Trees and shrubs are plants that remain in the same place for many years and therefore require appropriate conditions, at least for the first years after planting.. Therefore, the soil should be properly prepared and cultivated before planting plants in it.
Uniform cultivation treatments can be carried out on the entire area to be planted, if the requirements of the introduced plants are similar. In the case of planting plants with different requirements, special cultivation and preparation is carried out in small areas intended for these plants or only in the places where they are planted..
The most important steps in soil preparation are creating the right structure and providing the necessary amount of organic material. If the plants are planted as normal, undamaged cultivated soil, adding organic material is not necessary for most of the planted plants. If, on the other hand, trees or shrubs are planted in very poor soils or in places known as reclaimed soil,, it is necessary to remove the substrate at least in the places of planting and replace it with fertile soil; it is also possible to add to the existing soil appropriate compost or similar material improving the physical properties d enriching the soil with basic nutrients.
The easiest way to improve soil conditions is a procedure known as "dressing pits", consisting in adding a certain amount of fertile soil or compost to the soil, when planting a tree or shrub. You have to remember this, that an excess of too fertile soil may inhibit the growth of roots beyond the walls of the pit.
It is very important in the preparation of the soil to check its pH and bring it to a value suitable for the plants.
The most common is excessive acidification, which can be reduced by the use of appropriate doses of lime or the use of mineral fertilizers that reduce the degree of acidification. Soil reaction in large areas is rarely carried out, as the selection of plants is generally adapted to the local soil conditions, and therefore to the existing reaction.