To ensure the long-term health of your tree, it's important to recognize the remarkable and symbolic significance of trees in nature. With the potential to endure for centuries, they epitomize the enduring beauty of our environment. There are factors to consider in this such as, what type of tree to plant, where to plant the tree, how to plant the tree, will the tree get enough light there, and of course, what is the best soil for planting trees? The health of a tree and root growth greatly depend on the soil. Therefore, it is absolutely essential to ensure that the tree is planted in the proper soil to ensure its overall well-being.
Before you embark on this new project, Trusty Tree Services is here to provide our fellow green thumbs with a guide on how to find the best soil for planting trees. As you'll find in this comprehensive guide, there are many different types of soils, some ideal for planting, and some not so ideal for planting. Our certified arborists are here to ensure that no matter the soil condition, there are approaches you can take to make sure that your tree not only prospers but continues to grow for the years to come.
Every homeowner needs to be aware of the various types of soil that exist. Moreover, it's important to understand that certain trees require specific soil conditions to thrive. These conditions may vary based on the type of minerals and irrigation that each tree necessitates. One can identify the different soil types by various characteristics such as texture, colour, acidity, and more. In general, there are six primary soil types that one should be acquainted with. Knowing these six types can help you find the best soil for planting trees. The six primary soil types are:
Let's dive into the nitty-gritty about these six types of soil!
Sandy soil is typically nutrient-poor and acidic, making it one of the lightest soil types. The soil temperature is also one of the warmest. Its low water retention leads to fast drainage, but with simple adjustments, this soil can be highly productive. Adding organic materials not only boosts plant nutrients but also improves water retention, since this type is a loose soil. It's important to note that this soil type is more prone to drying out in spring compared to other soils. Therefore, regular watering and adding a layer of mulch are essential for maintaining soil moisture levels and preventing soil erosion. Additionally, incorporating compost or well-decomposed manure can enhance the soil's fertility and structure, promoting healthier root development and overall plant growth.
Lime-rich or chalky soils can vary in density, containing alkaline soils and calcium carbonate. Due to the lack of essential nutrients for specific trees and shrubs, it is important to select plants that can thrive in alkaline conditions if you have this type of soil. You can identify chalky soil by locating white lumps, and if you want to enhance its nutrient content, consider adding some clay soil to it. By adding clay soil to chalky soil, you can help improve its nutrient content and enhance its ability to retain moisture. The addition of clay can also help balance the pH levels and provide a more favourable environment for a wider range of plants to thrive.
In the Edmonton area, heavy clay soil is common and can hinder drainage, but adding a generous amount of organic mulch can help to alleviate this issue. This soil, while nutrient-rich, has poor water drainage and is dense, making it challenging for water and air to penetrate. Its texture is smooth when dry and sticky when wet. Technically, it consists of about 25% clay particles, causing it to warm up more slowly. During summer, it tends to develop cracks, making it easily identifiable. During the winter months, the clay soil in Edmonton becomes compact and more prone to erosion due to its inability to absorb excess water. Additionally, the presence of clay can lead to uneven ground surfaces and pooling of water, making it less ideal for certain gardening activities.
Loamy soil, composed of sand, silt, and clay particles, effectively mitigates the limitations of individual soil types, resulting in high fertility and proper water drainage. It offers homeowners an affordable and excellent option for plant growth, with the possibility of high pH and calcium levels. Moreover, it can be created using existing soil with the addition of organic matter, enhancing its quality. In addition, the loamy soil's balanced composition allows for optimal root development and nutrient uptake, which promotes healthy plant growth and high yields. This makes it a preferred choice for avid gardeners and farmers alike.
Peat soil is primarily composed of organic materials and water particles, making it an exceptional soil type known for its fertility. Similar to silt soils, peat soil is a rare find. It surpasses expectations when it comes to choosing the optimal soil for planting trees, especially for newly planted and young trees. The conditions it offers are nothing short of excellent. Not only does peat soil retain moisture exceptionally well, but it also provides a rich source of nutrients for the trees to thrive. This makes it a highly desirable option for nurturing young trees and promoting healthy growth.
Pure silt soils are a rare and valuable soil type due to their unique characteristics. They have a smooth, soapy texture that does not clump up, and their particle size falls between that of clay and sand. Notably, they possess exceptional water retention capabilities and are highly fertile. These exceptional soils are commonly found near bodies of water, such as lakes and rivers. Silt soils are particularly valued in agriculture for their ability to retain moisture and nutrients, making them ideal for growing a wide variety of crops. Additionally, their fine texture allows for good drainage and aeration, promoting healthy root development for plants.
