Why do replacement shrubs need to be 5 gallon size and replacement trees need to be 24″ box size?
A. They don’t really. The larger plants will be closer in size to the existing plants in your landscape. In areas where pedestrian traffic passes through planters, 5 gallon shrubs survive better. Fifteen gallon trees work fine in areas where people don’t bother them, but the tiny trunks don’t hold up well in areas with lots of people walking through. By the way, did you know that if you plant three trees of the same variety, one from a five gallon container, one from a fifteen gallon container, and one from a 24″ box, that in 10 years they will all be the same size? It’s true! The larger sizes are stunted from growing for years in a container, and take years to recover. Q. Why double stake the replacement trees? A single stake will easily hold the tree up! A. The primary purpose of the second stake is to protect the trunk from damage. In some areas where there is a lot of pedestrian traffic, it’s not a bad idea to use three stakes as a barrier around the trunk. Do not tie the tree trun
