Trees

Because I have an exam coming up, I'm trying to read up on what I can about tree care. I think the single largest problem with trees are well-meaning people. Of 'course, knowing me, I'm always ready to jump on the blaming of humanity, but in this case I really do think I have some back-up.

Trees have been the center of our existence for thousands of years. We've gone from worshiping them and using them as a center of our religious/spiritual beliefs to setting them on fire by accident with candles, or cutting them down for display, or choosing the most expensive ones we can to place in our yards. They're everywhere, from a financial symbol to a spiritual one to one of refuge or comfort - and one of fear and avoidance when things go wrong. Go through a few hurricanes or a tornado and see how much you suddenly love trees. I watched one fall toward me while I stood in my house, once. Due to the dark and the speed of the fall, I couldn't judge how close it would come to me. I just watched it. It was beautiful, actually. The shading was great, the grace as it fell was mesmerizing; it fell about 5 feet away and barely touched our little porch, but that pecan tree was magnificent. (It fell on our neighbor's Rolls Royce, which we'd told him to move and he thought putting it in a field would be bad for it. Yep.)

The biggest rule I've come across is to not deep plant your tree. This is seconded very closely by carefully pruning, which there are hundreds of books on and the methods keep getting updated. I can't exactly discuss pruning nearly as clearly as the planting methods, which is really okay. In certain trees, deep planting could leave the tree completely dead in 1-5 years. I base this off of a study from Dr. Wells at Clemson University, who had a control set which did perfectly fine. I know she used cherries; I can't remember what the other was, but the deep planted cherries perished almost immediately. The second followed closely afterward. The trees planted correctly were just fine.

Why is this? Well, a lot of tree seeds that actually make it and germinate in the woods, or whatever, tend to have a given system of how things work. The roots will keep to the first 1-3 feet of soil, generally, because they need well-drained soils (as a general rule; I'm not talking about bog trees, obviously). That tree knows roughly where the soil is supposed to be.
People, however, either just don't know what they've done or don't think there's a line to draw when it comes to planting depth. In farming situations, soil can be pushed up onto the trunk and cause deep planting; people in suburbia tend to create mounds of mulch or straw, thinking that the tree needs that much more comfort in their little hole. It's a nice idea, but it'll literally suffocate your tree. It needs that exposure to the air for gas exchange; in other words, the tree is missing lungs but it does breath.
We're told as children that trees are amazing for oxygen output, but the truth of the matter is that the thing just uses both oxygen and carbon dioxide depending on what it needs to do.

So, my recommendation? If you get a tree, dig a nice, wide hole for it. I mean wide. If it's a 1ft wide root ball, then dig a circle around it that's a good 4ft wide. Compact it just a little - tamp it down with a shovel or something, to prevent settling. I don't mean crush it - standing on it would be too much. Your alternative to this would be to dig your hole very wide, water the dirt you add, and add more dirt to compensate for the sinking effect. I get ahead of myself, though.
Your root ball may be 8 inches, we'll say. Dig down 8 inches. Don't dig a foot, or 4 inches, or whatever. How do you know how far to dig? The root ball begins with the top-most root, which you should definitely find before planting. That's the line your dirt should start. If you can't ID a root, I suggest Googling the tree you have and finding it. There will be SOMETHING that helps. Please do this. If you mess this up, the tree could have a lot of problems - or die in a year or two, leaving you sad and alone and miserable about your loss. And such.

So, you've dug down 8 inches, but in a 4 foot diameter. Why? Compacted soil will restrict root growth. The easier it is for it to spread, the better, and this won't really restrict anchorage. The tree will slowly fit to its surroundings, and, if it's happy, you shouldn't have to do too much. Put your tree where you want it, and fill in with dirt. Water it. Fill in with more dirt, until the sinking effect is limited. Do not put mulch or dirt against the tree - the arborist here on campus leaves 6-12 inches of clearance between the trunk of his trees and the mulch, and this is all trees.

Water the tree often. I mean 1-3 times per week, depending on rainfall. If it's small, I'd do this for 6-8 months if given the chance. I've done this, actually, and my little maple is quite happy (not sure I want him to stay there but he's hoping..Maybe he will.)
Don't walk around it. I mean, if you have to, mulch the areas it needs protecting. The weight of a human could easily restrict outward growth of roots and essentially confuse it. Adding mulch has that added effect of putting in organic matter, which is great for growth. Keep the depth between 2-4 inches, though; otherwise, it's just a waste of time. This can be done up to twice a year, and I'd recommend fall and spring, personally.

Don't fertilize transplanted trees. I don't really fertilize at all, at this point, and won't until I fully understand a lot of the angles associated with it. The soil type near you is reason enough to leave that alone. Be careful with adding compost: if it's done correctly it's generally great, but you could over-add Phosphorous, which can cause discoloration and damage.
If you must fertilize later, please actually go through the soil sample stuff and find out what you're missing. At this point, it is crucial to actually be very careful with fertilizers, as runoff is truly a serious issue.
If you want to reuse animal waste, apart from rabbits I'd recommend letting it sit for 8-12 months - especially chickens, which are very heavy in urea. In places with acidic soils, epsom salts (about 2tb for a gallon, dissolved) can help with deficiency issues. Liming is always the easiest, and I haven't heard (yet) any good reasons not to (except cash, obviously). If you're going to do that, though, do so before planting and reapply yearly, as the acidity will return.

