November
2002
"When chill November’s surly blast
Made fields and forests bare."
-- Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), from Man Was Made to Mourn
"Autumn wins you best by this its mute
Appeal to sympathy for its decay."
-- Robert Browning (1812 - 1889), from Paracelsus
Well, if this rain don’t beat all! It is amazing how weather can
toy with us, and be so consistently surprising. The July and October (and
November?) rains of 2002 are now added to the Unusual Weather Pattern
Hall of Fame for Central Texas. If we add this to the long list of similarly
unusual weather patterns and occurrences across the country and the world,
we might scratch our head and wonder aloud, "Golly, I wonder if there
IS something to that there ‘global warming’ idea?" Hmmm.
It is also amazing to witness the mood changes in people as the weather
changes. I have the perfect vocation for such people watching, working
at a retail nursery. For example, it is fun to watch simply how the numbers
of gardeners shopping at our store fluctuates in direct relation to the
temperature and the amount of sunshine. After all these most recent rains,
I can sometimes hear either desperation or resignation in people’s
voices when they ask, "When will it end?" Some people - and I am not naming
names - have also expressed a guilty pleasure in having an excuse to stay
home and do a whole lot of nothing. It’s amazing how we sometimes
require drastic measures to allow ourselves to do just what we want to
do.
A dominant part of my job that I really enjoy is communicating with
hordes of people. I figured out that I must interact directly with at
least 7,000 people each year in my job, and that does not include phone
calls. From all of these interactions comes a surprising exchange of stories,
blessings, emotions, information, and challenges. In my attempt to serve
that segment of the Austin population known as gardeners, I tend to repeat
myself a lot. I often tell the same story over and over in the process
of teaching new and old gardeners the ropes of organic gardening. For
example, in times like these, I tell as many customers as I can that we
can ruin our soil to dig in it when it’s wet. Damp soil is perfect
for tilling and digging and planting in. However, when we stick a shovel
into wet soil - especially clay - it forces soil particles together, forming
hard clumps that can last for years. Therefore, I tell customers, it is
better to wait two days to a week after a significant rain before digging,
so that the soil is about as damp as a wrung-out sponge.
Another piece of verbal tape that I tend to rewind and replay repeatedly
is that, in these parts, fall is the season for planting. If I tried to
tell someone in Colorado or Minnesota that this is a good time to plant
trees, shrubs, and perennials, they would look at me most skeptically.
We just don’t get the kind of winters here that our northern neighbors
have to endure. Since our toughest season here is the summer, planting
in the fall allows our new plants three relatively mild seasons in which
to establish them. (Now that I have made such generalizations about weather
– a mortal folly – let’s hope that Murphy’s Law doesn’t
turn this into the coldest winter on record!)
Other than seeds, my favorite thing to plant this time of year is a
tree. Any excuse to plant a tree will please me. The local organization
TreeFolks, who have planted thousands of trees all over Austin, cite "creating
a healthier environment and enhancing the quality of urban life" as their
raison d’etre. Assuredly, the quality of life in the summer around
here is greatly enhanced by the shade of our majestic trees. For example,
my main objective when parking my non-air-conditioned Honda in the summer
is to find any spot that is shaded, no matter how far I have to walk.
Goodness knows we have a lot of tree planting to do to make up for all
the trees lost in development, as well. Most everyone knows the oxygen
producing and pollution filtering benefits of trees. And, if we want to
be materialistic about it, trees increase the value of our property. Thomas
Fuller may have summed it up when he said; "He that plants trees loves
others besides himself."
There is no shortage of reasons to plant a tree. I love the idea of
planting a tree when a child is born, enabling us to watch them grow up
together. For that matter, planting a tree can honor any important event
in our lives – a birthday, marriage, anniversary, or the death of
a loved one. Plant fruit trees in January for shade and sustenance. Plant
a pecan tree at the same time; pecan is the state tree of Texas.
One of the most light-hearted reasons to plant a tree may come from
The Language of Flowers, a small book by Kate Greenaway that compiles
the old-fashioned symbolism associated with different plants. Not surprising,
there are a few entries therein for trees. Do you want to express your
patriotism? Plant an American elm. This is only advisable in our area,
however, if you have a nice deep soil and "an unfailing source of moisture,"
as Scott Ogden admonishes in his Gardening Success in Difficult Soils.
