Subject: Tree Planting Time

From: "John A. Keslick, Jr." <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 03 Oct 1996 20:55:36 -0700

TREE PLANTING TIME

Springtime, miracle time.  When you behold the buds and the flowers, 
aren't you glad you planted this
tree last year?
Now,  this might be the appropriate moment to point out the following:

MATCHING THE RIGHT TREE WITH THE RIGHT SOIL.  It is important to know
the pH of both. 
Avoid common mistakes,  e-g. planting a pin oak which requires an acid
soil (low pH) in an alkaline soil
(high pH).  If you do, a host of problems will follow,  beginning with
the unavailability of iron and
magnesium needed for the production of chlorophyll which does the
photosynthesis by which carbon
dioxide with the help of the sun is transformed into basic sugar.  The
deficit is often mis-interpreted as
lack of iron in the soil and/or pest or fungus problems.  It should be
pointed out that the pH of the soil
can be altered by the addition of LIME (makes the soil more alkaline) or
sulfur (makes the soil more
acid).  But the changes are only temporary as the soil tends to revert
to the original pH level.

Presently work is being done in order to obtain the optimum fertility
level for trees(Roger C. Funk, Ph.D.
with the Davey Tree Expert Company in Kent, Ohio).  On the other hand, a
report in the April 1995 issue
of Arbor Age "Nitrogen Fertilizer and Beyond" by Stuart Warren, Ph.D.
North Carolina State U in
Raleigh, recommends no additional N at planting time.

MATCHING THE RIGHT TREE WITH THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF SUN.  Do you know,  for
instance,
that the dogwood,  the rhododendron and the hawthorn are UNDERSTORY
TREES i.e. they developed
their system in the shade?  Full sun makes them susceptible to pest and
fungus problems,  e.g. the
anthracnose problem in Pennsylvania.  To compound the problem further,
some people also plant grass
and flowers under the trees,  prune improperly,  apply agricultural
fertilizers as if trees were a kind of
corn, and the list goes on).
An example of a tree requiring full sun is the birch.  Later on we shall
point out that it also requires an
adequate amount of water.  Two other trees in this category are the
sweetgum and the cherry. 
Deprivation,  again,  leads to pest and fungus problems.  You can learn
how to do things right,  read 100
TREE MYTHS by Dr. Alex L. Shigo. (The cost, 13 dollars - a good
investment )   Another good article to
read is DON'T WORRY,  PLANT A TREE by Ted Williams,  Audubon, May 1991.

SYMBIOSIS IN PLANT LIFE.  In nature, animal life as well as plant life, 
different species often live
together for mutual enhancement or even survival.  A notable example is
the symbiosis between tree
roots and a root fungus,  MYCORRHIZA.  (The Greek words for fungus and
root.)  Its function is to
facilitate absorption of water and elements,  mainly phosphorus.
There are basic types of mycorrhizae,  the ectomycorrhizae which have
their fruiting bodies above the
ground,  and the endomycorrhizae which have the fungus tissue within the
soil inside the roots and
cells.  Thus,  oaks,  beeches and pines,  amongst others,  which need
the ecto-variety can be killed by
soil compaction.  Conversely, trees like the maples, ash, elms and
sycamores can survive under a
blacktop because their endomycorrhiza does its fruiting underneath.  But
it should be stressed that
under any circumstances soil compaction may be hazardous to a tree's
health.  In this connection let's
remember not to plant grass near trees because mycorrhizae flourish in
leaf compost while grass does
the opposite.  Also to be considered are the future needs of the growing
tree with its expanding roots.  In
other words put mulch over a sufficiently wide area.  DON'T USE FRESH
CHIPS. ( Ref . Dr. Alex L.
Shigo on Mycorrhizae and Mulch. )

Another important aspect of tree biology is the difference in "plumbing"
i.e. the way water is transported, 
stored and used.  For instance,  Oak,  Elm,  Chestnut,  Robinia-Black
Locust are ring porous trees.  In
these,  on cross section,  you see the vessels quite large in the early
spring,  laid out in concentric
circles,  and copiously absorbing water in the early growth season after
which they close down.  On the
other hand,  Maple,  Sycamore,  Honey Locust and Tulip Tree are diffuse
porous trees with the vessels
equally distributed over the cross section.  They take up water during
the entire growth period.  The
Birch also belongs in this group since it requires water and keeps its
stomata open throughout.  Conifers
do not have vessels, they have tracheids.  Their water requirements are
similar to the ring porous trees. 
The reason for this is that the trachids are at first thin walled and
then become thick walled as the
increment progresses.
Thus,  one will choose the appropriate location for planting either of
these groups according to the water
supply.  But there are also trees,  such as Ash and Mulberry, which are
"semi-diffuse",  not quite
belonging to either category and developing tyloses,  plugging of the
vessels,  irregularly.

The next article will be on Proper Selection and Planting of Healthy
Trees.

95/07/15

John A. Keslick Jr.
Professional Modern Arborist

Keslick & Son
Modern Arboriculture
Products & Service
610-696-5353
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John A. Keslick Jr.              If you are not OUTRAGED you're not  
Tree Anatomist & Tree Biologist                   paying attention.
Phone: 610-696-5353                    Support ORGANIC FARMERS.
organic tree treatment web site: 
http://www.ccil.org/~treeman/  OR  http://www.ccil.org/~kenm/env/  
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