Fertilizing Small Trees

Most small trees are either flowering or fruit bearing trees. To keep them strong and healthy, you will need to fertilize them. However, trees don't do well with fast acting fertilizers. To fertilize small trees properly, you should apply a slow release granular fertilizer or use tree fertilizer spikes in early spring.

Choosing Shade Trees for the Yard

With the rising cost of electricity, shade trees for the yard are more important than ever. However, not all trees make good shade trees. To choose the right tree, you should:



1. Make sure that the tree you are considering does not have an invasive root system, especially if you will be planting it near your house foundation, concrete patio, or septic system.



2. Be sure the tree is not overly messy. Some trees shed quite a few seed pods, twigs, or nuts each year and can create a lot of work.



3. Find out how high the tree will be when it matures. Trees that are higher than the house could be potentially hazardous.

Caring for Pine Trees

Pine trees are a wonderful way to keep your gardens green year round. These trees are fairly low maintenance, but there are a few things you should do to keep them looking their best. To care for pine trees, you should:



1. Be sure that you give your trees plenty of space. Pine trees like to have several feet of unplanted space around them.



2. Prune back other trees to be sure that your pine tree can get some sunshine. These trees can tolerate light shade, but don't do well in heavy shade.



3. Use a slow release granular fertilizer to fertilize your tree once a year in the late summer or early fall.

Caring for Oak Trees

Oak trees are a wonderful source of shade and a valuable food source for wildlife. To care for oak trees, you should:



1. Test the soil to be sure it is not too alkaline. Add sulfur to alkaline soil to make it more acidic.



2. Never dig too close to an oak tree. They aren't happy when their roots are disturbed.



3. Never fertilize your oak trees. They do not need fertilizers.



4. Only do pruning that is absolutely essential. Oak trees do not respond well to heavy pruning.

Planting Evergreen Trees

Evergreen trees are an ideal way to add winter interest to the garden. These trees are also useful as background plantings and provide shelter for wildlife. To plant evergreen trees, you should:



1. Look for a location that has well drained soil. These trees do not live long and healthy lives in damp soil.



2. Check the soil's pH. Most evergreens prefer acidic soil.



3. Consider whether planting your tree in the location you choose will cast too much shade on other areas of the garden when the evergreen is mature.

Choosing Small Trees for the Landscape

For many yards, a full size tree is simply too large and overwhelming. Luckily, there are many wonderful small trees for small yards. Some wonderful small trees include the Japanese maple, the dogwood, mugho pine, mimosa, flowering cherry and American hornbeam. To plant small trees, you should:



1. Choose a location with partial shade to full sun.



2. Be sure that the soil is not waterlogged.



3. Plant the tree so that the base of the tree is slightly above ground level unless the soil is well drained.



4. Water the tree after planting to remove any air pockets in the soil.



5. Mulch around the base of the tree to control weeds and conserve moisture.

Landscaping with Evergreen Trees

As more and more people become interested in winter gardening, evergreen trees are growing in popularity. However, there are a few challenges that gardeners using evergreen trees need to overcome. To successfully landscape with evergreen trees, you should:

1. Be sure that you choose a location with moist, but not overly damp, soil.

2. Situate your trees so that they are not in a location with severe winds. If you do choose a windy location, be prepared to water your trees during the winter months to keep them from drying out.

3. Plant most evergreen varieties so that there is plenty of space around them. Few evergreen trees like to be grouped in a cluster.

Caring for Tall Trees

Tall trees can really present some challenges for home owners. They are harder to prune than small trees and can make quite a mess in the yard. To care for tall trees, you should:



1. Prune your tree correctly when it is young to be sure you don't end up with a badly shaped mature tree.



2. Instead of trying to keep all of the debris and litter the tree produces out of grass directly under the tree, apply a layer of mulch to the ground.



3. Call in the experts to do any major pruning. Tall trees can be dangerous to work with if you don't have the proper equipment.

Help Your Plants During The Transition To Winter

To help your garden plants make an easy transition indoors for the winter you should start preparing them several weeks before the first frost.

• Dig up your plants so that a ball of soil remains around the roots.
• Set the plants in a pot or container. It is important to try to match the same depth level in the pot as was used in the garden soil.
• Add soil to eliminate any air pockets which may be in the pot.
• Cut back the plant's top about 50% to discourage wilting.
• Water and apply a very mild liquid fertilizer.
• Keep the plant in a cool location out of direct sunlight for a few days, then move the plant indoors.

 

Fertilizing Evergreen Trees

To keep your evergreen trees looking green and healthy, you may need to fertilize them. Unlike many other trees, evergreen trees should be fertilized in late summer or early fall. Use a slow release granular fertilizer or a fertilizer spike for evergreen trees.

Planting Maple Trees

Maple trees come in a wide range of sizes, from tiny Japanese maples to massive Norway maples. However, they all have the same basic planting requirements. To plant maple trees, you should:



1. Always place the tree in a spot that is far from house foundations, septic systems and wells. Maple trees have invasive root systems.



2. Choose a location that has partial to full sun.



3. Be sure soil will remain moist in dryer months, but don't choose locations with waterlogged soil.

Planting Small Trees in the Garden

Small trees are still much larger than most other shrubs and plants, so it can be a challenge to plant them in the garden without careful planning. Before you plant small trees in the garden, you should:

1. Move any sun loving plants to another area of the garden.

2. Be sure you are not disturbing the roots of delicate plants that you cannot move to another location.

3. Make sure that a watering system is in place so that the tree does not take water from the soil that was meant for other plants.

Caring for Spruce Trees

Spruce trees are popular evergreen trees with short, bluish green needles. To care for spruce trees, you should:



1. Make sure your trees don't dry out by applying a layer of mulch to the ground around the base of each tree.



2. Water them lightly several times a month during dry winters.



3. Be sure you leave some space around your trees. The needles on a spruce tree will often turn brown where another plant touches them.

Choosing Tall Trees for the Yard

While small trees can save space in the yard, sometimes you need a few tall trees to help anchor the house to the ground. Some excellent choices are black walnut, Colorado blue spruce, white pine, pin oak and hickory trees. To grow these tall trees successfully, you should:



1. Look for a location where the tree will not overshadow sun loving plants.



2. Be sure that you don't plant trees with weak root systems in areas that have high winds.



3. Be careful not to plant trees too close to your house.

Landscaping Under Shade Trees

It is virtually impossible to grow a lush lawn under shade trees. However, most shade trees can coexist quite happily with a wide variety of shrubs and plants, including astilbe, hosta, azaleas, oak leaf hydrangeas and forsythia. To landscape under shade trees:

1 Remove all grass and weeds.

2. Add two to three inches of top soil and compost to the ground. A thicker layer of soil could smother some of the tree's roots.

3. Plant most of your shrubs and plants a few feet away from the tree's trunk to be sure they can get some water and nutrients.

Caring for Maple Trees

Maple trees are fairly hardy. However, they do need some attention to keep them looking their best. To care for maple trees, you should:

1. Mulch around the base of your trees to help them retain moisture during hot, dry weather.

2. Water your trees during drought conditions, especially if you have sugar maple or Japanese maple varieties.

3. Prune any branches that are growing toward the center of the tree to help air circulate freely.