Trees, Rants and Other Dirt
I love trees and have a lot of them around my place. With it being spring now it brings to mind a couple of quick things that I try to keep in mind as everything leafs out. The first has to do with watering a tree. It really can very depending on the species of tree, the amount of light and the type of soil. Some do well in heavy clay or loam soil while others do better in sandy well drained soil. Do your research before you pick one out - you can really save yourself a lot of headache and money in the long term.
Where I live the soil is sandy and light. So sandy in fact that during certain times of the year I will wait until a light rain to mow simply to keep the sand from blowing around when I run the mower. Is it best practice? Probably not but I don’t like sand in my eyes or in the mechanisms of the tractor. I’m willing to have a little grass stuck to the mower deck to clean off when I’m done versus the alternative.
Going along with that means that in the summer newly planted trees are going to need water and you can go about it many different ways. My grandpa who taught me just about everything I know about trees when I was a kid showed me a very simple but effective way of watering that doesn’t disturb the soil or wash the soil away from the roots. His method was to take a 4” round clay tile 16” long, stand it upright and bury it a few inches in the ground near the base of the tree and fill it with water. The water will naturally leach out into the soil saturating the roots. For me it seems to work – I’ve done it with a few trees and they seem to hold up well when everything else burns off in the midsummer heat and dry ground. Does it have to be a clay tile? No, you could use a piece of PVC pipe or similar as well – just put it close enough to the tree that it will get the water it needs and kids won’t trip on it if they are playing in the yard.
From watering I have to mention mulching – this is where I pull out my Midwesterner card and say, “Well shucks. That’s awful nice mulch” while biting my tongue knowing that in two years time whoever owns that tree is going to have to replace it. I am absolutely NOT a fan of mulching at the base of a tree simply because I see so many people do it wrong. Mulching around flowers and such or up by your house is fine but when it comes to trees most of the time it’s done wrong.
If you just have that burning desire to put mulch around trees because it completes you as a person - do it with a few things in mind. First don’t lay it thick – particularly near the trunk. It needs to have drainage – mulch can help hold water but you don’t want that water and wet mulch against the trunk. It will keep the bark wet and make it more susceptible to bugs and rot. The same applies even if you put a little moat between the trunk and a mound of mulch – it restricts drainage. It’s a pet peeve of mine and I hate mulch around trees. Now that I’ve said my piece do what you want – it’s you tree and your yard.
When it comes to trimming branches on a tree or even on a lot of different plants think about where and how you want to trim it. My grandpa taught me when you trim a tree try to keep in mind the physics of the tree. Trees like people need to be trained because otherwise they can hurt themselves. Fruit trees in particular you need to pay attention to but it holds true for any tree. When you work with trees pay attention to where the branches are growing as well as the size of what they are attached to. Sometimes branches can be larger than the trunk they are attached to and while it may work for the moment at some point that branch could break leaving you with an eyesore and possibly a dead tree. Also, when you trim try to do so at a V in the branch. A lot of times if a branch is cut in the middle of a straight run that whole branch will die and it’s difficult for the tree to heal it and repair it.
Speaking of fruit trees last but not least comes how to protect them at least until they have some size to them. I planted two of my favorite kind of apple trees one year – Northern Spy. They are an old breed that is tart and really good for making apple pies. They looked great but I also have deer. One morning while I was going out to feed my chickens I saw a couple of deer. I said hello, they did their deer stuff and I did my people stuff. As I was walking back up after they ran off it registered with me that they had stripped the leaves off some trees. I walked over only to discover the deer had stripped off all the leaves of both apple trees and also chewed off the bark and branches. The lesson here is young trees should have fence posts and page wire. Deer have a dark side and when they are not out going towards the light… of oncoming cars they will be vandalizing your trees.
These are just a few things I thoughts I would throw out there. Remember, some trees are best trimmed in the fall, some in the spring and some it doesn’t matter so check it out. Google, an arborist (tree folk) or your local greenhouse are your friends here. To wrap things up – deer bad, arborist good, mulch bad, pipe or clay tile next to tree good…. You get the drift.
Peace Always,
Lester