Planting your seedlings might seem daunting at first. With our planting site selection & preparation guide, you’ll soon realize it’s easy and even enjoyable. For a full selection of our seedlings, click here.

Planting site selection & preparation: How to select and prepare your planting site for your seedlings.

Time needed: 5 minutes

4 Secret Must-dos For Planting Site Selection & Preparation For Your Seedlings.

  1. Adequate Spacing

    Your seedlings and shrubs will eventually grow significantly in size. Make sure that they have adequate room to grow. Be mindful of buried services, power lines, other trees, and other nearby objects as they may limit where you can plant your trees. Before starting, read our Pre-Planting Seedling Care and Seedling Planting Guide blogs.
    man planting spruce seedlings

  2. Water and Sunlight

    Always check your seedlings’ species for water and sun requirements. Make sure that your seedlings have the appropriate soil that isn’t too wet or too dry for their species, and they have the proper amount of sunlight.oak tree with sunlight coming through

  3. Start As Soon As Possible

    Start your site preparation as soon as possible. If your ground is frozen, it is ok to wait until spring. Just be sure to have your site prepared before bringing your seedlings to their planting site. Leaving your seedlings to bake in the hot sun while you’re preparing their planting site may damage them. Also, don’t forget to ask for help. Site preparation and planting is hard work.Apple Orchard

  4. Remove Any Grass or Weeds

    Did you know that grass and weeds compete for the same nutrients and water in the soil as your seedlings do? Make sure to remove any grass or weeds within at least a 30cm (12 inch) radius of where you’ll be planting your seedling. If the soil is compacted, consider loosening it up by rototilling, cultivating, discing, or digging with hand tools. If you are planting a large number of trees, you may want to prepare your site a few days before you receive them.man kneeling at planting site weeding

Make sure to give your seedlings the best possible start to growing by following the above site selection and preparation guide above. Learn how we ship our seedlings. For details on how to plant a shelterbelt, check out our shelterbelt planting guide.

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