If you’re into gardening and looking to plant some trees, you probably want those trees to grow their absolute best. Once they’re in the ground, you can do your best to care for them, but the best care actually starts before they’re even in the ground. Turns out, the shape of the whole that the trees go in is important to their health.
For the most part, the average gardener is going to dig a round hole when they are ready to plant a tree. However, this is the wrong approach to take. Trees actually need to be planted in square holes.
By digging square holes, you are actually doing your part to help them grow a bit faster and larger. They’ll also be more resistant to various weather conditions. When heavy rains and droughts occur, the tree will remain safer in a square hole than in a round one.
The chances of your tree surviving will increase dramatically by digging a square hole instead of a round one when you plant the sapling. The roots won't develop a circular root system as planting trials have shown, the roots are not good at growing around corners. pic.twitter.com/t6cj2dJwHU
— Fungus Farm (@gravewaxcandles) November 22, 2020
So, how does this work exactly?
Well, the circular holes encourage the roots to grow in a circular manner. The tree will eventually form very tight roots that lead to poorer levels of growth.
However, square holes allow roots to spread out further. You see, roots are typically unable to grow around corners, so once they hit the square hole’s straight edges, they are more inclined to spread outwardly. This allows the tree to grow quicker, stronger, and bigger.
There are other ways to encourage plant growth as well. By refilling the hole with the soil that was originally removed (as opposed to expensive fertilizer), the roots are given a better environment for growth. Once they reach the edge of that hole, they’ll already be adapted to the natural soil conditions and can continue to grow and thrive.
You don’t need to be an expert green thumb to put these tricks into practice! Have fun and enjoy your gardening.