still being cut down.
6. Sequoias require fire in order for seeds to open up.
7. Sequoias are fire resistant and fire helps them compete against other trees

Want more facts about Sequoia Trees? Here are some great resources

Giant Sequoias

Giant-sequoia.com

Hiker’s Peak

General Sherman

Extra Pics

Like most banyans, it has the giant stump and intricate root system and wealth of branches for shade spread. But, what was nice about this tree was how groomed it was. This fantastic banyan tree was spotted during a horseback ride on Oahu’s North Shore at Happy Trails Hawaii. The tour guide prepped us a head of time for the photo op and explained that this tree was the best love shade spot for the horses. I also highly recommend the horseback adventure if you ever find yourself on the island.

Why is it a fantastic tree?

First of all, it’s a banyan tree, and all banyan trees are fantastic. But because this tree is located in Oahu, is amazingly groomed and provides relaxation to horses, this tree is absolutely fantastic. I imagine that even the people who run Happy Trails Hawaii regard this banyan as one of the most fantastic banyans too since it’s featured in several pictures on their site. If you ever find yourself there, share some of your shots of this fantastic tree.

What kind of tree is this?

This is a Banyan Tree

Quick facts about Banyan Trees:

1. Evergreen
2. Can live up to several hundred years. The most notable tree being believed to have been planted in 1394 AD
3. The banyan tree is a fig tree and offers tremendous biodiversity
4. Height often ranges more than 100 feet
5. Shade spread of the largest known banyan tree covers roughly 4.7 acres!

Want more facts about Banyan Trees? Here are some great resources

10 things you need to know about banyan trees

The largest living banyan tree

Banyan Tree — lifeline for Samoa’s wildlife

Why is it a fantastic tree?

The stump is the first thing that drew me to this tree. Short, interesting shape. And on closer inspection, the tree had these amazing arms – like a curvy candelabra. It was

one of those trees that definitely has a spirit, tells wise stories to birds and squirrels, and has been a loyal delight to its household. It immediately reminded me of the Candy Land Tree (a plum tree in the game with a gingerbread stump – the one Plumpy stands next to). Oddly enough, this tree looks nothing like the Candy Land tree, but I suppose the pairing of the great game tree and Plumpy’s wise but gentle disposition made my inner child jump to that conclusion. This artist rendering offers a similar perspective on how I imagine the spirit of this tree.

This tree has given me a deeper respect for the sweetgums. Although, I’m not sure I would want one for my own yard.

Just scroll down further to take a closer look at the stump and branches, and maybe you’ll see it the way I do.

What kind of tree is this?

This is a Sweetgum tree or American styrax

Quick facts about Elm Trees:

1. Deciduous
2. Can live up to 150 years
3. Classified as a hardwood
4. Height often ranges between 60-100 feet
5. People actually use the sap for chewing gum
6. There are ways to prevent gumballs, but it’s tricky.

Extra Pics

The subtle asymmetry in the stump only adds to this tree’s personality. I almost imagine a face organically forming from it, and the great boughs welcoming the whole of nature in for a heartwarming story. This is a tree that loves.

Walking around a suburb of St. Louis, Mo., you would only expect humble trees lining the neighborhood streets. However, this is one of two trees that inspired the site.

Why is it a fantastic tree?

It’s just soo massive. It’s hard to tell just from this picture, but the circumference of shade is extraordinary. Though the stump is on the very edge of the yard, the shade covers the entire yard, width of the house, and the entire street. The branches make for good climbing too.

What kind of tree is this?

This is an Elm tree.

Quick facts about Elm Trees:

1. Semi-deciduous
2. Can live up to 300 years
3. Classified as a hardwood
4. Height often ranges between 80-100 feet
5. width often ranges between 60-120 feet

Extra Pics

The first picture details the branches and shade spread of this fantastic tree. The second image helps highlight how far these branches really spread relative to the surrounding area. Take a close look at the shadow, it nearly touches the car, and it covers the entire width of the street. Pictures do not do this tree justice.