Happy New Year to all of you tree lovers. This time of the year there is not a lot going on from a horticultural point of view but there are a few cultural issues which need to be addressed. So if your decorations are down and cabin fever is starting to set in this may be a great time to time to spend a little time on your trees so that they will continue to provide you with shade, oxygen and beauty for the remainder of the year.
Timely Tips
Winter is a great time of the year to do any pruning if necessary. The three basic reasons to prune are for safety, tree health and aesthetics. If you decide that pruning is necessary the dormant season is ideal for a couple of reasons. First, because the tree is dormant there is not much vascular activity going on and this will minimize sap leakage at the pruning sites. The pruning cut will have a chance to callous over before spring and be less vulnerable to insect and disease entry. Secondly, in deciduous trees, the lack of foliage makes it easier to visualize the optimum branching pattern you would like to achieve. Here is a link from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that is an excellent guide to pruning. How To Prune Trees
In my thirty-five years in the nursery business the most common cause of tree problems are improper watering practices. When a tree is planted in the landscape the homeowner usually does a pretty good job of watering and fertilization the first couple of seasons. However, as the tree becomes more established and starts to mature, most people feel that it can take care of itself. This is not correct and can lead to serious problems. The advent of the automatic irrigation and sprinkler systems has been a boon for gardeners but in some ways it has had a negative effect on large trees. Most people set their systems to water turf or flower and shrub beds and assume that this will also be adequate for any trees that are planted in those areas. As a tree matures it's root system should develop to a depth far below the root depth of turf, annuals and perennials. If the irrigation system is set to water just shallow rooted plants over time the roots of your trees will be forced to the surface because of the lack of deep soil moisture. This condition can potentially lead to drought stress, nutrient deficiency and unstable trees that could pose a safety issue. This problem is exasperated in geographic areas prone to drought or low rainfall. The solution for this issue is to provide a deep watering for all of your trees at least once a month. During the summer this may need to be increased to twice a month depending on local weather conditions.
 Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What constitutes a deep watering?
A. This is a difficult question to answer because of all the variables, i.e. topography, soil type and structure, normal precipitation and tree species. The method that works best for me is to determine what your normal annual precipitation in inches is and divide by 12. For instance, if you normally receive 24 inches of rain per year you would divide that by 12 and then try to put down at least 2 inches of water per month over the entire area below the drip line. This can be delivered by a special setting on the automatic sprinkler system, a garden hose and sprinkler, a soaker hose or a root feeder. If you are using a 5/8” garden hose with a impact lawn sprinkler with normal pressure (60 psi) it will take you 4 to 6 hours to put down the required 2 inches of water. A one time experiment with a rain gauge or coffee can will confirm the amount delivered. If you start to get excessive run off then slow down the flow rate and increase the delivery time.
Product Spotlight
Acecap 97
 With the Emerald Ash Borer in the Midwest, Bagworms in South and Bark Beetles in the West Acecap 97 is the product spotlight for this season. Acecap 97 is a systemic insecticide tree implant with the active ingredient of Acephate. Acephate is a proven systemic insecticide which is effective on ornamental trees. It is very friendly to the environment because of its targeted application-100% of the chemical is placed in the vascular tissue of the plant with no contact to the air, soil or non-target organisms. It is labeled for the control of Aphids, Borers, Bronze Birch Borer, Emerald Ash Borer, Bagworms, Tent Caterpillars, Scale, Gypsy Moth, Budworm, Leafminers, Budworms, Pine Tip Moth, Webworm, Whiteflies just to name a few. It will last for 12 weeks in heavy infestations and up to an entire season in many plant species. As a rule of thumb an early spring application will suffice for the entire growing season, however that may vary depending on the insect you are trying to control. To calculate the number of implants required measure the circumference of the trunk in inches a few feet above soil level and divide by 4. For instance, a tree with a trunk circumference of 40” would require 10 implants. The time it takes to treat a tree of this size would be approximately 5 to 10 minutes and cost between $12.00 and $16.00.
Winter Promotion
On all orders placed and shipped before March 31, 2006 you save 15%. To take advantage of this offer, simply visit www.treerx.com and enter the coupon code “WSP2006” when you check out. This is a great opportunity to pick up your spring needs and save 15%.
Environmental Horticulture will be happy to answer any questions that you may have concerning the care and maintenance of your trees. Contact me by e-mail or telephone at 602.571.5001.
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In This Issue
Happy New Year
Timely Tips
FAQ's
Product Spotlight -Acecap 97
Winter Promotion
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Systemic Tree Implants
Insects, weather damage, poor soil conditions and transplant shock can all have an adverse affect on your trees. Systemic tree implants can help correct these nutritional and insect problems to revive your trees’ health and promote new growth.
Winter Promotion
On all orders placed and shipped before March 31, 2006 you save 15%. To take advantage of this offer, simply visit www.treerx.com and enter the coupon code “WSP2006” when you check out. This is a great opportunity to pick up your spring needs and save 15%.
Products are processed and shipped on the day they are ordered, for all orders placed before 3:00pm MST Monday thru Friday.
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