If you’ve been pining to plant a tree, now is a great time.
The season’s cooling temperatures and still-warm soil mean less stress on newly planted trees, which allows them to direct more energy into growing strong roots rather than struggling to survive the heat and drought often seen in summer. And, because the trees are preparing for dormancy, that energy doesn’t have to be shared with root and flower growth.
Since planting a tree is a long-term investment, it’s important to get it right, and that will require a bit of research.
For starters, choose the right tree. Yes, this means selecting a tree that will make you happy, but it also means taking your hardiness zone, soil type, sunlight exposure and natural moisture levels into consideration.
The tree’s mature size is important, too, lest it grow into overhead electrical wires, eaves or other overhangs, or its roots grow to interfere with underground utilities.
When digging a hole, make it twice as wide as the tree’s root ball and exactly as deep. Then remove the tree from its container and place it in the center of the hole, taking care to support it under its roots rather than holding it by the trunk.
Evaluate its depth. It should land level with the ground around it so that when planted, all the roots are covered with soil, but the flare where the bottom of the trunk attaches to them is not. If the top of the root ball is too high, remove the tree and dig the hole deeper; if it’s too low, add more soil to the bottom of the hole, tamp it firmly and check again.
If your new tree came balled-and-burlapped rather than in a container, that means it was grown in a field and dug up for sale. Although often larger, these trees are more susceptible to transplant shock because their roots are severed in the digging process. Canvas or burlap is tied around the remaining root system to retain soil and prevent the roots from falling apart during transport. Sometimes, roots are enclosed in a wire cage.
After you’ve situated the tree at the proper depth in the hole, cut and remove the twine (or use wire cutters to remove the cage) and cut away as much of the burlap as possible, allowing the portion under the roots to remain; it will gradually decompose without interfering with root growth. (However, if the roots are wrapped in a synthetic material like plastic or vinyl, remove it all.)
If the roots appears tightly wound, gently loosen them with a garden fork to allow them to grow outward into the soil.
Next, confirm the tree is straight, then backfill the hole with soil, periodically tamping it down to eliminate air pockets. Never mound soil up against the trunk.
Thoroughly moisten the soil with a slow flow of water. Allow the surface to dry for a day or so, then add 2 inches of compost or well-rotted manure, topped with 2 inches of wood chips or mulch, over the soil, extending at least as far as the branches extend overhead. Push those materials 4 inches away from the trunk (never mound soil, amendments or mulch up against trunks “volcano†style; the practice slowly kills trees).
Water your new tree regularly during its first 12 months, especially during hot and dry spells. Then, familiarize yourself with the species’ requirements. Some tree types will need supplemental watering throughout their lives, but others will not.
Amid mounting pressure from within the Liberal caucus for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to consider stepping down as party leader, Liberal MP Anthony Housefather says there should be 'robust' conversations on the topic.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's chief of staff says there's no simple answer to bolstering the integrity of political nomination contests.
When you go through the chore of cleaning your home, you hope the end result is a safer, healthier environment for you and your loved ones. But some of the products you are using might put your health at risk.
Rufus Wainwright says he was 'horrified' to learn that Donald Trump played his cover version of 'Hallelujah' during a presidential campaign event in Pennsylvania on Monday.
Charges have been withdrawn against a man and a woman who faced a combined 90 charges in a child and animal abuse case.
While more Canadians are signalling their support former U.S. president Donald Trump, the majority remains hopeful for a Democratic win.
Canada is listing the pro-Palestinian group Samidoun as a terrorist group, while the U.S. has added a Canadian citizen affiliated with the organization to its counter-terrorism list.
A Winnipeg high school student placed second in an international neuroscience contest where she competed against nearly 3,000 other students from 40 countries in Chicago, Ill.
For the second straight month, grocery prices in Canada rose faster than the inflation rate, and beef in particular is significantly pricier than it was last year.
A Metro Vancouver man will spend up to four years in prison before he is deported after pleading guilty to a triple stabbing that left his sister-in-law dead and two others, including a two-year-old girl, seriously injured.
A Winnipeg high school student placed second in an international neuroscience contest where she competed against nearly 3,000 other students from 40 countries in Chicago, Ill.
Charges have been withdrawn against a man and a woman who faced a combined 90 charges in a child and animal abuse case.
