Planting Guide
Shade and Ornamental
Trees
Location and Selection
Be careful to choose the right-sized tree for the area you
have in mind. Even though they may all look the same size when
you buy them, trees grow to different sizes. If you're looking
for shade, a larger tree is generally best. If your area is
smaller, a blooming ornamental tree will fill the area and provide
a bonus of colorful flowers or fruit. Understand too, that there
are "good" trees, and there are fast-growing trees,
but there are really no good, fast-growing trees. You'll need
to decide what is more important to you. The fast-growing trees
(Poplars, Cottonwoods, Willows, and the like) grow very fast
and give shade quickly, but they can have more problems with
insects, diseases, shallow aggressive roots, and weak branching.
The more moderately growing trees take longer to get to size,
but are generally more carefree.
Planting
Dig
a hole twice as wide and only as deep as the rootball of the
tree. Be sure to adjust the hole so that the top of the rootball
is 1" to 2" above ground level. Next, remove the container.
Plastic pots can be removed by turning the plant upside down
or laying it on its side and gently tapping at the pot until
the plant slides out. Fiber pots are easily removed by placing
the plant in the hole and cutting around the bottom of the pot.
Then slit the pot vertically and carefully peel the sides off.
Refill the hole with a blended mixture of 1/3 Sunshine Peat
Moss or Soil Pep and 2/3 of your garden soil. Firm the backfill
by tamping it gently. Build a watering basin around the plant
high enough to hold 3" to 4" of water. Make the basin
at least as wide as the hole that was dug. Immediately water
the tree deeply by filling the basin with water once, letting
it soak in, and filling it up a second time. If the tree is
in a lawn, remove the basin after this initial watering. The
use of Fertilome Root Stimulator at planting time will greatly
reduce transplant shock and encourage your trees to resume their
normal growing habits more quickly.
Feeding
If the tree is in a lawn, fertilize with Ross Fertilizer Spikes
in the spring. Place them in a circle around the tree out at
the dripline of the tree. This gives the tree a slow, even feeding
throughout the growing season. Trees in non-lawn areas can be
fertilized with Bookcliff Gardens Choice Professional Turf Food.
Apply it in late April after irrigation water is available and
again in mid June. Be sure to water it in well after applying.
Iron supplements may be needed for certain trees. Use Fertilome
Liquid Iron two to four times in the spring and early summer.
Pruning
Most
trees require little, if any pruning to maintain desired shape
and vigor. Pruning is best confined to removal of dead, diseased,
unsightly, or competing branches. Most pruning is best done
in early spring. Many people like to remove the lowest branches
of a tree to make it possible to walk underneath the tree. This
should be done gradually, only removing a couple branches each
year. When pruning, it's very important that the pruning cut
is made outside of the branch collar. If you're unsure about
where to make the cut, come see us at Bookcliff Gardens.
Watering
It is impossible to give a watering schedule that will be right
for everyone all of the time. Factors such as the soil type,
how big the plant is, how fast the plant is growing, air temperature,
humidity, wind and light intensity all will affect how often
a particular plant will need watering.
The basic rule of thumb is to water deeply, but infrequently.
Get the water down a minimum of 18" at each watering. This
encourages the plant to develop a deep, drought tolerant root
system. Then give the soil a chance to dry slightly between
waterings. It is common for people to kill or unnecessarily
stress their plants by watering too frequently. The roots of
a plant require oxygen in order to function. If the soil is
constantly waterlogged, there is not enough oxygen available
to the root system and the roots suffocate and begin to die.
Knowing this, our recommendation is to water deeply by building
a basin around trees that are not watered by lawn sprinklers.
It should be wide enough to accommodate the root system of the
plant (generally out to the drip line of the plant) and high
enough to hold three or four inches of water when full. Remember
that this basin will need to be enlarged as the tree grows.
Fill the basin full, let it soak in, and fill it a second time.
Then don't water the plant again until the soil in the basin
begins to dry. Don't just look at the soil surface, dig down
4" to 6" to see how dry the soil is. The soil should
be showing some significant drying down at that depth. One little
trick is to scoop up a handful of soil from that depth and squeeze
it into a ball. If the ball holds its shape after you let go,
the soil is still wet. If the ball falls apart, it's time to
water. Using this method several times, you will be able to
determine your own watering schedule.
For plants that will be watered with lawn sprinklers, water
as described above at planting time. Then remove the basin.
Most of the plant's day to day water needs will be met by the
lawn watering. However, a deep soaking every month or two is
recommended in addition to the lawn watering. In addition, during
the winter a monthly deep soaking of all newly planted trees
is a good idea. This should be done for the first two winters
after planting.
Pests
Most disease and insect problems should be dealt with as they
appear. Because of the variety of possible problems, proper
diagnosis is very important. Bring in an affected plant sample
to Bookcliff Gardens where we can diagnose the problem and prescribe
proper treatment. An application of Fertilome Dormant Oil Spray
in early March can help prevent lots of problems in the coming
season as well.
Our Guarantee
Thanks for buying a plant from Bookcliff Gardens. Our goal
is that you be successful with every plant you purchase from
us. We'll try to give you as much information and instruction
it takes to make this happen. If you have any questions, please
ask! We'll do our best to answer them. However, since this is
not a perfect world, and in spite of the best of both of our
efforts, plants sometimes die. If this happens within the first
year after buying the plant from us, we will replace it; give
you an equal amount of credit; or refund the purchase price
if you have your receipt. We limit our guarantee to replacing
a plant only once, and the guarantee does not apply to annual
bedding plants or house plants. If you're having a problem with
a plant, come in and talk to us about it; we'll try to find
out what happened so we won't lose another plant. It's in both
of our interests that the plants you buy from us grow and thrive.
We want you to be successful!
Back to the top.
Bookcliff Gardens
(970) 242-7766
755 26 Road (North 1st at I-70) • Grand Junction, Colorado 81506
Ask the Expert
©2008, Bookcliff Gardens
