Eric Bergeson. "The Next Three Weeks is an Essential Time to Plant Trees."

Techniques for plants trees in round pots, newly potted and bare root.

In This Podcast:  Eric Bergeson, author of "Successful Gardening on the Northern Prairie."

Topics:  

Now is the prime time for planting trees on the Northern Prairie.  Eric gives tips on how to plant trees depending upon how you acquire them.  

For instance if you're planting  "Root-Bound in Pots," in which you break the root bag apart before planting.  (Listen for details.)

If you're planting "Newly-Potted Trees," you should treat them tenderly.

Finally, "Bare-Root" trees have the best chance for survival.

I also asked Eric about whether "peat" was  in danger of being all used up.  Hint:  "No."  (Something less for me to worry about.)

(Jack Sunday is a radio veteran with 50-years "behind the mike." He likes to say he's not old...just aging. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter @nodakjack. Listen weekdays, 4-6pm on KFGO.)

Last Updated By: Jack Sunday on Thursday, May 02, 2019 6 p.m.

How to tackle the most common issues for crape myrtle trees the organic way

Crape myrtle trees are not native to Texas or anywhere else in the U.S., but they are great ornamental tree choices. Behaving themselves for the most part, they provide long-lasting summer color and usually quite pleasant fall color. They do have some problems, but those can be easily solved with natural organic techniques.

The most common issue is pruning. The mistaken notion should be put to bed by now, but many in the landscape maintenance business and some homeowners still think it's good to severely "top" crape myrtles in winter. It shouldn't be done. Nothing good comes from it. Heavy pruning, especially slashing the tops off, leads to weaker growth and flowering as well as stress, thus more insect pests and diseases. If the tree is too large for the spot where it's planted, cut the tree down and plant an appropriately sized plant.

Crape myrtle trees can get powdery mildew on their leaves.

(Howard Garrett)

Mildew and pests

Powdery mildew is the next most common issue. It is a fungal disease resulting from susceptible varieties and stress related to environmental pressures. Being careful to purchase disease-resistant varieties and cultivars certainly helps when you have that option. And mildew can be cured temporarily with organic disease sprays such as cornmeal juice, baking soda or potassium bicarbonate in water, or commercial products such as PureGro Disease Control. 

Black sooty mold caused by aphid waste can also be temporarily controlled with the same products. Aphids and other insect pests can be killed with any of the essential oil organic sprays.

This crape myrtle tree has a properly exposed trunk flare.

(Howard Garrett)

De-stress your trees

A more permanent solution to disease and pest problems (including the dreaded white scale) results from applying the Sick Tree Treatment. It is not a product, but rather a procedure that starts with the proper and dramatic removal of plants, mulch and soil from the bases of trees. 

Trees planted too deep in the ground is without question the most common environmental cause of plant stress, pests and parasites. A flare being covered by anything is unnatural and unhealthy. Root flares/trunk flares are part of the trunks and if exposed to air are able to properly breathe. 

When covered by ground covers and vines or any kind of soil or mulch — including gravel or stones — the bark cannot breathe properly, stress sets in, and the pest problems result.

Crape myrtle trees showing off their potential with vibrant blooms.

(Howard Garrett)

Resources

Online: dirtdoctor.com or facebook.com/thedirtdoctor.

Radio: "The Answer" KSKY-AM (660), 8 to 11 a.m. Sundays. ksky.com. The call-in number is 1-866-444-3478.

Mail: P.O. Box 140650, Dallas, TX, 75214

How to Plant Desert Willow Tree Seeds

Start seeds in flats and grow them in containers through the first winter.

Native to the southwestern regions of the United States and Mexico, desert willow (Chilopsis linearis) is a low-maintenance shrub that grows well in dry conditions in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 7 through 9. Although its name indicates otherwise, this 10- to 15-foot shrub is not a true willow; rather, it belongs to the trumpet-creeper (Campsis radicans) family and it was named for its willow-like foliage. It blooms with large, trumpet-shaped flowers from the beginning of summer through the first frost and it is easily grown from seed.

Seeds

By early autumn, desert willow's slim seedpods replace the plant's flowers. The pods average 6 to 10 inches long, and once they turn dry and brown, you can easily crack them to reveal the feathery seeds within. The plant most successfully grows from fresh seeds, according to the Native Plant Society of Texas, although they can also grow successfully from seeds previously stored in a cool location, in sand or between pieces of wet blotter paper.

