For transparency’s sake, Bobbi and Charlotte (pictured above) aren’t professionals. In fact, you might recognize them from other Quad features like the Pokemon Go campus guide and our “Have You Met?” series. The latter article landed Bobbi and Charlotte a coveted spot on the U of A’s grounds crew for a morning, where they received invaluable training and experience in — among other things — arboriculture.
Having learned in 10 minutes and planted two trees in total, Bobbi and Charlotte felt confident in sharing these 9 easy steps to planting trees like a professional:
Weasel your way onto the grounds crew via a Quad article (a “Have You Met” is recommended, but any article will do).
Receive 10-minute training on operating a golf cart. Got it? Now throw your tools in the back.
Figure out who will be the supervisor, and who will be the digger. This step is critical; do not skip it.
The hole should be 4” deeper than the root ball of the tree, with equal spacing around the sides of the root ball.
Remove the tree from its container, and place it in your well-dug hole. Fill in around the root ball with dirt, then stamp down the dirt while keeping the tree straight.
Use any leftover soil to create a dirt dam around the base of the tree. The dam helps with water retention.
Stake the tree on either side using the “funky cylinder tool” (we still don’t know its real name). The stakes should sit about 1.5’ from the tree, and at a depth of 1’.
Tie the tree to the stakes, ensuring that the tree remains straight. Your cables should sit on top of the plastic sheath, which protects the trunk.
The colour indicates the year in which the tree was planted (this year is light blue), and signals the tree’s watering needs to the grounds crew.
Nice work. Proceed with your next grounds crew duties.