A child is dead after falling from a Winnipeg apartment building on Monday.
Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria says the provincial government is introducing legislation that would require municipalities to receive provincial approval before removing traffic lanes to install new bike paths.
A federal union is calling for a Commons committee to launch an investigation into the federal government's new return-to-office policy, saying there has been 'catastrophic failures' with the new mandate.
From his shrink wrap shock to his obsession with luxury, King Charles III's personal life seems to be filled with surprises, that’s according to a new book by biographer Tom Bower.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday refused to say whether he's spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin since leaving office, but if the two did speak Trump said, it would be 'a smart thing' for the United States.
Alexei Moskalyov, a Russian man jailed for two years for discrediting the army after his daughter drew an anti-war picture, alleged after his release on Tuesday that he had been held in dreadful conditions.
British lawmakers are voting on a bill to strip hereditary aristocrats of the right to sit and vote in the House of Lords after more than 700 years.
North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson sued CNN on Tuesday over its recent report that he made explicit racial and sexual posts on a pornography website’s message board, calling the reporting reckless and defamatory.
While more Canadians are signalling their support former U.S. president Donald Trump, the majority remains hopeful for a Democratic win.
Amid mounting pressure from within the Liberal caucus for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to consider stepping down as party leader, Liberal MP Anthony Housefather says there should be 'robust' conversations on the topic.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will testify Wednesday before the federal inquiry into foreign interference, for the second time.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's chief of staff says there's no simple answer to bolstering the integrity of political nomination contests.
When you go through the chore of cleaning your home, you hope the end result is a safer, healthier environment for you and your loved ones. But some of the products you are using might put your health at risk.
A Winnipeg high school student placed second in an international neuroscience contest where she competed against nearly 3,000 other students from 40 countries in Chicago, Ill.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says a Listeria outbreak linked to several plant-based milks appears to be over with no additional cases reported since August.
Expect to see more northern lights in unusual places as the sun continues to sizzle, space weather forecasters said Tuesday.
Hong Kong's oldest zoo is seeking answers in a monkey medical mystery after nine animals died in two days, including three members of a critically endangered species.
A NASA spacecraft rocketed away Monday on a quest to explore Jupiter’s tantalizing moon Europa and reveal whether its vast hidden ocean might hold the keys to life.
Rufus Wainwright says he was 'horrified' to learn that Donald Trump played his cover version of 'Hallelujah' during a presidential campaign event in Pennsylvania on Monday.
Sean "Diddy" Combs was hit Monday with a new wave of lawsuits accusing him of raping women, sexually assaulting men and molesting a 16-year-old boy.
Khloe Kardashian continues to open up about her health journey after dealing with skin cancer, revealing recently that she used facial injections to fill a cheek "indentation" that she was left with after surgery.
The chances of a half-percentage point interest rate cut by the Bank of Canada became more likely Tuesday after Statistics Canada reported the annual inflation rate fell to 1.6 per cent in September.
Cash-starved Boeing, contending with massive financial losses from a crippling strike and years of operational and safety problems, is turning to major banks and Wall Street to raise tens of billions of dollars in cash.
The more than US$3-billion settlement TD Bank Group has reached with U.S. regulators for its failures to oversee money laundering risks has underlined what some say are relatively weak enforcement options in Canada.
A couple from Owen Sound, Ont. is celebrating their good fortune after becoming instant multi-millionaires with Lotto Max.
Jane Xue sent her dog, a 2-year-old Samoyed named OK, off to her first day of work in mid-September. Her employer? A dog cafe in Fuzhou, in southeastern China.
A Vancouver Aquarium rescue seal named Biscuits has been named as one of the latest inductees to the viral TikTok trend 'Knights of the Rotund Table.'
The PGA of America is facing backlash and accusations of pricing out fans, with a single day ticket for the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, costing just under US$750.
The Super Bowl will return to Atlanta in 2028 at the home of the Falcons, following a vote of approval by NFL team owners on Tuesday at the league's annual fall meeting.
Major League Baseball's postseason is averaging 3.33 million viewers going into the league championship series, an 18% increase over last year's average of 2.82 million.
