Recommended Application

1. Dig a hole for your tree or shrub about two or three times as wide and the same depth as the pot the plant is in. Keep the topsoil in a separate pile for refilling the hole. The soil that comes out of the hole should be amended with compost and eventually go back in unless it is ofextremely poorquality.
2. Gently slide the pot off the plant. Try to keep the soil ball intact. Trim off any broken roots. Slice the roots if the root system has filled the container. Make 4 or 5 vertical cuts along the length of the root ball. Carefully pull the sliced roots away from the root ball. This will encourage roots to grow into the existing soil.
3. Place your tree or shrub into the hole, handling it by the root ball. Be sure it is centered and upright. Place the root ball on solid soil and not on loose backfill. Identify the trunk flare. This is where the trunk ends and the root system begins. It is slightly flared out. This flare should be visible and slightly above the soil surface after the tree is planted.
4. Uniformly blend Harvest Blend Compost and the excavated soil at one part compost to three parts soil. Please do not add more than 25% compost! Too much of a good thing will not work as well!
5. Fill the hole with the blended backfill soil until halffull. Tamp the soil down with your feet but do not pack too hard.
6. Water thoroughly to fill in air pockets, and allow the soil mixture to settle.
7. Continue to backfill with the remaining soil and tamp firmly.
8. Water thoroughly again to fill in air pockets, and allow the soil mixture to settle.