Most planted trees that fail didn't fail from lack of water. They failed because they were planted too deep or the hole was dug wrong.
Both are avoidable, and both are more about knowing what right looks like than about equipment. The machine handles the digging and the lifting — which for anything balled-and-burlapped is genuinely heavy work — but the details are what determine whether the tree is alive in five years.
Two Rules That Matter Most
1. Wide and shallow, not deep and narrow.
The old advice to dig a deep hole and backfill with amended soil has been thoroughly overturned. Current practice from arboriculture research: dig a hole two to three times the width of the root ball and no deeper than the root ball's height.
Roots spread laterally, not down. A wide hole with loosened surrounding soil is what they need. A deep hole means the tree settles below grade, which is the second problem.
2. The root flare goes at or slightly above grade.
The root flare is where the trunk widens into the roots. It must be visible at the finished surface. A tree planted with the flare buried develops girdling roots, bark rot, and declines slowly over years.
Critically: nursery stock is frequently potted or balled with excess soil above the flare. Don't assume the top of the root ball is grade. Excavate down into the top of the ball to find the actual flare before you decide planting depth. This one step prevents more tree deaths than anything else on this page.
What You'll Need
Attachments: Auger for smaller stock · Bucket for larger holes and backfill · Pallet forks or a boom pole for moving B&B stock · Tree spade for transplanting
Steps
1. Call 811. Tree holes are exactly deep enough to find utilities.
2. Find the root flare on the tree before digging. Excavate the top of the root ball until you see where the trunk flares. Measure from there to the bottom of the ball — that's your hole depth.
3. Dig wide and shallow. Two to three times ball width. An auger works for small stock; for larger balls a bucket gives you the width you need. Roughen the sides of the hole rather than leaving them glazed — smooth auger walls in clay can act like a container.
4. Don't dig deeper than the ball. If you overdig, compact the bottom firmly or the tree settles. Settling is what buries the flare after you thought you got it right.
5. Move the tree by the root ball, never the trunk. Lifting or dragging a tree by the trunk damages the connection between trunk and roots. Use straps around the ball, forks under it, or a boom pole with a sling.
6. Set the tree and check depth. Flare at or slightly above finished grade. Check from several angles for plumb before you backfill — adjusting after is much harder.
7. Remove wire, burlap, and twine from the top of the ball. At minimum, cut away the top third of the wire basket and fold back or remove the burlap. Twine around the trunk girdles the tree as it grows. Synthetic burlap doesn't decompose at all and should come off entirely.
8. Backfill with the native soil. Not amended, not potting mix. Amended backfill in a native-soil hole creates a container effect where roots circle rather than spreading out. Water it in as you backfill to settle it rather than compacting hard.
9. Mulch — but not against the trunk. Two to three inches, spread wide, and pulled back several inches from the trunk flare. Mulch volcanoes piled against the trunk hold moisture on the bark and kill trees slowly. This is the most common landscape mistake in the country.
10. Stake only if needed. Most trees establish better unstaked — trunk movement builds taper and strength. Stake only if the tree can't stand on its own or the site is very exposed, use flexible ties, and remove the stakes after a season.
Common Mistakes
Planting too deep. The leading cause of failure.
Not finding the actual root flare. Nursery soil above the flare misleads you into planting deep.
Deep narrow holes. Wide and shallow.
Amended backfill. Use native soil.
Leaving wire and burlap on the ball top. Girdling.
Mulch against the trunk. Rot and pests.
Lifting by the trunk. Damages the root-trunk union.
Staking too tight or too long. Weakens the tree.
Which Yellow Jacket Model
YJ1000 / YJ1100 — most landscape planting. Auger for small stock, bucket and forks for B&B.
YJ1200 — larger B&B stock, where root ball weight matters. Balls are heavier than they look and the load sits forward on forks.
YJ2000 — large-caliper stock and tree spade work.
Give us the ball sizes you handle and we'll check them against rated capacity.
FAQ
How wide should the hole be?
Two to three times the root ball width. Wider is better in compacted soil.
How deep?
No deeper than the root ball height, measured from the actual root flare — not from the top of the nursery soil.
Should I amend the backfill?
No. Native soil. Amended backfill encourages roots to circle in the hole rather than spreading into the surrounding soil.
Do I have to remove the wire basket?
At minimum cut away the top third and remove burlap and twine from the ball top. Many arborists remove the basket entirely once the tree is set.
How much can it lift?
Root balls are heavy — a large B&B ball can exceed a mini skid steer's capacity, and the load sits forward on forks which reduces effective capacity further. Check the ball weight against the model spec.
When should I plant?
Fall and early spring are generally best in most climates. Avoid planting into summer heat.
Should I stake it?
Only if it can't stand on its own. Unstaked trees develop stronger trunks. If you stake, use flexible ties and remove them after one season.