The Ontario Provincial Police says the number of fatal collisions caused by distracted driving on the roads it patrols has increased by 40 per cent compared to this time last year.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled on Thursday his vision of a 'a fun, exciting future,' an 'age of abundance' full of his company’s self-driving cars without steering wheels, parking lots turned into parks and robots that will walk among the population – that he once again promised would be available within a few years.
Dozens of cars were pulled out of the Detroit River in west Windsor on Tuesday, causing many questions for Windsorites.
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) Chef Paul Natrall, the man behind Indigenous food truck Mr. Bannock, is bringing cooking classes on First Nations fare to schools and offices throughout Metro Vancouver.
The Celtic Colours Festival is taking place at venues around Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia from Oct. 11 to 19.
Sometimes love is written in the stars, but for one couple, it’s written in the aurora borealis.
Canadian hip hop artist Dillan King says running 100 marathons in 100 days was not only the hardest thing he has ever done, but the 'proudest accomplishment' of his entire life.
James Taylor never expected to be walking home with a bag full of groceries he didn't buy.
This weekend marks the fifth anniversary of a large blizzard that paralyzed Manitoba.
There was an eye-catching mix of rainbows and lightning over Vancouver following a brief downpour this week.
Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.
Saskatchewan’s Jessica Campbell has made hockey history, becoming the first ever female assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL).
A Maple Ridge man has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 14 years after a jury convicted him of second-degree murder and attempted murder for his actions at a drug-user hangout in the city in July 2022.
It's the last week of the British Columbia election campaign after a busy long weekend of promises for the B.C. Conservatives, including a new Children's Hospital for Surrey.
Mounties in Surrey are trying to identify three female suspects in the seemingly random stabbing of a woman on a sidewalk earlier this month.
Toronto police are appealing to dozens of witnesses who they say were standing nearby when a man was shot to death in an apartment stairwell in the city’s north end last week.
Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria says the provincial government is introducing legislation that would require municipalities to receive provincial approval before removing traffic lanes to install new bike paths.
Police say a 35-year-old driver has been charged in connection with a deadly multi-vehicle car crash in Milton, Ont. last month.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government is launching a $7-million series of ads against the federal government's proposed cap on oil and gas emissions, a move she believes will hurt production and "kill jobs."
Alberta now has a new provincial health agency to help residents access primary care services, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange announced on Tuesday.
Mount Royal University (MRU) launched its Bachelor of Aviation Management degree program at the start of this school year with 40 students enrolled.
More than 40 employees at Best Theratronics Ltd. in Kanata went on strike five and a half months ago - a situation that Canada's largest private sector union says is highly unusual.
A federal union is calling for a Commons committee to launch an investigation into the federal government's new return-to-office policy, saying there has been 'catastrophic failures' with the new mandate.
The head of OC Transpo says there were several operator absences on Saturday during trial running of O-Train Lines 2 and 4, causing some changes to the simulated passenger service the line is being tested on.
Bilingual Quebec municipalities have lost their bid to have several parts of the government's French-language reform suspended while their case makes its way through the courts.
A victim testified at the Montreal courthouse on the first day of the sexual exploitation trial of former St-Laurent High School basketball coach Daniel Lacasse.
Quebec's Education Department appointed two monitors at Bedford school in Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges district to address a "toxic climate" of fear and intimidation at the primary school following an investigation. Meanwhile, the teachers' union calls the findings "damning."
Charges have been withdrawn against a man and a woman who faced a combined 90 charges in a child and animal abuse case.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl skated on the same line at the Edmonton Oilers' morning skate Tuesday. The superstar forwards will lead their team in evening National Hockey League (NHL) action starting at 8 p.m. MT against the visiting Philadelphia Flyers.
One person is dead after a crash on Monday night involving a semi and an SUV.
Three people, including a child, were killed in two separate collisions on Highway 101 in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley over the Thanksgiving weekend.
The Nova Scotia government says that in the coming days it will start building a 500-metre-long berm to protect a low-lying land link between the province and New Brunswick.
A local entrepreneur is preserving an historic train station in Amherst, N.S.
A 28-year-old Winnipegger is facing charges after an altercation unfolded between a store employee and a man who allegedly tried to steal merchandise from a West Alexander area store.
The Manitoba government is calling on the services of a former MP to study the possibility of relocating rail lines in Winnipeg.