There might be a few pockets of such soil around Austin; I know of one
beautiful majestic American Elm in my neighborhood in South Austin on
Kinney Avenue. Good luck finding a nursery source, however. Because of
the rampage of Dutch elm disease in the northeast, it is hard to find
sources, even though American elms growing in our area are not susceptible
to that disease. Ogden recommends locally grown American elms that have
already adapted to our climate, if you can find them. Perhaps planting
the more readily available and native cedar elm will do? It is a fine
choice, as Ogden points out, for its "longevity, ease of transplanting,
moderately rapid growth, and resistance to heat, drought, and alkalinity."
A rugged-looking, small-leafed tree, it can reach up to 50 feet.
It is worth mentioning that the much-maligned "cedar" tree, more correctly
known as juniper, does not always deserve its bad reputation. Yes, it
causes many a sniffle and a miserable winter season for "cedar fever"
sufferers, but according to Elizabeth McGreevy-Seiler, that is where its
bad reputation should end. There are more than just a few myths that she
is debunking in her studies of the Ashe juniper, or Juniperus ashei. For
example, the Ashe juniper IS a native and it does NOT suck up water from
the aquifer. Therefore, if you have the juniper in your yard, don’t
let anyone convince you that this is a trash tree. It is a beautiful member
of our native ecosystem, a home to the endangered golden-cheeked warbler,
and an evergreen of interest in any landscape. For more information, you
can read "Untwisting the Cedar," abbreviated writings from Ms. McGreevy-Seiler’s
upcoming book on the juniper, at http://juniper1.home.texas.net/.
By the way, the symbolic meanings associated with juniper are succor and
protection. These are not bad qualities to invite into our home and hearth.
Another whole family of native trees to plant is the oaks. The symbolic
meaning of an oak tree is "hospitality." What a great choice to shade
our front porch or entryway for our visiting friends and neighbors! If
there is enough space, a bur oak or a chinquapin oak are nice choices.
The bur oak has acorns that are at least golf-ball sized, and has leaves
that are likewise larger than usual. The chinquapin leaves are large also,
but have wavy margins that make them seem more delicate. Both of these
oaks should be given 30 to 50 feet of breadth in which to spread, and
expect them to get potentially 60 feet tall – perhaps 80 feet for
the bur oak. Both are adapted to the Blackland Prairie clay soil on the
eastern half of Austin as well as the Hill Country limestone soils of
west Austin.
The classic oak in this area is of course the escarpment live oak. However,
we must beware of planting it in areas prone to the devastating oak wilt
fungus, since it is susceptible. Trees in the white oak family are more
resistant to oak wilt, but not immune. The best cure for oak wilt may
be prevention, and prevention means tender loving care. More on TLC for
trees later.
For now, let us rethink our ideas of trees in the landscape. Rather
than the usual suburban scenario of an expanse of lawn extending all the
way up to the tree trunks and the clipped hedges, let’s think in
terms of the natural plant associations we would find in the wild. In
our urban landscapes, we can re-create the many layers of canopy found
in nature for a more pleasing and interesting look. Such diversity in
the landscape is also more sustainable: the more monotone our plant selection,
the more susceptible is our landscape to disease and insect attack and
erosion. We can still retain that portion of lawn on which children can
roll and croquet can be played, but in the nooks and crannies, the edges
and even focal points, we can create a forest ecosystem that gives us
changing beauty year-round. For example, if we have the deep clay soil
of the Blackland Prairie, we could start by planting that bur oak. Next,
we can plant under story trees such as redbuds and Mexican plums, perhaps
15 to 20 feet from the trunk. Interspersed within this copse, American
beautyberry and Elbow bush would serve well for the shrub layer. Finally,
as ground cover, a combination of pigeonberry, chile pequin, sideoats
grama, and fall aster would be much more interesting than Asian jasmine.
Extending from this pocket of forest, we could also create a wildflower
meadow, just as we would see the forested areas lining the rivers and
creeks in Texas giving way to the wildflowers and grasses of the open
prairie. There are so many beautiful combinations available from the world
of natives. Why would we ever settle for the St. Augustine/Asian jasmine/Japanese
boxwood hedge/Bradford pear combination that is so monotonous?
There are thankfully many resources where we can get help in choosing
the right trees for our site, and the right combination of plants for
a native association. One way to choose is to go straight to your local
nursery specializing in native plants. However, I would suggest doing
some homework first. Howard Garrett has a new book out called Texas Trees,
and it is beautiful. The standard two books that I use most often, besides
Scott Ogden’s book mentioned above, are Texas Wildscapes by Noreen
Damude and Kelly Conrad Bender and Native Texas Plants by Sally and Andy
Wasowski.