Growing Conditions

Choose a planting location with full sun exposure and well-drained soil. According to the website for the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, desert willow prefers limestone soil, but also grows well in rocky, caliches, loam, sandy and granitic soil, with minimal need for you to add any organic matter to the soil. This low-water plant tolerates dry conditions and has a high drought tolerance. Allowing it to dry out between watering it helps encourage continual blooming.

Sowing

Although it may be possible to sow the seeds directly into the soil in the garden, Plants for a Future recommends sowing the seeds in flats or nursery pots in spring. Sow the seeds about 1/4 inch deep in moist potting soil. Once the seedlings have at least two sets of leaves and are large enough to handle, transplant them into individual pots filled with potting soil. Horizon Herbs, plant growers, recommend growing desert willow in pots for a year before transplanting them outdoors.

Transplanting Desert Willow

Gradually harden off the young desert willow tree by placing it in a sheltered spot outside, giving it about two to three hours of sunlight before bringing it back inside for the night. Spend seven to 10 days gradually increasing the plant's sun exposure by an hour or so every day to help the young plant become acclimated to outdoor conditions. (Ref 6) Dig a hole that is twice as wide and equally deep as the plant's root ball, allowing the plant to be as deep as it is in its current container while giving the roots plenty of space to spread out. Remove the young desert willow from its container, loosen the roots on the outside of the root ball and place in the hole. Fill the hole with soil, avoiding putting any soil on top of the plant's root ball. Water the area thoroughly and cover with 3 to 4 inches of hardwood mulch. Space multiple desert willows about 10 to 15 feet apart.

]]> About the Author

Caryn Anderson combines extensive behind-the-scenes writing experience with her passion for all things food, fashion, garden and travel. Bitten by the travel bug at the age of 15 after a trip to Europe, Anderson fostered her love of style and fashion while living in New York City and earning her degree at New York University.

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'The best defense is consistency:' Here's how to deal with that pesky Kudzu plant

JONES COUNTY, Ga. — Ginger Hudson has overcome a lot of battles. She lost her first husband and survived breast cancer, but now she's at war with Kudzu.

"10 years ago we had it under control. I don't even know the name of the stuff my husband used. He got it from a place that's no longer in business in Macon," Hudson said.

It's actually quite pretty to look at, which is what owner of U.S. Lawns in Macon-Bibb Greg Israel says made it useful.

"Kudzu was introduced intentionally to America, imported from Japan. In the 1930s, it was considered a ground cover and used for erosion control," he said.

Don't let looks fool you, Kudzu is an invasive species that attacks everything in its path.

RELATED: Is Macon's pollen count higher than usual?

"It's choking everything out. It's covering them. You can't see anything. There was a tree underneath that big bush right there, but it's no longer there, because the Kudzu is killing it," Hudson said.

Israel explains this further.

"It grows more rapidly than anything else it can compete with, and it just chokes it out," Israel said.

Israel says the plant spreads through its seeds and roots.

"It just invades everywhere it's at. It hasn't been planted all over the Southeast, but through birds, through wind, it's moved across the southeast United States at a rapid pace," Israel said.

He says Kudzu covers about seven million acres across the Southeast, since it thrives in the hot, humid climate, but how do you get rid of it?

"The best defense is consistency. If you've got a stand and you're mowing it, you need to mow it consistently so it'll eventually, if it can't get sunlight, if it can't get nutrients, it eventually will die, but we're talking months and years of being consistent," he said.

Israel says it takes 40-80 gallons of chemical treatments per acre to control it, which can get pricey since it grows about a foot a day.

"The chemicals aren't the solution, the chemicals are just an assist, therefore when you go with Kudzu, trying to attack it with a chemical is not practical," he said.

RELATED: VIDEO: Massive pollen cloud rises from fallen tree

Israel advises against pulling it by the roots, which Hudson can't anyway since she's allergic to it, but she's just looking for anyone to help.

"You got way too many to pull up by the roots. I don't want to set fire to it, because I hear that doesn't work. I don't want to use Roundup cause I don't want to kill everything around it, so I just need to know what to use," she said.

Israel says some reports suggested using goats or cattle to graze on Kudzu to help control it, but the best way to fight it is to keep a well-maintained yard.

UAB is planting an environmentally conscious future. Learn how the campus’s more than 4,000 trees are improving Birmingham

Sponsored

UAB staff planting tree during 2019 Arbor Day celebration. Photo courtesy of UAB Sustainability

This Spring, visit the Vulcan Park and Museum. Purchase a ticket to take the elevator to the top of Vulcan's pedestal. Look north toward the Birmingham skyline. Below you and to the west is the UAB campus, spread out over 100 blocks on Birmingham's Southside.