A child is dead after falling from a Winnipeg apartment building on Monday.
Regina police say one person was taken into custody following reports of a weapons offence at Thom Collegiate Tuesday afternoon.
Regina police say a man was seriously injured when he was attacked by two dogs on Sunday afternoon while out walking.
The Saskatchewan Party says that it plans to keep the federal carbon tax off natural gas and electricity used for home heating for up to one more year if re-elected on Oct. 28.
Erick Buhr, the man accused of killing his grandmother in 2022, has pled not guilty to second-degree murder.
People living in the Ontario and King Street area of Stratford may notice a heavy police presence.
Bird feces has now been identified as the “mysterious†substance dropped onto Ayr, Ont. home in August.
A motel in North Battleford went up in flames on Monday night.
Saskatoon police arrested five people and seized kilos of cocaine and methamphetamine in a targeted bust this month.
Saskatchewan residents have just a few more days to catch a rare glimpse of a comet visible to the naked eye, streaking across the western skies at dusk.
A 33-year-old suspect in the Sault is facing several charges after reacting angrily when a youth knocked over their basketball net Oct. 5.
A Greater Sudbury woman is upset about the charges laid against the man accused of attacking her son and a group of his colleagues downtown on Saturday.
At their Oct. 22 meeting, city council in Greater Sudbury will vote on a motion from Mayor Paul Lefebvre to increase the municipal accommodation tax by two per cent.
Residents are rallying for change in Lambton County following a fatal crash.
“I wasn't using a walker in July, but I am now using walker all the time,†said Martyn, who is struggling to move and can’t stand for long periods of time.
Investigators are one step closer to finding out what happened to two Stratford, Ont. men who disappeared on a fishing trip 57 years ago.
Police are investigating a drive-by shooting in Springwater Township that they say happened over the Thanksgiving Day long weekend.
A couple from Owen Sound, Ont. is celebrating their good fortune after becoming instant multi-millionaires with Lotto Max.
Â鶹´«Ã½ has confirmed a Beeton, Ont., man accused in a historical sex crimes case involving a five-year-old girl is facing additional charges.
Essex County OPP are crediting police canine Philie for helping out in the seizure of illegal drugs, cash, and stolen property worth $110,000.
In his 20 years with MADD Canada, Chaouki Hamka has witnessed many changes regarding impaired driving, from heightened societal awareness to legislative shifts and better enforcement. Still, he says, impaired driving remains the 'leading criminal cause of death' in Canada.
Essex County OPP officers took nine alleged impaired drivers off the road over the Thanksgiving weekend.
New Democrat Leader David Eby is making a late appeal to voters to support his party even if they never have before, as the British Columbia election campaign enters the home stretch.
A Metro Vancouver man will spend up to four years in prison before he is deported after pleading guilty to a triple stabbing that left his sister-in-law dead and two others, including a two-year-old girl, seriously injured.
Lawyers for the founders of Vancouver's Drug User Liberation Front say their clients are being wrongfully criminalized for operating a club that provided untainted drugs to people who would otherwise be at the mercy of a toxic and deadly illicit drug supply.
Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.
Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
The Vancouver Giants scored late to force overtime before winning 4-3 over the Lethbridge Hurricanes Friday night.
If you’re looking for something to do this long weekend, the Lethbridge Corn Maze is open and hosting its annual fundraiser on Monday.
Local photographers were amazed by the aurora borealis display in the night sky over Lethbridge on Thursday night.
A 33-year-old suspect in the Sault is facing several charges after reacting angrily when a youth knocked over their basketball net Oct. 5.
A suspected impaired driver who tried to walk away after running a red light and crashing into a ditch is facing several charges, Sault police said Tuesday.
Home sales declined in North Bay in September compared to a year earlier, but sale prices held firm, according to data from the Canadian Real Estate Association.
A five-hour drive from St. John's, N.L., and well off the beaten path, Point Leamington seems an unlikely spot for a one-of-a-kind tourist attraction.
A Conservative MP from Newfoundland and Labrador says some small towns in his rural riding are overrun with crime, but police say they haven't received reports to that effect.
As millions in federal funding flow into a Labrador group whose claims of Inuit identity have been rejected by Indigenous organizations across Canada, a national Inuit leader worries the Liberal government is putting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at risk.
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