What is the best method for planting trees? We make sure the tree’s
root ball is well-watered first. Then, we dig a hole that is exactly as
deep as the tree’s root ball, and at least twice as wide. For the
next step, there are two schools of thought: amend and do not amend. I
usually suggest amending the backfill (the soil that was dug out of the
hole and will be filled back in), but use only 20% or less amendment.
I recommend a high quality compost or soil mixture. If the backfill is
amended too much, when the roots hit the native soil in a year or two,
they will not want to leave their nice amended soil, and will begin circling
inside the hole. That spells disaster.
After the hole is dug and the backfill amended, if desired, I recommend
sprinkling either rock phosphate or bone meal into the hole so that the
roots will touch it directly. These two products provide phosphorus, the
nutrient that feeds the roots. Avoid chemical fertilizer, tree spikes
or any fertilizer with much nitrogen in it. Only after the hole is prepared
should we remove the tree gently from its pot. Gently loosen some of the
roots from their circling pattern to encourage them to venture out. Do
not let the roots dry out: plant as soon as possible after removing it
from the pot. We now fill in the hole with soil, patting down the soil
firmly as we go. Fill until the new soil is level with the top level of
the root ball – no more, no less.
After the tree is planted, additional soil should be used to make a
water well. Mound up soil in a ring just outside of the planting hole,
so that when the tree is watered, the water is held inside the ring until
it has the chance to soak in. Apply about three inches of mulch all over
the root zone of the tree, starting two or three inches from the trunk
and extending beyond the water well a bit. Alternatively, one inch of
compost, then two to three inches of mulch can be applied. Avoid placing
compost or mulch directly on the trunk; this will rot the trunk and eventually
kill it. Water the tree thoroughly, and add seaweed or vitamin B-1 or
SuperThrive to the water. These products act hormonally to stimulate rooting.
Every time you water the tree for the first few months, you can use one
of these products. Staking is usually not necessary, unless the tree was
particularly top-heavy. Along the same lines, it is better to plant a
smaller tree that is less top-heavy than a larger tree. Oftentimes a five-gallon
size tree will recover from transplant shock so easily as to outgrow a
ten to fifteen gallon tree planted at the same time.
Once our trees and associated plants are planted, what does TLC look
like? New trees may need supplemental watering every week in the summer.
According to TreeFolks, for every inch of dbh, (diameter of the trunk
at breast height, measured about four feet from the ground) a new tree
should be given one gallon of water a week. This is only a guideline;
feel the soil deeply with your finger to determine watering needs. Another
key that I learned while planting 40 trees with TreeFolks, Popham Elementary
School students, and the forestry service is a rhyme to understand the
behavior of newly planted trees. It is also a counsel to be patient. "The
first year, it sleeps. The second year, it creeps. The third year, it
leaps!"
What is the proper TLC for established trees? According to Don Gardner,
veteran Austin arborist of 25 years, TLC means proper pruning, deep watering
to prevent drought stress, and adding compost once a year. Major pruning
of trees should always be done by a professional arborist, unless one
is well trained in this skill. Pruning on oaks should only be done in
the middle of winter or the middle of summer to reduce exposure to the
oak wilt factors. There is too much information on oak wilt, much of it
conflicting, to go into much detail here. However, Mr. Gardner is a wonderful
resource, and an alternative to the trenching-and-tree-spiking treatments
usually available out there.
We don’t have to ever water native trees, right? On the contrary,
if we go four to six weeks without at least a one-inch rain, established
trees do need a deep watering to avoid drought stress. Such trees should
receive a slow stream of water out around the drip line of the canopy
for 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the soil type. Clay soils will need
less time; sandy or well-draining soils will need more time.
Finally, a yearly application of a half-inch to two inches of high quality
compost to the root zone of all trees can maintain their health and vigor,
and thus can do wonders to help prevent disease and pest infestations.
If there is a lawn or small plants in the root zone, apply no more than
a half-inch of compost.
It’s hard to imagine a home, sweet home without at least one sturdy
tree in the yard. Therefore, let us give thanks this month by planting
more trees, and by taking care of the ones we have. Happy Thanksgiving!
|
8648
Old Bee Cave Road
Stacey
(Rosina) Newton is a graduate of the Texas A&M University (Aggieland)
Horticulture Department, class of 1984, and has been in the environmental/horticulture
field ever since. She learned everything she knows about organic gardening
while working at The Natural Gardener, starting in 1997.