Besides analyzing the soil's physical properties and remedying poorly drained soils, conducting a soil test is crucial for identifying which nutrients should be applied and whether pH adjustments are necessary. This will help you find the best soil for planting trees. It's best to collect a soil sample several weeks before planting to properly address soil treatment at planting time. If new soil is introduced at planting or if soil is redistributed during the final grading, it's advisable to wait until all the soil is in place before sampling. pH adjustment and surface application of fertilizer can be done later, after the plants are established, following the recommended rate.
Make sure to assess the soil before planting your tree. This will help you determine the soil type it requires, and ensure its successful growth. Additionally, conducting a soil assessment can identify potential hazards in the area, enhancing the safety of your planting venture. When you're looking for the best soil for planting trees, the best soils are:
For most homeowners, the optimal choice is to opt for loamy soil, as it can usually be created easily on your own through soil amendments.
Now that you are aware of the different types of soil, you can find the best soil for planting trees. We've compiled a list of some of the most common trees that thrive in Edmonton weather conditions and soil conditions. This list of trees is not only beautiful but will also be able to adapt to the native soil found in the area. Some popular choices include mountain ashes, maples, and burr oaks, which are all known for their ability to withstand different soil types and weather conditions commonly found in Edmonton.
Trusty Tree Services is the ultimate solution for all your tree-related needs in Edmonton. Our team consists of professional, certified arborists who are dedicated to providing exceptional service to give you peace of mind. Whether you require tree pruning, removal, or planting services, Trusty Tree Services is the answer. We can help you find the best soil for planting trees for a successful planting. Our skilled arborists will carefully evaluate your trees and ensure they receive the necessary care for healthy growth. With our expertise and unwavering commitment to safety, we are fully equipped to handle any tree-related concerns you may have. Being a local business based in Edmonton, we specialize in delivering top-notch tree care services tailored to the unique requirements of residential, commercial, and municipal properties. Here is a glimpse of what our company can offer you and your property:
Get in touch with us today to discuss any questions you may have about your soil type, and how we can help with not only tree growth, but with its maintenance too!
Left us a
star reviewContracted Trusty Tree Services to remove 6 tall Aspen Trees. Workmen arrived ahead of schedule and trees were taken down very quickly and site cleaned up all debris. Great job highly recommend.
Very efficient staff. The work was completed as expected and to our satisfaction. The clean-up was also very good.
We have engaged Trusty Tree to carry out a long-term plan to rehab and maintain our extensive tree inventory on our 6 acre site. They did a great mapping of all the trees using Google Maps, and proposed priorities. The first stage was completed yesterday - Keegan and Adrian did a 30 minute Q&A with interested owners first, and did a great job of explaining and giving some hints on things we could to. The pruning was well done, and they cleaned up carefully - we are pleased with the work. They had a great idea for how we could take advantage of the resulting mulch to rehab some areas that needed amendment under conifer trees. We are looking forward to moving ahead with that. So kudos to Keegan and Adrian.
Very pleased with the service from start to finish...from talking to Sarah at the onset who was very knowledgeable and pleasant to the quick efficient pleasant service by the 2 man crew..reasonable and fair pricing..thank you..will gladly recommend
I contacted 5 different tree removal companies, 1 did not get back to me and the other 3 were almost double in price. Kolton contacted me almost immediately after inquiring online, gave me a fair and honest quote, snuck me in right away and did an unbelievable job. I would highly recommend trusty tree! Save your self time and energy and go straight to these guy.
Wow! Both Chelsey and Jared were very helpful, knowledgeable, friendly, efficient and thorough. They were also very tolerant in answering all my questions. 🙂 All the work was completed on time and at a very reasonable price. Also, zero collateral damage from the removal of some pretty big and awkwardly located trees. Great job. I’ll be recommending you to my neighbors and colleagues 👍
Jared, Sarah, and Chelsea were extremely knowledgeable, professional, and hardworking, with an obvious love of trees, an amazing attention to detail, and an outstanding work ethic and desire to do the best job of pruning each tree, checking and double checking their work. Very friendly and personable, willing to share expertise and worked their butts off non-stop. Cleaned up thoroughly and left the yard like they’d never even been there. I highly recommend Sarah, who gave us a fair quote, and Jared and Chelsea, who thoroughly, quickly, and expertly completed the work!