From your perch at Vulcan, you see the buildings that house research facilities and a world-class hospital. It is also the workplace of faculty and staff and home to many students.

Nestled among UAB's buildings and open spaces there is a lush forest with over 4,400 trees covering the campus like a green blanket.

UAB's trees are one of the university's greatest natural resources. Here is why.

The Plan, Numbers and Value

Group photo of UAB football player along with faculty and staff after planting trees commemorating UAB's 50th Anniversary. Photo courtesy of UAB Sustainability

This past winter, UAB launched a new sustainability strategic plan that will transform the university's academic and medical campus by the year 2025.

Preserving and increasing the number of trees on campus is a major priority in the plan.

As an urban institution, UAB plans to invest significantly – greening the campus – through space allocation, communication, landscape and public realm design standards. And these kind of ventures are paying off.

A couple of years ago, UAB Sustainability intern Nina Morgan inventoried all 4,400 trees on campus, with roughly 900 of those trees planted in the past five years. Her study was used to calculate the value of the trees throughout the campus.

According to UAB Sustainability, since the university's start 50 years ago, its trees have provided an estimated $125 million worth of air pollution control, $126 million in soil erosion control and recycled at least $152 million worth of water.

In 50 years, a single tree can generate up to $100,000 in controlling air and soil pollution in addition to conserving water in ecosystem services.

Trees are not just of monetary value. UAB researchers have found that spending 20 minutes in an urban park simply makes people happier.

Tree Campus USA

Group photo of UAB staff, students and faculty after the 2019 Arbor Day celebration. Photo courtesy of UAB Sustainability

One way UAB maintains stewardship of their forest canopy is meeting the standards set forth by the National Arbor Day Foundation to become a Tree Campus USA. UAB has received this recognition for 5 straight years.

"It's exciting to see UAB making such a commitment to prioritizing green spaces on our campus and ensuring we have a healthy, happy tree population in the midst of our urban location," said Julie Price, PhD., manager of UAB Sustainability.

To become a Tree Campus USA, the university must meet the following criteria:

Establish a tree advisory committee

Develop a campus tree-care plan

Dedicate annual expenditures for its campus tree program

Host an Arbor Day observance

Sponsor environmentally-related student service-learning projects

Heritage Trees – Live Oak and the Hippocratic Tree

UAB's live oak at the Mini-Park. Photo by Pat Byington for Bham Now

In the midst of UAB's 4,400 trees there are a few special ones that are cherished on campus.

Live Oak at the Mini-Park

Perhaps the most popular trees on campus are the live oaks on the UAB Mini Park at university Boulevard and 14th Street South, across from Heritage Hall. Providing shade for the statues of UAB founders and presidents Dr. Joe Volker and Dr. Scotty McCallum, these beautiful and grand live oaks are hundreds of miles north from their traditional geographical range.

Hippocrates Tree

Located in the 15th Street Greenway east of the Hill Student Center, the Platanus orientalis (Hippocrates tree) is a descendant of the tree under which Hippocrates. Photo by Pat Byington for Bham Now

Located in the 15th Street Greenway east of the Hill Student Center, the Platanus orientalis (Hippocrates tree) is a descendant of the tree under which Hippocrates, often called the father of Western medicine, taught students of medicine on the Greek island of Kos around 400 B.C.

This rare tree was donated by an anonymous donor and planted in 2016 in honor of the late William Brown Deal, M.D., dean emeritus of the School of Medicine.

Preserving Trees

UAB's enrollment is growing. Many new buildings are being constructed throughout campus including dorms and new classrooms. The growth poses a serious challenge for UAB Facilities project managers.

They have proactively confronted arising issues by:

Maintaining a net-zero loss of trees policy on campus through the Tree Evaluation, Preservation and Mitigation Procedure.

Engaging all parties involved in construction about the value of trees on campus.

Protecting trees from the beginning of the construction process until the completion of the project.

Establishing procedures to ensure communication among all parties in setting forth expectations concerning tree protection.

A great example of these kinds of best practices set into motion is the preservation of the tree pictured above near the recently renovated School of Nursing.

Planting for the Future – 50 trees for UAB's 50th Anniversary

UAB football players planting trees on campus. Photo courtesy of UAB Sustainability

In celebration of UAB's 50th Anniversary, the university will be planting 50 trees this year. The Facilities team is also continuously replacing fallen and damaged trees.

