I just wanted to attract your attention to this amazing column of information. I’ve actually never celebrated the day and probably won’t ever. If you’re anything like me, you may not be worth quite as much naked as you used to be. Time waits for no one.
Last week I talked about growing zones and buying the right plants for our growing zone 2b/3a.The very next thing to ensure success is choosing the right tree for the space you have and then planting it in a way that gives it the best chance of survival and conditions to thrive and grow.
Right Tree Right Place
Believe it or not, trees can only grow to a certain size and spread. Every one of them is different, however their genetic maps prevent them from doing anything other than what the genetics allow them to do. So there are no surprises.
If you are planting under wires, you should choose a tree that, when it hits its maximum height, it finishes out beneath the wire. If the power line is at approximately 25 feet, then only consider trees with a mature height of less than 25 feet. You can get this information from books, from the Internet and usually off the nursery tag as well.
If you are planting close to your house, check out and know the branch spread at maturity. By doing this you will avoid scraping your house or shingles with branches in the future.
How deep do I plant my new tree?
If you think about the last time you walked through a natural forest you may have noticed that every tree has a visible root flare.
Well guess what? This tree was naturally seeded or grew from a root sucker and nature ensured it was planted right at the right depth.
If we can learn from nature – and we should – then when you are planting a tree you brought home from the garden centre, the planting hole you dig should not be any deeper than naturally necessary. This means that when you are finished planting, you should see the top of the topmost root right at the surface. Planting like this is not only a lesson from nature, it encourages deep rooting.
The planting hole should be a little bit shallower and quite a bit wider, with loosened soil, than the container the tree was in when you bought it. If you don’t see the root flare of the tree you just bought in the nursery pot, you must remove the soil from the top of the pot until you can see the top of the topmost root.
Place tree in hole, straighten the tree and remove all parts of the pot or any synthetic materials that the root ball may have been wrapped in. Remove anything and everything that is wrapped around the trunk. Add the backfill soil and firm that soil to hold the root ball securely. Mulch the tree with a maximum three-inch depth of organic mulch with little or no mulch contacting the trunk. Stake only if needed Prune only dead or broken branches off. Get a beer or something and then water the tree.
Final advice:
Don’t forget May 7. I won’t if you won’t … you go first.
Yesterday I saw the weirdest thing. I saw a duck flying upside down. Hmm, it must have quacked up.