Just had Keegan and Jared take down two trees in front of our house. They were very professional and did an amazing job. 10/10 would hire again.
I had a huge tree that split in half. The guys worked ALL day in 33 degree weather and never complained once!! They all were really nice guys!!
We are totally impressed with Trusty Tree from a business and professional perspective. We were in awe watching Matt and Keegan working hard and diligently (in the heat!) while keeping safe climbing in and removing our big tree! We highly recommend this company!
We had Keegan & Matt from Trusty Tree come and remove a couple of dead aspens and trim a maple for us. I was very impressed with safe handling of the work, friendly manner, and great cleanup of the space afterward. They were happy to answer all of my questions, and worked really hard on a very hot day. Thank you!
I needed their help as my tree seems to be sick and requiring some TLC. They came to check the tree and gave me suggestions on how to take care of it. Very honest business and very professinal staff. They are not only after your money. I will definitely sign up with their services in the future if my tree doesn’t get healthier. Thank you!
Had a spruce taken down by trusty trees, they were able to get me scheduled asap and took it down within 20 mins! Cleaning it all up too. Thank you to Sarah and the team for everything!
Excellent work by Keegan and Shay - tree removal went smoothly, they cleaned up well and were very friendly along the way
Excellent price, excellent service. Keegan was dispatched to our condo complex to trim some trees and remove others. Keegan and his partner were very knowledgeable, kind and patient. He made sure that I was happy with the trimming that was done and provided information regarding sick trees we found (aphid infestation) and what steps to take to get the tree healthy again. It was discovered that more work was required that was not on the original contract. Keegan was very patient, contacted his office for permission to do the ad-hoc work with no complaints. Keegan is a keeper for sure!
Highly recommend. We had an excellent experience with the crew from Trusty Tree…..they were efficient, professional and friendly. They even threw the frisbee for our dog !
We have used Trusty Tree a few times and are always happy with the service! Sarah came by to assess and give us an estimate, all reasonably priced, and Adrian and Keegan took great care of our yard... thanks a bunch!
Very efficient, safe and effective work. Met on site for the quote, then promptly came and completed the work a few days later.
They were absolutely wonderful! The arborist Sarah was friendly and professional, and showed up when she said she would. The three gentleman who came to cut down the trees were so efficient and knowledgeable. They had 4 trees down and cleaned up within an hour. We would recommend Trusty Tree Service to anyone!
Highly recommend Trusty Tree Services. Outstanding service! Kolton is extremely professional, friendly, knowledgeable and helpful with the advice he gave. Thank you! Will definitely use them again in the future!
I was very impressed with the service provided by Trusty Tree Service. The arborist did an excellent job balancing the tree with pruning and clearing out congested areas. He provided advice about tree care and his assistant cleared and disposed of the branches cut by putting them in the chipper. I strongly recommend this company.
We have used Trusty Tree services in the past and I wouldn’t trust anyone else with our arbor needs. Sarah (one of their arborists) gave us great recommendations and a fair quote and then Keegan & Shay did a fantastic job felling our diseased columnar poplars and cleaning up after themselves. You couldn’t tell they had even been here it was left so tidy and clean. Thanks so much!
The 2 man crew was awesome, yard was cleaned up afterwards and you couldn’t tell 2 large trees were taken down, will have them back soon, highly recommend this company
I have used Trust Tree Services a number of times and there work is excellent. The staff are very personable and I really appreciate how the work area is left spotless once finished. I wouldn't use anyone else!
Sarah did an amazing job of cleaning up and pruning our chokecherry tree. She is super friendly, informative and skilled in her job. I am very happy with the appearance of our tree now. Thanks so much Sarah.
I highly recommend this company. They are very organized and experienced at what they do.
Trusty Tree came highly recommended so I took a chance and called. In no time at all I had a quote, all questions answered, and the work was done quicker than I thought it would be. Mike, Keegan, and Shay were professional, friendly, and very hard working making the whole experience 'groovy' ;)
We needed a spruce tree trimmed back. Trusty tree was very easy to work with scheduling and planning. Jared and Keegan came and did an amazing job. Great to work with and very personable.
What a fantastic crew!!! Sarah & Shane came and trimmed my rather large tree. Such a professional, knowledgeable, caring, capable and courteous crew. Very well done from beginning to end.They did a fabulous job!
