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How to Plant a Tree - by the Weather Channel and Scotts
I watched an informational video about tree planting tonight, while watching the weather channel, trying to plan out the weekend. Unfortunately, the information was bad.
The victim appeared to be a Little Leaf Linden, roughly 1-1.5" caliper. The narrator explains that with spring here, taking the proper steps to plant your tree now will give you years of enjoyment, yadda yadda yadda.
I wasn't really paying close attention until I saw the dad character in this "how to plant" video cutting away the wire basket from the rootball. The narrator explains how this will help the tree's roots. Dad pulls away the basket and burlap.
Next shot, the rootball is already beginning to fall apart, as the narrator says something like "next, scratch all around the root ball to help stimulate root growth", and the dad is using a 3-tined garden scratch to do so. End shot.
Next shot, the narrator is saying something about placing the tree in the hole, but at this point I'm laughing too hard to listen. After this 'root stimulation', there is roughly 25% of the original mass of tree's rootball remaining, as dad can now hold it like a fishing pole as he places it in the ground. For all purposes this is now a fully leafed out, bare-root tree. End shot.
Next shot, the tree is planted and 2-3" of mulch has been spread. Unfortunately, because of the damage done to the rootball earlier, dad didn't know where the root crown was, and the tree was planted several inches too high. "Water it every day" says the narrator.... End shot.
Final shot, dad, mom and son stand back and beam with pride as the foliage on this poor little Linden already looks like potato chips, and the narrator says something, but again I couldn't hear, as the laughter was drowning out the TV.
Hope dad isn't expecting a father's day gift after that mess...
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