Planting a tree -- either as nursery stock or bareroot -- is a meaningful act. This tree could be with your home for years, or even a lifetime! So, be certain to choose a location where your tree will thrive, and be sure to transplant it correctly to get your tree off to a great start. As mentioned, the best time to transplant trees is in the late summer or early fall. Planting the tree as it prepares to enter its dormant state allows the tree to spend its energies on its root system, rather than new foliage. When you choose the site to plant your tree, consider its potential height and width. Avoid placing your tree anywhere where it will eventually be a nuisance or grow into the path of a walkway, driveway, or another tree, shrub or bush. You should also confirm the location of any underground utilities or wires before you start digging, as the roots of any tree will grow deep. The next steps are dependent upon how the tree was shipped. Many of our trees and shrubs ship as bareroot: small trunks with the roots wrapped in plastic or burlap. These should be planted as soon as possible. Soak the roots of your bare root plants for a few hours before planting. Dig a hole wide enough to hold the roots without crowding them and about an inch deeper than the roots are long, and set the plant into the hole before backfilling. For balled or burlapped trees, or trees that come in pots, you should break up any tangled root balls. Breaking up or separating tangled roots will encourage them to 'stretch out' and add new growth. Balled trees or container trees may lose some of their roots when dug up at the nursery where they were grown, but this "transplant shock" can be mitigated with careful handling and good site prep. You should dig a hole as deep as the plant's roots, and two to three times as wide. Build a hill in the center of the hole about two-thirds and deep. Set your tree into the hole at the same depth at which it was held in its container or burlap, spreading its roots over the hill. Now, backfill the hole, around the tree's roots, with soil. The trunk flare, where the trunk expands at the base of the tree, should be partially visible after the tree has been planted. You should fill the hole surrounding the plant gently, but firmly, watering well before completely filling the hole to remove air pockets. Once the hole is completely filled with soil, water again. During the tree's first growing season, water regularly to keep the soil moist. Do not, however, allow the soil to become water-logged. Mulching around the base of the tree can help retain moisture, but be careful not to use more than 2" of mulch -- piling mulch high could suffocate your tree.