Sirhornsalot
**The Official Horn Sports Landscaper and Landscap
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September is a great time to plant a tree!
September spells the end of summer and the beginning of Fall. This is a transition month as we leave Summer behind and welcome Fall. Rest assured, there is plenty to get done in the landscape this month.
Year after year, you see me pushing and encouraging tree planting. Trees make properties beautiful and add value to them. Trees can play key roles for us, shading our homes and making it easier to keep them cool during the summer months. Their beauty adds to home values. They put oxygen into the air and remove pollutants. They also provide for natural habitat for wildlife.
I am often asked . . . “When is the best time to plant a tree?” My answer is – September/October/November.
Of course, the first question after that is – “Why is that?”
First, you must understand that the most difficult time for a new tree is going to be during the hottest months, when extreme heat combined with quick evaporation of water creates a stressful condition on a the new tree. When trees go into stress, it can lead to a number of bad things, such as pests and disease.
Now planting trees in July and August is fine as long as you’re providing water on a regular basis and giving them attention. But the demands on you begin to decrease in Fall because of the reduction in heat and rainfall begins to pick up again.
Secondly, what we’re looking to take advantage of here is the large window of time between Fall and the heat of next summer (July/August). This window of time provides the new tree with an opportunity to acclimate itself and get a good start in spring before taking on that difficult heat. A good start in spring means getting good initial leaf production, the more leaves the better growth and health the tree will have.
A dose of mild fertilizer in early spring or late winter, applied in modest amounts, can make a difference and combined with the warm spring rains, your tree will get a great start with great leaf production. The more leaves they have, the more photosynthesis takes place.
What kind of tree would you want and where would you put it?
Start with either identifying the type of tree you want or identifying the location you want to put a tree. There are two issues there and they don’t always work together.
1. Type of tree – if you want to plant well out into the center of the yard, a large shade tree can be one of your choices. Away from the home structure, large trees seldom cause any damage to homes whether by roots damaging the foundation or by limbs damaging the roof. Those two things are the primary reasons we should not plant large trees close to a home.
When you see a 10-ft, 30-gallon Bald Cypress in the nursery and think it will fit just fine in a spot in the front bed, know that the 10-ft tree you’re looking at tops out at around 80 ft when full grown. And Bald Cypresses are fast growers and known to damage home foundations.
Smaller, ornamental trees are great to plant close to the home. Crape Myrtles, Lil Gem Magnolias, Altheas, Redbuds, Japanese Maples, etc., are all considered ornamental trees and seldom ever cause an issue with a home foundation.
2. Location – If you’re planting a large tree, try to find a spot on the property where there are no other trees. You want your new tree to be full and even in growth, so try not to have other large trees around it which would affect the new tree’s canopy growth and shape in a negative way. Remember, shade trees are used to provide shade where there is none. So that large open spot in the front is ideal for a location for the larger trees. These would include (in Texas) any in a large number of Oak trees, Pecans, Elms, Bald Cypress, and in some places, Pines.
Go with a species that is known to do well in your area. Planting some types of trees here is just a bad idea because they don’t deal with our climate very well. Another item to consider is the soil type you have in the area you live in. In North Texas, black clay soil is the dominant soil on the east side (Dallas and suburbs) while rocky limestone caliche soil is dominant on the west side. Some species are actually acclimated to both, such as the Live Oak. In the black clay side of the Metroplex, your Pecans do very well, Blackjack Oaks, Live Oaks, Bald Cypress, and some species of Pines. Japanese Black Pines, Elderica (Afghan) Pines both do well and adapt to our soil. However, your East Texas pines do not survive here. Its almost a death sentence to plant one here.
Nurseries are normally very good about handling and selling only species that are proven winners in our area.
Planting your tree
A lot of people assume they know how to plant a tree. It’s simple, they think. Just dig a hole and stick the tree in the hole. It’s done!
Not so fast. To plant a successful tree, measure the height of the root ball. This is the part that is in the container, below the trunk. Let’s say your root ball measured 21 inches high. You will then want to dig your hole 20 inches deep. An inch or even a half-inch above grade is where you want your tree to sit. This way, when it rains or gets watered, the water will flow away from the trunk.
Secondly, measure the width of the root ball. Let’s say it measured 15 inches across. You would then dig this hole 23-24 inches wide, which is wider than the root ball. This allows you to fill in that space with good planting mix. Its also helpful if you dig at an angle, meaning, the hole would get smaller as it goes down. This channels water to the root ball in the space surrounding the tree.
Now that we have a hole dug and are ready to plant, its time to mix up a planting mix. There are lots of top quality planting mixes on the market, but I prefer to make my own.
I combine 1/4 Landscape Mix (grinded tree waste + perlite), 3/4 Cotton Burr Compost. I will then also include some chunks of coconut husk to the mix. The landscape mix gives us some good organic content that is light and airy thanks to the perlite. The Cotton Burr Compost gives us a natural clay softener and the most nutritious compost that I know of. It is also great at moisture retention. The Coconut husks are for moisture retention as well.
When planting, you will want to push down on the soil around the tree that you’ve put in. You must be careful not to leave air pockets so mash the soil down hard to eliminate that. Once you have it planted, water it immediately. I recommend dripping it with a hose, placing the end of the hose at the base of the tree and allowing the water to soak in as it rolls away from the trunk.
Gator Bag
I highly recommend using a “Gator Bag” or “Tree Gator” for a new tree. They are easy to use, very efficient with water, and allow you the ability to include supplements for the tree through the bag. The regular version holds 21 gallons of water which you will fill at the top of the bag using a water hose. Once filled, the water will disperse over the root ball through two pin holes in the bottom of the bag. No wasted water. Fill it once a week and forget about it.
Once you’ve finished the planting process, finish the job by applying a two-inch layer of mulch around the tree. Make sure you do not allow mulch next to the trunk base (aka Root Flare).
For the first watering of a new tree, I like to water it using a bucket where I can mix in some Superthrive and some Jack’s 10-30-20 water-soluble fertilizer. Five gallons at planting will provide a great start to the tree and stave off plant shock.
Things to know in September:
1. Switch your irrigation start times from evenings to mornings now. Cycles should run in the early morning so that the day’s sun can dry it out again before sundown. We do this to prevent the formation of lawn fungus and fungus in general as our nights are getting longer and cooler while our days are getting shorter and not as hot.
2. During September, you may choose to lower the blade of your mower one notch as the heat stress of July and August is over.
3. You can resume trimming shrubs without fear of them suffering leaf burn damage now.
4. Trees are less likely to suffer any heat stress if you trim them now. Remember, you need to trim them while they still have leaves so you can tell the dead limbs from the living ones.
