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Index : Trees
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- 10. It's a Great Time to Purchase & Plant Trees - Top
- March is a great time to purchase and plant trees in your yard. The weather is warming, but still cool enough for newly planted trees to become well established before the heat of Summer sets in.
Make sure the type of tree you select will fit in the spot you intend to plant it in. Trees should be planted no closer to the house than one-half their ultimate spread. For instance, if you are planting an Arizona Ash, which at maturity grows 40 feet wide, then you should plant it a minimum of 20 feet from the house.
Decide whether you want a larger species of tree to provide shade, or a smaller growing one for decorative effect. Some of the best shade trees for the Tucson area include; Sweet Acacia, Blue Palo Verde,, Argentine Mesquite, Desert Willow, Live Oak, and Arizona Ash.
Some of the best decorative, patio trees include; Shoestring Acacia, Twisted Acacia, Texas Ebony, Texas Olive, Willow Pittosporum, Crape Myrtle, and Pomegranate.
This is also an excellent time to plant palms. For most home landscapes, smaller palm varieties are most useful. Some of the best include; Mediterranean Fan Palm, Queen Palm, Windmill Palm, and Pindo Palm.
All types of trees and palms should be planted so that their top layer of roots are flush with the surrounding soil surface. Generally, that means digging the hole as deep as the depth of the root ball. Do not dig the hole deeper, as this will allow the tree to sink in the planting hole.
Dig the planting hole a foot or two wider than the root ball. Remove any rocks, and loosen the soil with a shovel or garden rake before placing the soil back in the hole. Do not add soil amendments to the backfill, such as peat, manure, or potting soil. It's best to force the tree roots to grow directly out into the native soil.
After planting, form a basin around the planting hole for watering. Mound a ring of soil up at the edge of the hole which was dug. Slowly add water until the basin is full. The water will slowly percolate down through the root ball and surrounding soil. Hand-water the tree daily for the first two weeks following planting. For the next two weeks, water every other day. After that, space the watering out gradually. Keep in mind that even desert trees like Palo Verde and Mesquite will need watering once or twice weekly during the first growing season. After that, they can get by on little or no supplemental watering.
To help hold moisture in the soil, cover the earth over the planting hole with a three inch layer of organic mulch. You can use ground wood mulch, chipped bark mulch, compost, peat moss, or composted manure.
A few weeks after planting, watering can be handled by drip irrigation. I recommend the use of 4 emitters for each tree planted. One at the base, the other three placed out two feet from the trunk in a spoked fashion. This will meet the water needs of the tree for the first growing season. After that, drip emitters should be added farther out to encourage expanded root growth.
I do not recommend fertilization at the time of planting or for the first growing season. Trees have enough nutrients added in the nursery potting soil to get them through until next spring.
Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona, 520-626-5161. - Updated: March 3, 2002
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