How big does the planting hole need to be?
The wider the planting hole the greater an area of disturbed soil for new roots to grow into. It is especially important in compacted soils to dig out an area as wide as possible (3 times the width of the root ball) around the root ball. One of the most common errors in planting trees is planting too deep. It is very important that the tree be planted even with the ground level or slightly higher. In sites with a high water table or compacted soil it is safer to plant the tree slightly above grade and then raise the soil level around the tree by bringing loose soil up to the edge of the root ball.
