Planting guide

Plant it once. Plant it right.

Site, spacing, growing on, planting, and first-year care for tissue culture Paulownia slips.

Acres to plant

Goal

Timber: 16 ft square grid. Wider spacing grows bigger trunks.

850Trees needed

170Trees per acre

16 ftSpacing

$0Est. slip cost

Site

Choose the site

Drainage first. Paulownia roots rot in standing water. Choose well-drained loam or sandy loam.
Soil pH between 5.5 and 7.5. Avoid salty ground.
Full sun and shelter from strong wind, which can snap young leaders.
Gentle slopes are fine and reduce erosion risk.
Zone 6 to 10. Zone 6 is the cold edge, so young trees may die back in hard winters. Late frosts can nip new growth, so plant after your last frost date.

Planting day

Step 1

Open the box on arrival and water. Most growers pot slips into 4 in or 1 gal pots and grow them on for 4 to 8 weeks before field planting.

Step 2

Dig a hole about 16 to 20 in wide and deep. Mix in compost.

Step 3

Set the young tree at the same depth it grew in the pot. Firm the soil and water deeply.

Step 4

Mulch, stake if windy, and add a guard where deer or rabbits browse.

First two years

When	What to do
Weeks 1 to 8	Water weekly if rain is short. Keep weeds back in a 3 ft circle.
First summer	Keep soil moist, not wet. Drip irrigation works best.
First winter	Once roots are established, often after 1 to 3 seasons, many timber growers cut the stem back to near ground level. The regrowth is usually straighter and faster. Ask us if this fits your goal.
Year 2	Keep one strong leader and remove competing shoots.
Years 2 to 3	Prune lower side branches to grow a clean, knot-free trunk.
Ongoing	Fertilize based on a soil test. Watch for root rot in wet spells.