Trusty Trees did their magic at my Mothers house in Fort Saskatchewan. Mikex2 we’re on time, organized and knew their business. Gave the trees a good haircut as they had a lot of dead areas. Very pleased with their service, would definitely recommend them! Much thanks Mike and Mike.
We had a crew from Trusty tree services to come and remove 6, 40 foot aspen trees. They did an awesome job. They were very knowledgeable and very considerate of our property and our neighbours property. They had our yard and neighbours yards totally cleaned up when they were finished. I would highly recommend Trusty Tree Services
We had a crew from Trusty Tree Services trim three trees on our property a few weeks ago, sorry for the late review. Couldn't be happier with the whole process. From the estimate to the final clean up, everything went very well. I contacted other companies for estimates, didn't even get a call back. Thanks again Trusty Tree for a great job!
Trusty Tree Services came out and pruned our Amur Cherry tree in Fort Saskatchewan and did a great job. The technicians were knowledgeable and gave me tips on how to better take care of our tree. The technicians were friendly and polite and cleaned up before they left. I would definitely recommend Trusty Tree Service!
Excellent job! I highly recommend this company. I will be calling again this fall! I am very happy.
We had an amazing experience with Trusty Tree. They gave a prompt estimate for some very difficult trees in our campground. They arrived on time and began work immediately. Their expertise shone through as they brought down the trees on point! Friendly, informative, professional and outstanding workmanship. I would recommend them in a heartbeat. Shout out to Colton, Joe and Adrian - great work!
We had Trusty Tree out this year to shape and thin 4 trees and 3 Mugo Pine shrubs. I was impressed with a quick appt for the quote and then quick response for booking. Our trees were pruned earlier in the season as this was the recommended timeframe, and the Mugo Pine shrubs pruned later in the spring after the new growth appeared. I'm pleased with the crew that came out, they were polite, professional and experienced. We are happy with how our trees and shrubs look and feel the price was fair. We would definitely recommend Trusty Tree and will have them back in the future. Thanks for taking extra time with us to talk about proper pruning too!
Very professional and courteous crew. Difficult tree to cut down with bucket truck given clearances.
I am a new widow and my yard work is so overwhelming, I called Trusty tree to come over and give me a quote. Because my husband who has slways been in love with taking great care of our home,has passed I am here to do it alone.Trusty tree are the most professional people I dealt with..And they actually had the most professional quote,they took pictures of my Tree to elaborate on what needed to be done,and explained why everything had to be done in a certain way...after 3 other companies coming out I realized that Trusty Trees quote was extremely fair. So when the Trusty Tree crew arrived to prune my beloved tree, they were ready, and really understood the sentimental value of my tree that my late husband and I used to sit under every night. The crew members Joe and Shane collaborated beautifully brought down the required amount of my tree..They had a fantastic chipper on site and they also cleaned up the yard so beautifully after the cutting was done...If anyone reads this review,please understand how much that tree meant to me and my late husband. Joe and Shane gave it a loving and caring trim, and they where not only hard working but very informative of the process,and very just great guys,they included their sense of humor to make the trimming process easier on me. THEY were so compasionate and understanding . I thank them for that..... If you are thinking of pruning your gorgeous beloved tree, Trusty Tree has got be your only choice. THESE GUYS ARE THE BEST!!! My name is Christine and if anyone wants to contact me about what a great job this crew did..please do!!!
I highly recommend Trusty Tree Services! From start to finish everything was handled promptly, professionally and courteously! They are very knowledgeable and efficient. I really liked how they explained things. We will definitely have them back for some fall work. Thanks to everyone!
We were sad to see our tree go, but it wasn’t well and bigger and bigger branches were breaking off; however our Trusty Tree Arborists did a great job. Thanks to @Sarah and @Michael and thanks for the excellent service Trusty Tree.
Excellent, prompt, efficient and professional service. Team was very pleasant to work with. In and out in no time. Clean worksite. Would definitely recommend.
The services provided were both reasonably priced and work done was excellent!
Very fast professional and thorough work done on both my experiences with Trusty tree Service. Good cleanups and answered all questions. They made valid suggestions which I appreciated. Thank you.
Excellent experience. Very knowledgeable experienced crew. Safety is a priority .Highly recommend . Great Job!
Thanks to Mike and the crew for doing a great job on Grenfell Ave St Albert. Very professional service.