A successful windbreak or privacy screen doesn't start on planting day — it starts with the prep work that happens before any crew or equipment shows up. Whether you're planting a handful of trees yourself or bringing in a full-service crew, the site conditions you create ahead of time have a direct impact on how well your trees survive and establish.

This guide covers what actually matters: what to do to your site before planting, and how to care for your trees in the weeks after. It's the same standard we hold ourselves to on every property we plant — good prep isn't just about making our job easier, it's what gives your trees the best possible start.

Before Planting Day: Getting Your Site Ready

Mow the planting area

Cut grass in the planting zone down to 3 inches or less before planting begins. This matters more than most people expect:

• For the trees: tall grass competes directly with new transplants for water and nutrients right at the root zone, at exactly the point when your trees need every advantage they can get.
• For the equipment: professional planting equipment — augers and hydraulic drilling systems — is built to cut clean, consistent holes. Tall or thick grass fouls that equipment and leads to shallower, less consistent planting.
• For safety and accuracy: short grass makes it easy to see and hold a straight planting line, and to spot hazards hidden underfoot before they become a problem.

If you're planting a large number of trees, treat mowing as a non-negotiable step, not a nice-to-have — it's one of the few things on this list that's entirely within your control and has an outsized effect on the outcome.

Better yet: bare soil beats short grass

Mowing to 3 inches is the minimum standard, but it's worth being clear about the ideal: no grass or weeds at all around the planting site is significantly better than even freshly cut grass. Rototilling or otherwise turning over the soil along your planting line — rather than just mowing it — removes the root competition entirely, not just the top growth.

Grass and weeds compete with a newly planted tree for water and nutrients whether they're six inches tall or freshly cut to a stub. Mowing manages the visible problem; it doesn't touch the root systems still pulling moisture and nutrients out of the same soil your tree is trying to establish in. A rototilled, bare planting strip gives your tree's roots exclusive access to water and nutrients while it establishes — which, especially in the first season, makes a real difference in survival and growth rate.

Clear the planting path

Walk your planting line and remove anything that would block equipment or a planting crew: old fencing, farm debris, stray equipment, wood piles, or overgrown brush. A clear path means faster, more accurate planting, and fewer surprises for whoever's running the equipment.

Know what's underground

Before any digging happens — yours or a contractor's — mark or flag known underground utilities, irrigation lines, and septic fields in the planting area. If you're not certain what's below your planting line, call:

• Alberta: Utility Safety Partners (Click Before You Dig)
• Saskatchewan: Sask 1st Call

This is a step worth taking seriously. Hitting a utility line isn't just an expensive mistake — it's a safety risk. It's also one of the few things on this list where "I think it's fine" isn't good enough; confirm it.

Confirm access

Make sure gates, driveways, and access roads are open and passable for a truck and trailer. If your property has a locked gate, a narrow approach, or a spot where a truck and trailer can't easily turn around, sort that out ahead of time rather than on the day itself.

Plan for pets and kids

Planting day involves moving machinery and heavy equipment. Keep pets and children clear of the active work area for everyone's safety.

Watch the forecast

Trees can be planted across a range of weather conditions, but extreme conditions can affect scheduling. If weather requires a change of plan, that's a conversation to have ahead of time, not a surprise on the day.

After Planting: Caring for Your New Trees

Getting your trees in the ground is half the job — how you care for them over the following weeks and months is what determines whether they establish successfully.

Watering: what to use, and how much

Newly planted trees need consistent moisture while their root systems establish. As a general guide, young White Spruce need 2 to 3 gallons of water twice a week through their first season until the ground freezes, easing to 1 gallon twice a week in year two and 1 gallon once a week in year three. Increase watering during extended heat, wind, or drought.

Be cautious with well water. Well water across much of Alberta and Saskatchewan is high in dissolved minerals — sodium in particular — and can carry elevated salinity or hardness. Newly planted White Spruce are especially sensitive to this in their first season; sodium buildup interferes with root uptake and can meaningfully slow establishment, or in severe cases stress the tree enough to threaten survival.

Where you have the option, surface water is the better choice — rainwater, a dugout fed by precipitation and runoff, or municipal water, all tend to be low in sodium and easier on new transplants. If well water is your only option, having it tested is a worthwhile step so you know what you're working with, and consider diluting or supplementing with rainwater where possible.

