As snow and ice are cleared from the driveway and sidewalk, there may be more than frozen water in the shovel. No one likes to slip and fall on the concrete, which is why applying ice melt products is a routine procedure in winter. Unfortunately, many homeowners get carried away and over-apply it. How much…
Author: John Fech
John Fech is a horticulturist with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and certified arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture. The author of 2 books and over 200 popular and trade journal articles, he focuses his time on teaching effective landscape maintenance techniques, water conservation, diagnosing turf and ornamental problems and encouraging effective bilingual communication in the green industry. He works extensively with the media to extend the message of landscape sustainability, making over 100 television and radio appearances each year.
National Poinsettia Day
Today, December 12th, is National Poinsettia Day in the United States. Today we celebrate this durable and highly attractive plant for the indoor landscape. Some quick tidbits about poinsettias: *Contrary to popular belief, they are not poisonous. Oh sure, if you ate a whole plant, it’s likely that it would result in a stomachache,…
Follow-up Care For Newly Planted Trees – Fertilization
Like water, fertilizer or added nutrients are needed in greater supply by turfgrasses than trees in the landscape. If mulched properly and growing on decent soils, the majority of newly planted trees don’t need any supplemental fertilizer. In fact, applying fertilizer soon after planting can be counter-productive, especially if it contains nitrogen as well as…
Caring For Newly Planted Trees – Pruning
Like staking, pruning is an “as needed” procedure, although the need in the first year is not great. In fact, because young trees need every leaf that they can get their chloroplasts and vascular bundles on, pruning should be avoided in most cases. If branches are removed at planting time or shortly after, the tree…
Follow Up Care for Newly Planted Trees – Mulching
Mulching If a little is good, much more is better is not a good mantra for mulching. For the overall sense of proper mulching technique, take a cue from Mother Nature. In a forest or natural setting, you’ll commonly see a 2-4 inch layer of fallen leaves, stems, fruits and bark, often referred to as…
Follow up Care for Newly Planted Trees – Staking
Staking is an “as needed” procedure, generally not automatically recommended for tree planting for two reasons. The most obvious is that it takes time and costs money for the materials. Secondly, it is highly desirable for new trees to develop a strong network of lateral roots, which can be limited by staking. Even though…
Follow-up Care for Newly Planted Trees – Watering
When a tree fails, it is sometimes difficult to determine the cause. In many cases, it is due to a failure to spread the roots out in the planting hole or simply planting it too deeply. Doing so leads to girdling or lack of an adequate amount of oxygen, resulting in death. Other than the…
Planting Spring Flowering Bulbs
For color in the spring, you’ve got to plant in the fall. Unfortunately, here’s a common scenario that we see all too often: novice gardeners drive around town noticing landscapes in April, green with envy because they are jealous over all the flowering spring bulbs they see. Of course, it’s too late to plant them…
Fall Inspection of Trees and Shrubs
September and October are great months to enjoy working in the garden and viewing landscape plants, enjoying the outcomes of season long efforts of care. In addition to digging, replanting, weeding, dividing and other fall routines, inspection is a key step in maintaining a sustainable landscape. Inspection? What does that mean? Simply put, it’s…
Planting in Fall
The Nursery Council says, “Fall is for Planting” – Trees, Shrubs, Bulbs, Lawns and Flowers. Fall is actually one of the best times to plant. Why? Many reasons. First, the soils are warm in fall. Warm soil temps are necessary to encourage new root formation into the planting hole to help establish the tree,…