Thanks for all the advice. Shears make sense. And yep I think I wi dig the hole, plant, then cut away some of the surrounding turf. Then mulch with compost. Presume the only other option is wood chips, but i hate it when the woodchip gets kicked into the grass, can be a pit of a pain when mowing.
You also need to dig the entire planting hole over, removing surface grass and weeds plus all their roots and then mixing the remaining soil with well-rotted compost and/or manure before planting. It's not good enough to remove excess grass after planting.
Digging a small hole, just big enough for the tree roots will effectively make asump that will retain water and drown the roots and also reduce their ability to spread out into the surrounding soil to seek nutirents and make good anchorage.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Thank you. I'll dig a square hole a bit bigger than the pot and yep will throw in some soil / compost, and backfill around the sides with the same. Will also run a blade down each side of root / compost ball. Then will slightly widen the surface area further by slicing away some more grass, so ive got 30 or 40cm diameter without grass. Wil mulch with compost or manure. Then over time will let it creep back in further and shear it when cutting short. Think thats as far as Im going with it :-)
Personally I'd dig the hole first (as big as necessary), get the tree planted and then tidy up the circle/square around it and mulch, because it would irritate me if the tree wasn't exactly central in the cleared area, and the roots of a tree aren't necessarily symmetrical particularly if it's a bare-root one so the trunk doesn't always end up dead centre of the hole. Either way will do fine.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I agree with @punkdoc. @Dig2006 has been given the best advice, from decades of observation and trials, for successful planting of a tree which, surely, is worth doing right as it's an investment that will last more tha a human lifespan so why on earth be determined to take short cuts.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
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Digging a small hole, just big enough for the tree roots will effectively make asump that will retain water and drown the roots and also reduce their ability to spread out into the surrounding soil to seek nutirents and make good anchorage.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border