We went out to a regular customer of ours the other day to do some trimming. When we arrived, I noticed that he had used a landscaper to plant some trees. The 4 Palo Verdes were planted using the most amazing technique I had ever seen!
Each tree had 3 or 4 landscape poles wired on to the tree to keep them from moving. Each tree also had a bamboo pole lashed to the tree with green tape to really immobilize them. There was a 3″ PVC pipe buried vertically next to the tree to “get the water down to the roots” with a PVC supply pipe running into it from the irrigation system. Then, each of these 24″ box trees was planted INSIDE a large plastic tub that had it’s bottom cut out! This, it was said, would “make the roots go down so they won’t get into the foundation of the house.” The trunks go straight down into the ground (which looks like almost solid mulch), so I believe they are also planted too deep.
I am certain that the roots were not pruned at time of planting – they were likely bad from the nursery. The tubs will not let any roots grow out laterally. The trees will grow big enough that all the stakes and poles can’t keep them upright, and they will blow over in a windstorm. That is my prediction…
I Was Incredulous!
What do you think will happen to these trees?
I believe your prediction! It would be fun to followup on that!
I’ll be up there again, so we will see what happens. I told the man that a trees roots don’t go down like that. He said “This one will! Come back in 10 years!” I don’t think they will make it that long. The sad thing is that somebody talked him into it and surely charged him good money to put them in the way they did!