Ten Tips for Terrific Trees

Sooner or later it happens to you -- you get the urge to landscape and you want to put in something nice and large. A tree, you think, will do just nicely. If you're lucky, you will put in the tree and it really will do nicely. But just in case you're not feeling THAT lucky (or you're new to tree planting), here's some tips to make your tree and bush growing experiences more pleasant.

1. Begin with a good recommendation from the nursery. Find out what trees are native to your area and which ones do well in your area. Wildscapers are generally interested in trees and bushes that can serve as shelter/cover and birdfood (berries).

2. Know WHERE you want to plant. Most trees (and many bushes) can damage houses if planted too closely.

3. Prepare the soil. Unless you've got nice loam soil all over the yard, you're going to have to do a little bit of something. Here in North Texas trees grow much better if you dig up that black gumbo clay, mix it with peatmoss, and make an area where the tree's roots can actually get through the soil easily. We killed off a small pecan tree (never grew, actually) planting it directly into gumbo clay soil.

4. ALWAYS plant the tree at the same depth it was planted in the nursery or in the container. Don't plant it deeper, don't mound the dirt up around it, don't plant it shallower.

5. Talk with the garden guys before fertilizing. Overfertilizing can kill a tree.

6. Don't leave the tree tied down. It's not a horse and unless you expect hurricanes, tiedowns aren't that useful for trees and bushes.

7. Resist the temptation to prune the poor thing during the first year of its' life. Let it get settled in. THEN you can whack at it very very carefully. And read a garden guide on how to prune before you tackle this important job. Bad pruning can kill a tree.

8. Water is important to newly transplanted trees and bushes. Water them more frequently than you do your established plants, but be careful to not over-water them.

9. Consider planting flowers in a bed at the base of the tree. A properly mulched flowerbed offers the tree or bush a better environment to grow in.

10. Be alert for signs of problems with your trees. Treat pests promptly. If the tree looks sick or damaged, take a leaf in to the garden center and ask for recommendations.

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