Plant Selection, Establishment, and Maintenance
Domain 2 covers choosing the right plant and carrying it through planting, establishment and long-term care. Questions blend hardiness zoning, site matching, correct planting technique, watering through establishment, mulching and ANSI A300 pruning principles.
Selection rules
Match the plant to the site rather than forcing the site to fit the plant: hardiness zone (USDA zones in 5°F half-steps), heat zone, mature height and spread, soil pH and drainage, light exposure, salt and pollution tolerance, and available root space. Check clearance from walls, overhead lines and paving. Prefer species with proven local performance over marginal exotics - native does not automatically mean drought-tolerant or well-behaved.
Planting and establishment
Plant with the root flare at grade: the first structural root must sit at the surface. Dig the hole two to three times the root-ball width but no deeper than the ball. Do not heavily amend the backfill; a rich pocket creates a textural interface that discourages roots from spreading outward. Remove synthetic burlap and cut circling roots. Stake only if the root ball cannot hold the stem, and remove ties after one growing season. Mulch 50–80 mm deep, kept clear of the trunk. Water new trees and shrubs at about 25 mm per week, applied slowly, for roughly one year per 25 mm of trunk caliper, then taper. Prune to ANSI A300: no topping, no flush cuts, three-cut method for limbs, structural pruning in dormancy.
Worked example
A 60 mm caliper shade tree on clay: water ~25 mm weekly for about three years, mulch a 1 m radius ring at 75 mm, do not stake, and prune only deadwood at planting. Reasoning: caliper drives establishment time, and the mulch ring reduces competition and moisture loss without smothering the flare.
Traps that cost marks
Planting deep 'for stability'. Fertilizing at planting to push growth. Volcano mulch against the trunk. Overwatering on clay, whose symptoms mimic drought.