Why You Should Wait Before Planting In Wet Soil

Why You Should Wait Before Planting in Wet Soil

It’s been raining.  For days.  It seemed like it would never stop.  You’ve been wanting to plant those trees you have, but couldn’t.  But what’s that? The rain just stopped?  You can plant them now, right?

If you’ve been wanting to plant trees in your landscape, but have been held back by rain, this scenario might sound tempting.  The rain stopped and those trees you have in pots or the ones you saw at the nursery are just calling your name.  It can be easy to rush out and start digging now that the sky has cleared.  Well, maybe this isn’t the best idea.

While it can be tempting to plant a tree as soon as the sky turns blue, it can be better to wait until the ground has had a chance to dry, and will stay that way for a while, before you start digging.  If the soil is wet, and you try to plant a tree, it could cause a number of problems.

First, and most importantly, planting trees in wet soil can lead to a poor quality installation.  When soil is wet, all else being equal, it is more likely to clump together in larger clumps.  Clumps of soil are called “peds”.  When the ped size increases, it makes it much harder to work around the roots of the tree.  This can cause lots of broken tree roots and a poor installation.

Another factor is mess.  Although tree planting under the best of conditions is messy, planting in muddy soil is even messier.  Digging in muddy soil can make you, your equipment, your concrete, and things that are nearby, all muddy.  It can create a larger mess than under good soil conditions and it can take more time and effort to clean up.

Like with mess, when planting trees under good soil conditions, there is always some effect on the surrounding soil and lawn.  There can be damage for example to grass from the use of heavy equipment.  Grass around the planting holes can also be affected.  With wet soil though, these impacts are magnified.  For example, if heavy equipment is being used on wet soil, it could compact the soil or tear up your grass more than under dry conditions.  Additionally, just walking on soil that is wet enough could cause compaction and damage.  This could also make it harder to save any grass from your planting area.

Planting trees in wet soil can also damage equipment that might get stuck or clogged with mud and it can make digging harder.  Wet soil can cling to augers and shovels and is also heavier than dry soil.  This means added effort to take it out of the ground.  Additionally, if the soil is saturated enough, as you dig, the hole could fill with water making digging more difficult.  Also, if you plant a tree in soggy soil, it could promote fungus growth.

Although the rain may have stopped, it doesn’t mean tree planting should start.  The best time to plant a tree is influenced by a number of factors, but one of those is that the ground has dried enough after a rain.  If you’re looking up at a sky that has just turned blue, wait a while longer before planting so you won’t feel blue.