Garden Tips

Selecting the right tree for the right placeis a good first step in any landscape design,but proper planting also is important forgetting your tree off to a good start. Treesare like all living creatures. They requiremore attention in the beginning to promote along, healthy life.

Carefully choose the planting site. Trees aredifficult to move once they are established.Check with local authorities for regulationson placement of trees. Some communities haveordinances restricting placement of treeswithin a specified distance of a street,sidewalk, streetlight, or other utilities. BEFORE DIGGING, make sure that allunderground utilities are clearly marked. Youwouldn't want to cut off the electric powerto your community or risk injury.

Carefully follow the planting instructionsthat come with your tree. If specificinstructions are not available, follow thesetips:

Dig a hole about twice the size of the tree'sroot ball, or about one foot wider than theroot system. The hole should be slightlyshallower than the root ball. If the soil isespecially heavy or wet, consider plantingthe tree slightly higher. Remove allmaterials from the root mass. This includeswires, string, burlap, and biodegradablecontainers. Neglecting this will hinderproper root growth. Gently place the tree inthe center of the hole and position it togrow straight.

If the tree has a prettierside, place it in the direction mostfrequently viewed. If planting a bare roottree, carefully spread the roots. Crumble thesoil removed from the hole and cover theroots with it. As you add soil to fill inaround the tree, lightly tamp the soil tocollapse air pockets, or add water to helpsettle the soil. Air pockets around the rootscan be devastating to a newly planted tree.Add about four inches of mulch--wood chips,base of the tree, extending out to the tips shredded bark, or grass clippings--around thebase of the tree, extending out to the tipsof the outermost branches. A 3-foot diametercircle of mulch is common. Mulching willretain moisture, reduce weeds, maintain amore even soil temperature, and eliminatemowing next to the delicate bark. Be sure topull the mulch away from the tree trunkbecause decomposing mulch can cause rotproblems. Finally, give the tree a thoroughwatering. If the root ball is extremely dry,allow water to trickle into the soil byplacing the hose at the trunk of the tree.Young trees need protection against rodents,frost cracks, sunscald, lawnmowers, and weedwhackers. Plastic guards are an inexpensiveand easy control method. Light colored treewraps can be used to protect the trunk fromsunscald. Usually, staking trees is notnecessary unless you live in an area withhigh winds.

A properly planted and maintained tree willgrow much faster and live much longer thanone that is incorrectly planted. Trees can beplanted almost anytime of the year as long asthe soil is not frozen. However, early fallis the optimum time to plant trees. For thefirst year or two, especially after a week orso of extremely hot or dry weather, watchyour tree closely for signs of moisturestress. If you see leaf wilting or hard,caked soil, water the tree well and slowlyenough so the water soaks in rather than runsoff. Take the time to give your tree a good starton life. You and the next generation willenjoy the benefits of your backyard tree foryears to come.

kawi I will send you more gardeningarticles soon ... so stay tuned!You can learn more with your own copy of "TheGardener's Handbook" that you can easilydownload here: http://thegardenerbook.com

Of course you will also get the audio-book,so you can listen to the whole book while youare driving to your office, are out in thegarden or do whatever you want!Did you listed to the audio book sample already?it is here: http://thegardenerbook.com/sample1.mp3If you have any questions, just let me know!Sincerly,Markus Bauerhttp://thegardenerbook.com