Planting a Tree in Central Florida: Right Tree, Right Place, Right Depth

A large share of the trees we remove in Polk County did not have to be removed. They were planted too close to the house, too deep, in the wrong spot for their mature size, or they were the wrong species for the site. The decisions made on planting day decide whether a tree becomes an asset for fifty years or a removal bill in fifteen. Here is how to get them right.

Right tree

Start with the mature size, not the size in the pot. A live oak becomes enormous and needs room; a magnolia is smaller but dense; a crape myrtle stays modest. Then consider what the tree will drop, how it handles wind, and whether it suits the soil.

• Live oak for a large lot that wants shade and a tree that will still be there in a century. Strong in storms if pruned properly. Needs space.
• Southern magnolia for a smaller shade tree with real presence. Drops leaves year-round; the litter is its main drawback.
• Bald cypress for wet ground and lakefront. Deciduous, storm-tough, and it will grow knees in a lawn if the ground is wet enough.
• Crape myrtle for a small flowering tree. Prune it correctly; our crape myrtle guide covers what not to do.
• Sabal palm as the toughest palm for the site, and our palm comparison explains why we often steer people to it.

Laurel oaks and water oaks grow fast, decline early and fail in storms; we do not recommend planting them. Fast-growing trees generally trade speed for a short life and weak wood.

Right place

• Distance from the house. A tree that will be large belongs well clear of the foundation, the roof line and the driveway. Roots spread far wider than the canopy and lift concrete. Our post on roots and driveways shows what happens when this is ignored.
• Overhead lines. Nothing that will grow into them. The utility will prune it, and not gently.
• Sun, drainage and irrigation. Match the tree to the light it will get and to whether the spot stays wet. Do not plant a tree where the lawn sprinklers will hit the trunk every morning.
• Septic fields and buried lines. Roots find water. Keep trees clear of drainfields and water lines.

Right depth: the one that kills the most trees

Trees are planted too deep more often than any other mistake, and it is often already too deep in the pot. The root flare, where the trunk widens into the roots, must sit at or slightly above the finished soil grade. Buried, the trunk sits in constant moisture, the bark rots, roots circle and girdle, and the tree declines slowly over years. Find the flare in the root ball before digging, dig the hole no deeper than the ball and two to three times as wide, set the flare at grade, and backfill with the native soil. No amendments in the hole; the roots need to grow out into the surrounding soil, not stay in a pocket of compost.

When to plant

Container trees can be planted most of the year in Central Florida, but the establishment is easiest when planted at the start of the rainy season or in the cooler months, so the tree is not fighting the summer heat with a root system that cannot keep up. Avoid planting right before the hottest, driest weeks of spring unless irrigation is reliable.

The first two years

• Water the root ball directly, several times a week at first, then tapering over months. Lawn irrigation does not do this; the root ball dries out while the lawn around it is wet.
• Mulch a wide ring, two to three inches deep, pulled back from the trunk so the flare stays visible. Our mulch depth post covers why volcano mulching kills trees.
• Stake only if needed, loosely, and remove the stakes within a year. A trunk that cannot move does not develop strength.
• Keep the mower and trimmer away from the trunk. The mulch ring does this.
• Prune only for structure in the early years: one leader, no crossing limbs. Never top it.

What we do

We plant trees and palms across the service area and maintain them afterward. Request an estimate or see our landscape and tree services.