Or, here's a novel idea: buy a tree that fits your soil type and then you don't have to amend anything, especially if you are using pure water to hydrate on a regular basis (as opposed to city water, which can alter the acid/base levels).

In general, transplant things in a dormant period when the soil won't be frozen. Don't hold it by the trunk, or drop the darn thing - it is alive, after all. If the tree needs to wait after being delivered, keep it wet.
If it's bare root, which is what some companies ship as, put it in a bucket of water for a day. The thing will need to take up what it can before being placed in the ground, and it'll prevent brittle roots and help with transplant shock.

There's more on things like this, like how to trim the parts of the tree that shouldn't be there, or how much of the tree shouldn't be trimmed (ALWAYS retain 2/3 or more of the canopy, as the tree needs the leaves to make food. And don't compensate for trimming the limbs off by cutting roots - that's just silly.)



Just this alone may help people realize that there's a lot that one doesn't think of. I can say that, because I've planted trees and never considered stuff like this until I took some classes. If you're planning on planting, especially something that may be near people or homes or other structures, consider making sure you are up to date on information about it. Always feel free to contact the local extension center - those people can talk for hours (trust me) but they know a lot.
Please water your trees. I mean it. Water them, even if they're dormant. For each inch of diameter of the trunk, it takes a year or so for the tree to become used to living where it's moved. It takes a long time to adjust, and until that time they really need to be babied. It'll lead to some lovely trees - and not dead ones.

Quick (ish) update

To give a run-down on how busy you can make yourself as a Horticulture undergrad, if you aren't paying attention to how much you say 'yes' to everyone, I've decided to explain it here as an excuse for not updating (that'll work, right?)
I've got 15 credit hours worth of actual classes, which keep me busy from about 9.30-about 4-5 on Mon, Weds, and Thurs, but then there are research projects and work in the tissue culture lab that keep me busy on Tues and Fri until about 5-6. I've been waking up at about 6.30 to water my plants (I'm growing various things, which I'm sure will eventually be photographed and posted when they aren't so seed-like), but I get to sleep at about midnight or so. We get to do everything from playing with soil, or in the soil, or around the soil (or getting yelled at about being around the soil and then going into the tissue culture lab, which was a complete lack of communication on my part). We've spent lab blocks (about 3-4 hours) a week sowing seed, cuttings or working with bulbs - as well as watering, trimming, maintaining and moving things from one greenhouse room to another to prepare for a plant sale. Oh, and another lab has us go out to stick plant cuttings in hormone to attempt to root them, so the Clemson Botanical Gardens will have new fodder for this spring and years to come.
Oh, and I have exams coming up that I completely forgot about. Apparently, that's how they make sure you know what you're doing. I'd figure in a field like this, competency would be proven with how your plants stay alive, but I won the Dead Plant Essay in 101 last semester - so perhaps I'm better off with the exam.

Either way, I hope that blathering was a good enough excuse for my absence.


I won't be posting photos this time, but I may be uploading some things such as my tulip development, which was a lot of fun to track, and things in the greenhouses before they're sold or planted. We've grown tons of things, from zinnias and petunias to shrubs, horse chestnuts and osmanthus.

On top of it all, I have Brussels sprouts (if the cats didn't pee them to death) and lettuce growing; over the last couple weeks, I've seeded chamomile, cucumbers, cilantro, calendulas (pot marigold) and a cultivar of pepper I can't remember but I'm sure it'll be tasty; yesterday, we planted eucalyptus, lavender and something else I can't remember but it's a flower and it'll be pretty. Between them all, give or take ten or twenty, I've got about 500 seedlings in my game room, and some of them, like the cucumber, have been transplanted already. When they get enough leaves and the weather stays warm enough, they'll be ready to move out.


I've also procured some coleus cuttings from the greenhouse. I don't need coleus. They're toxic to cats, and I have three of those. Fortunately, they're pretty. Unfortunately, the architecture building with all the studious students is pretty devoid of color. Fortunately, the coleus have some neat variegation and color to them, so if I can temper them to handle a lower light situation for the rest of the semester some of my classmates can take them home this summer. I'm just glad they'll go to good use.


A friend of mine and I are doing a face-to-face seed swap; I'm saving a good bit of what I have to ship to a friend of mine in Baltimore, in hopes that the weather will be similar enough to tolerate the seed I chose for my area. I've got plenty of things planned and enough to share (I got one of those 'you save a ton of money if you order a bunch of seed' deals from parkseed.com ) so for people around here, I may donate a few plants to friends and TAs and such. Poor Rachel doesn't have that luxury, but that's okay.

