Rick, I'd advise using the existing soil as backfill material-no amendments of any kind, no fertilizer, no nothing! Research has shown (For quite some time now) that it is counterproductive to enrich or in some other way amend that little space where the roots are going to first colonize as they begin to grow. After all, if the trees are to survive, it is imperative that their roots spread far beyond that area, so from that standpoint alone, you can see that it is essentially meaningless to upgrade the soil conditions in that small space.

Furthermore, when soil is amended, drainage and water-holding characteristics are changed. This is problematic because it can cause that area to A) Dry out faster than surrounding soil, or B) Turn into a sort of basin or bathtub, holding too much water. Either effect is undesirable. So no, do not change that soil. Just use what was dug out of the holes to fill in around the root balls.

One thing that can help the trees long-term is proper planting depth. Plant such that the root flare, that small swollen area where trunk meets roots, is at or just slightly above finish grade. Number one mistake in tree-planting=planting too deeply. So watch for that.

Water as needed-not on a schedule. So if it is raining a lot, you may not have to water at all. Conversely, if you get into a dry spell, watering might need to be upped to twice weekly, etc. Just stick your fingers in the ground or probe with a hand weeder, screwdriver, etc, to ascertain soil dryness.

Research is beginning to cloud this picture, but I'm still a proponent of using woodchip or shredded bark mulch around transplanted trees and other plants. You could do that.

Don't hit the trunk with string trimmer, lawn mower, etc. All the sap and water that is flowing up and down that tree has to pass through the area just under the bark. Furthermore, banging it up allows decay fungi an easy way in.

If deer are numerous, you may want to provide for protection from herbivory. Fencing, spray-on antifeedants, and other techniques are all used. Deer can make a mess of your young trees in a hurry. Later, after they've achieved some growth and are starting to look real nice, bucks like to come along and rub the velvet off their antlers, completely destroying the tree(s) in the process. The buck will pick your favorite tree to do this!

Write back if you have more questions.

+oM

with proper timing ... and now is just about that ... they should be bulletproof ...

my biggest concern is transportation ... and keeping the roots viable...

you dont mention where they are.. in regard to where they are going ...

dig new holes first .... dig one out.. move to new hole .. plant.. water... repeat ad nauseum until finished ...

do not spend days digging out a hundred of them ... letting them stand around.. and then planting ....

see link for general primer on planting ... which is basically what +om said ...

watering... is a deep.. thorough drenching ... thru the whole root mass distributed ... and then not again.. until near dry ... drainage is imperative ...

the key to doing it this early.. with moist soil... is that after the first watering in ... you might not have to water again.. until the real heat of summer hits.. and dries the soil 4 to 6 inches down ... maybe 4 or 6 weeks from now ... that is why this is done in very early spring.. or late fall ....

insert finger .. and water when the soil at 2 or 3 inches is dry.. or getting hot.. meaning it will dry soon ... then water DEEPLY again ....

how this all works in your soil ...... in your KY/TN... in your yard... is for you and your finger to figure out ...

if you are moving them for miles.. you might be better off going a bit smaller .. to ease transportation .... so as to keep teh roots viable.. in 5 years... you will not be able to tell the difference between a 1.5 foot.. and a 3 foot transplant.. so why make your life difficult ....

pines need nothing.. ever.. especially in moderately good soil as you call it ... just some water for the first year .. and in drought the second year ... they should be pretty much free range after that ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Rick. Another thing you may consider is waiting a little while if the ground is too wet... especially if clay is present.

Al

...and one more thought: I planted more than 6000 trees last spring. Yes, these were seedlings. They did not get watered at time of planting. They did not get watered later. They will never get supplemental water! Just simply not possible on that scale. So what's my take-home message here? I don't know, I guess it would be to take heed to Ken's description up yonder: Don't kill them with kindness. Sure, you probably can get water to these, unlike my 6000, but water them in good at planting and then, just maybe, never again, if rain comes at appropriate times.

Incidentally, of those 6000+ we installed, I didn't do an exact count, but most of them looked good by summer's end. And all of them spent the winter-and still are, for that matter-burried under lots of snow. Should be off to a good start by my reckoning. Hopefully, voles or other small mammals didn't get to them under the snow. that's about the only thing I can cite that could be problematic. But I doubt it. Spruce, larch, pine? Sure, hungry critters will eat almost anything, but these are not preferred foods.

+oM

but do note .. and i am presuming that ..... +om planted .... properly sized.. forestry provided transplants ...

he plants.. they way paper companies.. plant forests .. otherwise how did he plant so many ....

and that does NOT involve 3 foot trees ...

its when we break the bounds of normalcy ... that we complicate it all up ...

if you move a 3 foot tree ... you have to water it ... IMHO ...

correct me if i am wrong +om ....

ken

Thanks to everyone who posted I one tip I found most helpful was regarding the nodule (sp) an depth, also interesting point on 3-ft V 4ft. I will admit to this IM terribly rough I dig a spaded circle around the existing tree pull till it pops out, let sit in a gallon of water an w/in 1-3 days its in the ground.....My average rate is 50% which I can live with. The 100 seedlings the state sent me are in the high 96% if not a 100% the loss was the very small ones that got run over

This is a very nice bunch of helpers here, take it from a novice your help makes it much more reassuring..

Yes Ken, that's right-larger transplants require more aftercare than do seedlings.

I do not personally believe it helpful to let trees sit in water like that prior to planting. Sure, maybe an hour's worth or so, but not all day, let alone three.

I also would not dig as you've described, rick. there is an actual way to do that, involving cutting down with the back side of the shovel blade towards the tree, trenching out, undercutting, etc. It sounds like a very involved process but it is not. Just a matter of technique.

And then finally, white pines, and in fact, most pine family members, transplant easily, and sometimes something I would not personally do still works okay.

+oM