Tips for Planting Evergreen Trees

There are lots of great reasons to add evergreens to your home landscape. They can add wind protection, screen out noise, and offer more privacy. However, each of these uses will significantly affect how and where you plant these trees. A little preplanning before you plant will help you get the greatest benefit from your new evergreen trees.

When planting evergreens as a windbreak, location is the key. Your trees should be planted to the north and northwest of your home or perpendicular to the strongest winter winds. Plant the trees in a “U” or “L” shape to achieve maximum wind blocking effectiveness. The most favorable zone of wind protection occurs from 2 to 7 times the height of the trees you plant. For example, if the mature height of the evergreens you’re planting is 20 feet, then the zone of maximum wind protection will occur 40 to 140 feet downwind. Keep this zone in mind when figuring out how close to a structure you’ll need to plant your trees for the greatest effect. Finally, decide how far apart to plant your trees.

Helpful Tip: Plant them more closely to have them grow together quickly. Or plant them farther apart to save money but wait a little longer for them to fill in.

When planted correctly, evergreen trees are also incredibly effective at reducing sounds from nearby roadways, shopping centers and construction sites. Significant sound reduction occurs when plants are placed in two or three rows directly across from the source of the noise. To achieve even better sound reduction, build up an earthen berm about 3 to 4 feet high. Then plant the trees on the top and sides of the berm. The combination of the berm and plant material can reduce noise levels by one-third to one-half.

Evergreen trees also make great privacy hedges. Before planting a hedge, form a visual guide by placing plastic stakes a few feet apart and looping twine around them. Plant the evergreens where the stakes are and they will grow together to make a solid, privacy hedge.

The actual planting is quite easy. Follow these simply instructions for properly planting a tree.

1. Dig a hole slightly shallower and about twice the diameter of the root system.
2. Use your shovel to scrape the walls of the planting hole so the roots can easily penetrate the soil as they grow.
3. Set each tree in the planting hole and spread out the roots. The top of the root ball should be about an inch above the bordering soil.
4. Then use a level to make sure the tree is straight up and down in the hole.
5. Apply water as you backfill the hole with soil to remove air pockets.
6. Water again well after the transplant is complete.
7. You should mulch around each tree to a depth of 2 to 3 inches. Adding mulch will slow the growth of weeds and grass and help keep in moisture.

For more information on how to plant evergreen trees effectively, visit Fast-Growing-Trees.com.