One way you can give back to the university and the Birmingham community as a whole is by donating to the UAB Tree Fund.

"At UAB, we recognize our tree canopy as vital public health infrastructure that reduces urban air temperatures, improves air quality, increases pedestrian comfort, reduces flooding, and improves well-being," said Price. "The trees we plant and care for now will benefit our community for generations to come."

Be a part of the 50th Anniversary by donating a tree in the memory of a friend or loved one. That one gift will "give back" in so many ways – cleaner air, land, water and the general well-being and happiness of the community.

Sponsored by

Author: Pat Byington

Longtime conservationist. Former Executive Director at the Alabama Environmental Council and Wild South. Publisher of the Bama Environmental News for more than 18 years. Career highlights include playing an active role in the creation of Alabama's Forever Wild program, Little River Canyon National Preserve, Dugger Mountain Wilderness, preservation of special places throughout the East through the Wilderness Society and the strengthening (making more stringent) the state of Alabama's cancer risk and mercury standards. View all posts by Pat Byington

City plants trees to offset doomed ash trees

Published 2:37 pm CDT, Thursday, May 2, 2019

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — The city of Burlington, Vermont, is planting a variety of young trees to offset expected damage from an ash-tree killing pest.

The Burlington Free Press reports that the emerald ash borer has already been detected in Colchester, Milton and South Hero and foresters estimate 150 million ash trees around the state are at risk.

Last weekend, City Arborist V.J. Comai, other professionals, and volunteers planted about 60 trees among dominant stands of ash.

Comai estimates that it would cost about $1.1 million to remove and replace the city's 1,249 ash trees.

The beetle has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in North America.

___

Information from: The Burlington Free Press, http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com

Discover the Importance of Oak Trees and How to Care for Them at 'An Evening for the Oaks' May 15

Find out how planting an oak tree is one of the easiest, cheapest and best ways to help the environment at "An Evening for the OAKS" on Wednesday, May 15 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Woodridge Park District Community Center, 2600 Center Dr. in Woodridge.

Hosted by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County and Woodridge Park District, this free program will include a brief presentation by local experts on planting and caring for oaks followed by a Q-and-A session. The program is for all ages, but attendees under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Register online or at 630-933-7248.

The first 50 people to register for the program will receive a free oak sapling. A limited number of oak trees will also be available for sale at the program.

"Oaks are the foundation of our ecosystem," said Tom Velat, Forest Preserve District ecology coordinator. "They're dramatic and beautiful, but they also provide food and shelter for birds, insects and other wildlife year-round."

"Oak trees are the reason the Woodridge Park District initiated restoration efforts at Hawthorne Hill Woods," said Christopher Pollack, Natural Resources manager for the Woodridge Park District. "Creating habitat that allows for new oak growth is vitally important to the ecological health of our community."

Oaks can live to be 250 years old, but the county's population is aging. By planting saplings now, residents can ensure there will be mature oaks to replace them.

Some interesting oak facts:

● Oaks are a keystone species. If they weren't around, other plants and animals might not be around either. Red-headed woodpeckers and flying squirrels depend on oaks' large cavities to raise their young. Over 500 insects live and feed on oaks, providing food for Wilson's warblers, American redstarts, common yellowthroats and other insect-eating migrants rely on oaks' "fast food" stops along the way.

● Oak trees are usually large in size. They can reach 70 feet in height and 9 feet in width. Their branches can reach 135 feet in length.

● Oaks produce more than 2,000 acorns a year, but only one acorn in 10,000 will grow into a tree. Deer, squirrels and other wildlife eat a lot of acorns, and acorns that don't end up as meals need special conditions to sprout. They must remain at certain temperatures for four to eight weeks. If the weather is too warm or too cold, the process cannot start.

● An oak tree can soak up 50 gallons of water in one day. This means oaks can play an important role in flood-control efforts.

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County has been connecting people to nature for more than 100 years. More than 4 million people visit its 60+ forest preserves, 145 miles of trails, six education centers and scores of programs each year. For information, call 630-933-7200 or visit dupageforest.org, where you can also link to the District's e-newsletter, blog, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

Founded in 1969, the Woodridge Park District serves approximately 35,500 residents, offers more than 1,000 programs annually, and maintains five facilities and 60 community and neighborhood parks and sites, woodlands, wetlands, bikeways and open space, totaling 655 acres.

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