All in all, I think I'll be more willing to post photos of my goings-on after about a week. I have a research class that's taking a trip (I'm working, which is fine) to present their research to some people far away. Once that crunch is over, I'll definitely be going into more depth about what's gone on this semester. Hopefully, it'll add a little perspective on some growing tips and give me a chance to discover a little clarity in my life. =)

Why I started this

I'm a Horticulture major at Clemson University, but I've given myself no designated path. Where a lot of my peers have come from specific farming backgrounds (corn, tobacco, peaches, and the occasional greenhouse family with mums or some such), I didn't. My parents didn't do a thing anywhere close to commercial gardening; my mother did keep a garden with veggies when she could, and it bothers her when she cannot. I grew up knowing that homegrown plants were better than the store. I learned one could grow a good garden while working and taking care of other responsibilities. It was just something someone did, whether they wanted to or not, because it was just part of the house responsibilities.
Well, I learned not many do this, in fact, and a lot of people rarely get the chance to eat homegrown food. I also learned that the soil makes a huge difference and in my attempt to replicate her style here in South Carolina, it's just not the same as fertile southeastern Virginia. I got tired of my ignorance, so I changed majors into Horticulture a year ago.

With that said, I'll continue with this: I have a friend, who I'll likely link to later (when I get the link to her planting blog) that really wanted me to start this with her. I immediately responded with, "Well, if I have time, because of this and that this week.."
That obviously changed, since she suggested it yesterday and I'm here this morning.
I'm 24 and I work weekends at Costco. My husband's been there for what is his third year, but he's graduating with his B.S. in environmental engineering, so he'll (hopefully) move on and get a new job this year. I shall do the same, when the chance permits. This means, though, that we know a lot of weekend regulars. Some are insane. Others are just chatty, and, more often than not, we have a lot of single older folk who just want to toddle around, eat and chat, because - really - that's just a fun way to spend the day.
Most just love the chance to talk and banter with me, and if you know me you know I've rarely got a serious word that presents itself in conversation. I love joking around. One fellow, though, has semi-serious conversations with me -- he's a computer programmer type of guy, working mostly with fixing people's systems and does the occasional business security setup. Yesterday, though, he asked me what my major was, and that sparked my reason for being here this morning.

He explained to me that he has a colonial style house -- one of those rigid, beautiful, very balanced-style houses. I imagined one of those rectangle-shaped houses with the windows that have candles in them, and a modest brick step up onto a small but pretty porch and white columns. I'm probably not far off, considering local architecture.
He continued to explain to me that he HATES rigid, proper, ultra-formal design. This told me right away that he didn't want extreme focal balance, fashionably cut yaupon holly-hedges, a little fountain in the middle as a central focal point with tall evergreen trees and English Ivy as a screen between his house and his not-so-teeny-but-usually-half-naked-crazy-neighbor's house.
So, he wants something pretty, something semi-formal, and something to hide himself from his very overly-confident neighbor. He's friends with two horticulture graduates and a certified arborist, but he still has a fountain of problems.

There's a plot that I'll estimate is about 3'x3' wide and long, but perhaps 4-5' deep, that nothing lives in. He's planted some of the most hardy plants for this area, and they perish. They turn a yellowish-green and die. This tells me their nutrients are locked up; he's been trying this for months. Could be from salting the steps, or dumping a lot of soap-detergents (I doubt that theory, though) or some other nutrient contaminant. At this point, I can't argue with him just digging up that section and replacing it, but no one's told him what to replace it with.
It never once occurred to him to plant some bulbs. This plot is located next to his steps, and lilies grow like weeds down here. He could get a couple favorable colors and go wild with it. Granted, I'm not sure the soil is right for them, either (I told him to check at the extension center -- or tell his friends to do it for him) but he's afraid that there are some things they cannot detect. If the man is deadset against that, then fine, I won't push it. I'd do it, but that's me. He may be correct, for all I know, but I dump soapy laundry water into my back yard and the plants find it to be amazing.

We ended up discussing tree removal, plant inclusion, whether or not Burford Holly could revert to Chinese Holly, which is a nightmare (he doesn't believe me; it can, and it's evil, but you can cut off those parts without any trouble.) He loves Southern Magnolias, wants to justify removing his Willow Oak, so on and so forth. We spoke for hours and he loves my ideas, which weren't hard (in my opinion) but were so far in the other direction for him that he never even considered it. I got him away from Round Up as much as I could and helped him figure out how to remove a shrub that's growing too close to his Japanese Camellia.

It's like he was crying out loudly to me: "BLOG THIS! BLOG IT ALL, CHILD!"

So, I caved. I mean, I am strongly considering a few paths (tissue culture propagation and studies; certified arborist and go into tree care; landscape design; or something to do with integrated pest management, which emphasizes using biological control rather than chemical, as a general way to put it.)
A blog is a great idea to present the various things that go on, and it's well timed. I'm starting a garden out front, and I could keep a log of all the things I've done. It's not been much so far, so it shouldn't be difficult to catch up on here.

I hope to come back soon. I do have multiple exams and things this week, so here's to hoping I don't crawl into the famed academic hole of social-death, never to return, eh?


-Mel