
Myth Busting…Do Oaks Grow Slowly?
We recieved a call just the other day from a person looking for for a “fast growing” tree and that a smaller starter plant would be preferred.
We recieved a call just the other day from a person looking for for a “fast growing” tree and that a smaller starter plant would be preferred.
Winter is a great time to see the architecture of trees and bushes without the leaves. When temps are above freezing as the ice and snow melts, look for crossing branches and dead, diseased, or damaged wood.
There’s an old gardening piece of advice that says “the key to growing a great plant is to put a 50-cent specimen in a $5 hole.” This is no myth! Get your money’s worth by planting a tree correctly and caring for it while it grows.
Winter is hard on new trees and many have died because of harsh conditions the season brings. Even trees planted for a few years can succumb to the many problems winter’s savage temperatures.
As kids, many of us made lots of great memories thanks to the towering trees around us. We remember the tire swing in the backyard of our childhood home, the trees we’d climb while camping at the lake, or the family picnics in the shade of a giant oak. As we grow older, trees start to become the quiet backdrops of our lives.
Pruning is done while trees are in their dormant stage before roots start pushing bud growth in the spring.
Trimming trees is one of the best things you can do for them if done properly, and one of the worst things you can do if you done improperly.
Trees, like every organism, need to breathe.
The best way to learn the names of trees is to “get to know them” the same way you get to know a new friend.
Most plants benefit from an organic mulch covering the soil surface around them. A good organic mulch, such as hardwood bark mulch, conserves moisture, maintains a more even soil temperature, inhibits weed growth, and prevents soil compaction and erosion from rain and irrigation.
Illinois Green Industry Association
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