Posts Tagged ‘tree care’

Check out this new addition coming in this spring from a excellent grower we use in the Pacific Northwest. This tree is a stunner that will be an welcome addition to any landscape!!

Here what J. Frank Schmidt the grower has to say about this stunner!!

Crimson Spire™ Oak melds the best characteristics of its White and English Oak heritage to produce a fast-growing, hardy, columnar tree that’s a great fit for streetscapes and landscape settings. Fastigiate habit and adaptability are inherited from English Oak (Quercus robur), while its dark green, mildew-resistant foliage and red fall color are inherited from the White Oak (Quercus alba) parent.
A fast growth rate makes this rugged oak a good choice for anchoring newer landscapes. It reaches about 45 feet in height with a 15-foot spread in 20 years in a typical urban landscape setting. Dense foliage creates living screens for blocking unsightly views and muffling traffic sounds.

Proven adaptable to a wide range of climates and growing conditions, Crimson Spire™ Oak is appreciated by growers for its ease of care, and by landscape designers for its columnar form and stately appearance.

Columnar form is a perfect fit for narrow or confined spaces. Planted alone, in groves, or in rows, it’s the perfect vertical design element.

This fast growing, cold hardy, drought tolerant and disease resistant tree adapts to varied soils and tough urban growing conditions.

Rich, dark green leaves stay fresh and bright through the heat of summer, turning rusty red to bright red in mid to late autumn.

Ok, with all the heavy winds we are receiving in the foothills this week I’m sure several of you have experienced some broken limbs and branches on your trees. The inportant thing now is to safely remove those limbs. If tangled in power lines call in a professional to remove do not attempt to remove yourself.

For those limbs you can deal with on your own, create a clean cut on the tree. We recommend sealing the cut/wound with a pruning seal to prevent any infestation come spring. Nowe maybe the time you may want to shape the tree as well, more often then not the branch that breaks effects the cosmetic look of the tree. Seal the additional cuts you make with pruning seal as well, a little effort now may safe you a big hassle come spring.

Now is also time to start thinking insect control for those beautiful maples, ash and evergreen trees. Basically any non fruiting tree in your yard is subject to attack by a wide variety of insects come spring. One of the most effective products we have found for insect control is Bayer 12 month Tree and Shrub. Not only is this a simple product to use it provided that protection systemically for up to 12 months.

For those of you with Japanese Maples, though these are beautiful additions to any garden they also are very prone to borers. A borer infestation can slowly kill your beautiful maple in a season. Bayer Tree and Shrub provides 12 month protection from borers and other harmful insects. Just one application per year can provide adequete protection to ensure that you have a safe healthy tree.

As mentioned this product is safe to use on all non fruiting trees and shrubs. Easy to apply and very user friendly we think its a smart addition to your gardening routine!

So in my last blog we talked about going green and really how simple it is to reduce your carbon footprint by simply looking in your yard. So now let’s go even further by looking in your garden shed and or garage. We all have those half used bags of fertilizer from days gone by, come on I know a few of you have those 20 lb bags of Sulphate of Ammonia that you used to green up your lawn once or twice.

Take a good hard look at all that stuff; chances are the major part of what’s on your shelf is not organic, not green friendly and in general not good for Mother Earth. I’ll bet more then a handful of you went out last spring and spread that popular weed and feed all over your lawn. Even more of you bought that garden sprayer with the product that creates miracles in your yard and diligently sprayed it regularly all over your garden. Am I right???

Ok so we’ve all gone out and planted a tree or two to help reduce our carbon footprint. Maybe were even composting, so far so good, but then we go out and spray our roses with insecticide, fertilize our lawn with chemicals, and plant our gardens with that ever so popular soil that’s “Super”. But is it all organic? Is it all earth friendly? Did we just negate all the progress we made in reducing our carbon footprint planting those trees? Chances are yes!

We all see them on TV or at those big box stores, they provide miracles, they’re super, or maybe they’re the best. Fertilizers, soils, insecticides and weed control products all promise lots of things but are they truly organic, are they safe? I talked about spreading that weed and feed on your lawn or spaying the product that produces miracles all over your garden, but what I did not mention is that when you water the residue of those and other products get into the runoff and subsequently into the water supply via the storm drains. That residue can pollute not only our steams, rivers and lakes but can be toxic to fish and wildlife. Not to mention us!

It used to mean that being organic in your garden meant expensive not so effective products. Today that no longer is the case. Organic soils and fertilizers such as those by Fox Farm are safe and effective. They provide nutrition to the plant without releasing toxic chemicals into the soil. Monterey is an excellent choice when looking at organic insect and weed control, their products such as Sluggo Plus are a staple in many gardens. And Serenade is a top quality organic for disease, fungus and mold control.

So to decrease your carbon footprint even further, replace those old bags of fertilizer and bottles of insecticides in your shed with safe effective organics. Remember though dispose of unused and unwanted products safely. If you are fertilizing edibles remember that fertilizer or insecticide will end up in the fruit. Do you or your family want to consume chemicals? Using organics insures safe and healthy fruit. Make the earth a better place, think green and go organic!!!

You can’t watch the news anymore without hearing about America’s big push to go green. Companies are announcing daily their new plans to be green and reduce their carbon footprint. I often load materials into customer’s cars and more often now see people driving hybrids, they usually have their reusable grocery bags in the back as well. Now don’t get me wrong I think this is incredibly important. Anything we do as a society to reduce our impact on the environment is a step in the right direction.

Should we all not be concerned in leaving our planet in better shape then when we got it? Do our children and grandchildren deserve to enjoy those beautiful sunny spring days, the crystal clear waters of lakes such as Tahoe? Of course they do, so with us making an effort today tomorrow can be a brighter “GREENER” future.

All this has made me realize what a huge impact we can make on reducing our personal carbon footprint right in our own yards. Plants, trees and shrubs are not only green friendly but they provide oxygen, some provide food and nutrition, they assist in cooling our homes in the summer and in some cases are instrumental in removing toxins and pollutants from the soil. A single mature tree can absorb carbon dioxide at a rate of 48 lbs. /year and release enough oxygen back into the atmosphere to support 2 human beings.

So think about it if we all planted one single tree what a difference we could make in our planet. Reducing your carbon footprint can be as simple as planting a beautiful dogwood in your yard, reduce it even further by planting a fruit tree, then not only are you getting the benefits of the tree but you reap the reward of the harvest for your family and friends. Not that difficult, right?

It just makes sense! Being earth friendly does not mean you have to spend a fortune, it does not require huge sacrifices, you can be green just by looking around your home. Plant a tree or two, compost your yard waste, take a look at an effective organic green waste composting system such as a O’Donnells Worm Composting Bin. Recycle, papers, cans and bottles. Get the whole family involved in making your home GREENER! Now go plant a tree!!

So now let’s go into that garden shed or garage?? We’ll cover that on my next blog !