Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Want to plant a tree?

There's an empty, vacant spot in your yard. A tree would sure look nice there. It will be many years before it looks like this:

Saplings of thousands of varieties are at any nursery.  The really hard part is to pick one.  (hmm...could be more difficult than getting only one pair of shoes at a bogo sale.) Seriously, though, I can point you in the right direction:  http://www.fknursery.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/home.home/index.htm  Forest Keeling has very helpful, valuable information: 

"Forrest Keeling Nursery and RPM®: We work with nature to produce superior plants.

How to Plant and Care for Your Tree

With proper care, your tree will give you benefits for many years.

Trees are beautiful, but they can also, * provide food and shelter for watchable wildlife. * reduce your heating and cooling costs. * help clean the air. * add beauty and value to your home. Tree planting can be a significant investment in money, resources and time. Proper selection is important and can make a difference in whether or not you achieve your planting goals. The right tree will provide you with years of enjoyment as well as significantly increase the value of your property."

Here are some suggestions that might help in selecting a tree.  

Before you plant one, there is a lot to consider. What kind of soil is there, and how deep is it?
Now, what kind of tree is best suited? Do you want it to provide shade? Ornament? How much space does it have to grow? How much space does it need to grow?  How fast will it grow?
Are there any power lines near overhead?  Could there be water lines or underground cable? Even if you won't be digging up cable or pipe close to where the tree is to be planted, if there are lines or cable nearby, later the roots could cause problems as they grow. A couple months ago, my daughter was house hunting and was about to put a bid on one, but the inspector found out in the yard roots that had grown around the sewer line, which caused it to back up in the basement. These roots were on a stump from a tree no longer even standing.
That brings up another consideration, if you want to plant a new tree where an old one used to be, there will be old roots. It won't hurt the new tree, but it could make digging difficult. Just saying, it really depends on how long the old tree has been gone, and how big it was before it fell or was cut down.

Perhaps you have property with several acres that you would like to plant more trees or different trees for better woods & forest management. The same things as above need to be considered, but on a much larger scale. The American Forest Foundation, and many other organizations, especially your conservation department, have fantastic resources to assist you in effective land management.

How to Choose Trees for Your Land

This article on the American Forest Foundation website provides information on; soil, types of soil, terrain, water table, climate, other vegetation, and how to make goals for improving your land.  http://mylandplan.org/content/how-choose-trees-your-land-0
Here in Missouri, our Department of Conservation considers it very important to educate, therefore, they also provide a wealth of information regarding just about 'anything forest'. For example; in this brochure on how to plant a tree; very specific instructions so that student or adult can easily follow: 
The planting hole
Dig a pit at least twice the diameter of the root ball and deep enough to place the root flare even with (or up to1 inch higher than) the soil line. Place the tree in the hole, taking care to handle it by the root ball—not by the trunk. In order to prevent settling after planting, make sure the root ball or container soil rests on solid
ground—not fill dirt. Carefully cut the twine wrapped around the stem at the top of the root ball. Be sure to remove the following:  
1.  All excess soil on top of the ball, exposing just the root flare (see Figure 2)
2.  Burlap from the top half of the root ball to prevent wicking of moisture from the soil 
3. Any container holding the root system
4. The wire basket from around the root ball
5. All tags, labels and strings

 http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/trees-work/how-trees-and-forests-benefit-you#.UXhs3DP7H_U.google_plusone_share

At www.livingakers.com  we are proud members of the American Tree Farm System as well as the Forest & Woodland Association of Missouri.  We strive to find quality products made from quality wood.  We love trees and also find tree treasures that others would appreciate. 

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