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Saturday, September 20, 2008

Fall tree planting


, said a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator.

"Fall is also a time that seems to be less hectic," said Nancy Pollard. "You can increase your chances of success significantly with many trees and shrubs by using some good practices -- proper planting depth, supplemental watering and good mulching practices."

After selecting and purchasing the tree or shrub, she suggested sticking a tarp in your vehicle to protect the plant from drying winds during transport. And in picking out the tree or shrub, keep in mind the landscape purpose, available space, soil type and sun or shade conditions it will face.

"Keep the plant well watered until transplanting," she added.

When it comes time to dig a hole for the new plant, the immediate question is, how deep?

"The tree trunk and root ball will tell you," she said. "While the tree is still in the container, look for the point where the trunk slightly flares out and the roots angle down -- not at 90 degrees or up. Often this flare is buried accidentally by soil or mulch. You may need to excavate the root ball by hand down to the root flare.

Read on
The painting is by Laura Tasheiko

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