Planting, Transplanting and Establishment
Planting success depends on preparation, technique and aftercare. Candidates must understand site preparation: weed control, soil improvement, drainage checks, and marking out. Know how to handle bare-root, containerised and balled-and-burlapped stock, and why roots must never dry out. Planting depth matters: the root flare should sit at or slightly above grade, never buried. Understand the planting hole (wide, not deep), backfill, staking (only when needed, and removed after establishment), mulching (depth, type, keeping clear of the trunk), and watering-in.
Transplanting involves root disturbance and transplant shock. Learn how to minimise it: timing (cooler months, dormant season), pre-watering, root pruning, and shade or wind protection. Establishment is the period until the plant survives without supplementary care, usually one to two years for trees and shrubs. Understand the difference between survival and establishment.
Traps: planting too deep; over-staking; mulch piled against the trunk; and watering little and often instead of deep and infrequent. Questions often test whether a practice helps or harms establishment.
Worked rule of thumb: 'plant it high, water it deep, mulch it wide, stake it loose.' The hole should be two to three times the root ball width but no deeper than the root ball, so the root flare stays visible. Water deeply at planting and then less frequently as roots grow outward.