When planting arborvitaes, what soil or peat should be used to fill around root ball?

Question

When planting arborvitaes, what soil or peat should be used to fill around root ball?

Answer 1

My back-fill includes the orig soil plus fine bark, fert, lime, epsom salts [a bug killer with sulfur]. If the soil needs help in cohesion, I add some gypsum. Top with bark mulch after watering.

I have been using fabric mulch with success to avoid damage from weed whackers. I cut a 2' x 2' piece of indoor/outdoor carpet. Cut the corners to form an octagon. Then cut to the center and make clearance for the trunk. I fasten down with 16d nails.

Answer 2

What you amend the soil with depends on the soil texture and how it drains. You may need nothing more than to dig the proper hole (2-3 times the width of the rootball and no deeper than its depth).

Please be sure you know what the rootball is covered with ... if it's a natural material that will degrade, there's no need to remove it. However, if the material is synthetic or treated in some way, you want to remove it while keeping the rootball intact.

I hope you live in an area without deer, since arborvitae is a prime deer snack!

Good luck!

Answer 3

Soil type is not that important. They are easy to grow and do well even in poor sandy or gravelly soil.