Basics of Tree Care

Gardening=20 by the Yard : Episode GBY-1206 -- More=20 Projects =BB=20

Proper = maintenance and care=20 is essential to the long-term success of = trees.=20 =

Besides offering beauty and = shade, trees=20 have other things going for them. Did you know = that two=20 mature trees can produce enough oxygen for a = family of=20 four? They can also increase property values by = as much=20 as 20 percent.

Trees are valuable resources that will take = care of=20 you if you take care of them. "They're going to = be here=20 a long time, probably longer than you if you = pick the=20 right tree," says arborist Gabe Beeler.

Location, Location, Location

Planting a tree in the right spot the first = time is=20 the easiest thing you can do. Some 90 percent of = the=20 trees Beeler has removed, he says, were planted = in the=20 wrong place. On average, the majority of a = tree's roots=20 are in the top two feet of the soil surface, and = they=20 run laterally one and a half times the distance = of the=20 canopy. As a result, trees are often planted too = close=20 to the house, driveway and street.

Watering

Figure A=20 =

Mixing the watering = requirements of trees=20 and the nearby lawn can be hazardous to plant = health.=20 The result of overwatering trees to meet the = needs of=20 the grass can cause tree roots to grow too close = to the=20 surface. "Once all that water gets into the = soil, it=20 clogs up the pore space and takes up room where = oxygen=20 and rainwater would move through," says Beeler. = So the=20 roots have to surface in order to get oxygen = (figure=20 A).

Most trees prefer a slow, deep watering to = keep the=20 roots growing below ground. Apply a two-inch = layer of=20 organic mulch around the base of the tree, and = the=20 moisture will remain in the soil even longer.=20

Girdling roots

Periodically walk through your garden, = inspecting the=20 base around each tree. If you see roots on the = soil=20 surface, they may indicate several problems = relating to=20 the health of the tree.

Figure B=20 =

One problem you may encounter = is=20 girdling; this occurs when roots wrap around = each other,=20 constricting the vascular flow and causing rot. = Here,=20 the area where one root has crossed over another = is in=20 the beginning stage of girdling (figure = B).=20

According to = Beeler, it's=20 easy to ungirdle a young root. Using a = sharp=20 blade, he cuts one end of the root, flush = with the=20 surface.

Then he peels = away the=20 girdling root from the base of the tree = and makes=20 the final cut, even with the=20 ground.

Figure C=20 =

Cracks, decay or growths, like = these=20 mushrooms (figure C), signify interior = problems=20 that could threaten the life of the tree. These = warning=20 signs may necessitate the services of an = arborist.

Tree structure and pruning =

Figure D=20

Figure E=20

Figure F=20 =

In addition to inspecting the = roots, look=20 upward into the tree for potential hazards. = Examine the=20 tree's structure, specifically the angles at = which the=20 branches connect to the central leader, or trunk = of the=20 tree. Ideal branch formation grows at about a = 90-degree=20 angle (figure D). "Anytime you have a = U-shape=20 formed between the branch and the trunk, you're = in good=20 shape."

When the branches grow from the trunk at a = 30-degree=20 angle in a tight V-shape, then some problems may = occur=20 (figure E). Branches with small angles = tend to be=20 weaker by design and thus require more care and=20 maintenance over the tree's life span (figure = F).

"It's good to prune in the first three years = to=20 develop structure," says Beeler. "Flaws in young = trees=20 can be easily rectified by using a pair of hand = pruners=20 when they're smaller. This is much better than = having a=20 guy climb 80 feet to use a chainsaw." =

Figure G=20 =

Before you grab the pruners, = know what=20 you want to achieve. Here is a good example of=20 codominant stems, or a tree with three weakly = attached=20 trunks (figure G). If you were to look a = little=20 closer, four inches on one trunk are supporting = eight=20 inches of another trunk above. A strong wind = could cause=20 some real damage.

Figure H=20 =

Beeler shows how this young = tree has=20 already formed two codominant leaders, causing = potential=20 structural problems (figure H). He = selects one=20 stem to be the leader. On the other stem, he = makes a=20 suppression cut, or a small cut just above a bud = that=20 faces outward (away from the center of the = tree). This=20 helps to force energy to the bud so it will grow = into a=20 lateral branch.=20

If you have any concerns about where to make = your=20 pruning cuts or questions about your trees' = health, have=20 an arborist do an inspection. He or she will = help you=20 maintain healthy, beautiful trees. "Everybody = has their=20 own feelings about trees, which is the reason = why we try=20 to protect them so much," says Beeler. "In the = life of a=20 100-year-old tree, there may have been 10 people = who=20 lived under it, and everybody had different = feelings=20 about it."

Guests
Gabe=20 Beeler
Arborist
Fallen Leaf Tree = Services
6000=20 Midway St. STE 400
Sacramento, CA = 95828
E-mail: fallenleaftree@aol.com
Also in=20 this Episode

Gardening=20 by the Yard : Episode = GBY-1206
=95	Aquatic=20 Plants
=95	Using=20 Stone in the Garden
=95	Basics of Tree=20 Care
=95	Weed-Wrangling=20 = Tools

Gard= ening

Basics of Tree Care

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