What's normal in the first couple of months

New tree owners often see something in the first months after planting and assume the worst. A couple of things worth knowing:

• Some yellowing at the base of the tree, roughly two months after planting, is commonly normal. This is typically the tree shedding older interior needles combined with a natural response to soil moisture swings — not necessarily a sign of a dying tree.
• New bud growth is the best sign to look for. If you're seeing fresh green growth at the tips of branches, that's a strong, positive indicator your tree is establishing well.

If you're ever unsure whether what you're seeing is normal seasonal adjustment or a real problem, it's worth reaching out rather than guessing — catching an issue early is far easier to address than one that's gone unaddressed for a season.

Why This Matters More Than People Expect

None of this is complicated, but it's the difference between a windbreak that thrives and one that struggles. The trees themselves are hardy — White Spruce is about as tough a species as you'll find for Alberta and Saskatchewan conditions — but even a hardy tree needs a fair start. Good site prep and the right aftercare in the first season are what turn an installed tree into an established one.

If you're planning a planting project and want a hand thinking through your site — mowing, access, water source, or anything else specific to your property — get in touch and we're happy to walk through it with you before your planting date.

If you own acreage in Alberta and you're researching windbreak or privacy trees, you've probably noticed the pricing out there is all over the map — anywhere from $20 seedlings you plant yourself to $300+ per tree for large-caliper stock installed by a landscaper. That's a wide range, and it makes it hard to know what you should actually expect to pay.

Here's a straightforward answer, based on what actually drives the cost.

The two very different ways trees get planted

Before comparing numbers, it helps to know what you're actually comparing. Alberta acreage owners generally have two options:

1. Bare-root or small potted seedlings, planted yourself. These are typically 1–3 feet tall, sold in bundles, and shipped or picked up for you to plant by hand. It's the lowest-cost route, and it works well for landowners who have the time, the labour, and the patience for a tree that takes years to establish a real windbreak or privacy screen.
2. Established trees, delivered and professionally planted. This is a full-service approach: mature 4–6 foot trees are delivered to your property and planted with equipment designed for the job — not a shovel. You get a windbreak or privacy screen that looks like one from day one, not five years from now.

Neither approach is "wrong" — it depends on your budget, your timeline, and how much of the labour you want to take on yourself.

What drives the price of a professionally planted tree

When you're paying for delivery and installation rather than just a seedling, a few things determine the cost:

• Tree size. A 4–6 foot White Spruce costs more than a seedling because it's had years of growing time invested in it before it ever reaches your property.
• Minimum order size. Full-service planting typically requires a minimum order (commonly 30 trees or more) to make delivery and equipment mobilization worthwhile.
• Site access and distance. Properties with easy truck and trailer access cost less to service than those requiring extra site work.
• Planting method. Hydraulic drilling equipment that creates a proper, consistent hole for the rootball costs more to run than hand-digging, but it also produces a far higher survival rate.
• Delivery distance. Rural Alberta properties further from a supplier's home base typically carry a modest delivery fee.

What it actually costs, in real numbers

For a full-service planting of 4–6 foot White Spruce — delivered, drilled, staked, and mulched — Alberta acreage owners can expect pricing in the range of $79 per tree, plus a flat delivery fee depending on location, and GST. On a typical order of 30–50 trees, that puts most projects in the $2,400–$4,500 range, all-in.

Compare that to a seedling-and-DIY approach, which might cost $500–$1,000 for the same tree count in materials — but adds years of growth time, watering discipline, and a lower survival rate if conditions aren't managed carefully.

Why the cheapest per-tree price isn't always the best value

If you're comparing prices, it's worth asking a few questions beyond the sticker price:

• Is the tree actually planted with equipment, or dropped in a shallow hand-dug hole?
• Is staking and mulching included, or extra?
• What's the survival track record, and is there any accountability if trees don't establish?
• Is the crew insured and experienced with the equipment they're using on your property?

A lower per-tree price that comes with a shallow planting job and no follow-through often costs more in the end — in replacement trees, in wasted time, and in a windbreak that never quite fills in.

Getting your property ready affects cost too

One thing that affects both price and results: site preparation. Properties with grass mowed short, clear access paths, and marked utility lines go faster and plant more successfully than sites that need extra work on arrival. If you're planning ahead, our guide to getting your site ready walks through exactly what to prepare before planting day.

Ready to get a real number for your property?

Every acreage is different — tree count, access, and site conditions all factor in. If you'd like a straightforward quote for your property, get in touch and we'll walk you through it.