First, create a planting board with a hole in it. This tool helps plant a seedling at just the right depth and height. If a tree is planted too deep or too high above the ground, it will produce fruit late and poorly.
Next, take the seedling and identify where the root collar is located. Sometimes the root collar is mistaken for the graft union. You can usually spot it by the change in color where the lighter trunk transitions to the dark brown of the roots.
Place the board over the pre-dug hole and insert the seedling’s trunk through the hole, making sure the root collar sits level with the soil.
Sometimes newly planted trees settle as the soil compacts, which can bury the root collar. Take this into account. In soils with medium clay content, if the hole is 40-50 centimeters deep, settling can be around 7-10 centimeters.
Cover the seedling’s roots with fertile soil, compact it, and water thoroughly.
