How to Grow an Alberta Pine Tree

Select a well drained spot in your yard which receives six to eight hours of sunlight each day. Dig a hole twice as wide and just as deep as the tree's root ball which may be 8 to 10 inches long.

Have professional tree movers set your Alberta pine in the hole you’ve prepared or use a tree dolly to carefully move and lower the tree into the hole. Expect the roots to be bundled together and wrapped in burlap. Carry and move the tree by the burlap ball at the base of the tree rather than the trunk itself to prevent damage to the roots.

Cut the burlap away from the root ball and use your hands to loosen up the roots and soil inside. Inspect the roots for any that cross over each other. Cut crossing roots off but leave all others intact.

Fill the hole to the surface of the ground with the soil you dug up out of the ground. Pack soil and mulch up around the tree trunk above the ground surface with your hands to create a sloping mound around the tree.

Stake the tree for the first year if it is taller than 6 feet tall when you plant it. Staking will help the tree take root and grow straight. It will also provide stability and flexibility in windy conditions. Insert three metal stakes into the ground at the base of the mound you created, about 12 inches away from the pine trunk and equidistant from each other. Stick the stakes in the ground at a slight angle so the tops of the stakes bow outward slightly, away from rather than into the tree.

Tie garden wire around the tree trunk and around each stake. Tie a double knot in each end to secure the wire and hold the tree in place. Wrap tree wrap material around the trunk of the tree from the ground up to the first set of branches.

Remove the stakes, wire and tree wrap material after a year. Water the tree weekly whenever rainfall in that period is less than 1 inch. Stick a rain gauge in the ground near the tree to monitor the amount of rain water it gets.