Gardening & Landscaping
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
staking trees
We just planted a Chinese Flowering Dogwood in a new bed. It's about 4.5 feet tall and seems to be taking well but needs to be staked. we get high winds in our backyard.
What is the best way to stake (how close, materials etc) i'd like the stakes to be as inconspicuous as possible as it's very close to our sitting area and will probably have to be there for a few years.
Re: staking trees
http://www.treesforyou.org/Planting/TreeCare/Healthy/Planting/staking-2.htm
http://www.myminnesotawoods.umn.edu/2008/12/staking-and-guying-trees-best-materials-and-technique/
A tree that is only 4.5' tall should not need staking, even in very strong sustained winds. Tall trees and buildings are much more susceptible to wind; and wind generally has little effect that close to the ground, unless there is nothing else in it's path (such as a coast).
The trunk should bend in high winds, then immediately return to it's original upright state.
Trees are usually sold either balled in burlap or in a container. I'm guessing the tree came from a container.
If the trunk doesn't bend, and the tree leans over instead, it needs to be replanted. I'd very strongly recommend this method:
http://www.newenglandisa.org/PlantingTreesTheRootWashingWayJimFlott.pdf
the tree was in burlap in the ground and was dug up and re-wrapped for transport. We planted it last week and it although it bends and bounces back it seems to be growing crooked, perhaps we should just replant it?
Not sure what you mean by "growing crooked". You mean you've noticed, since planting it, that the trunk appears to be crooked? You can lessen it's crooked appearance over time, with proper pruning.
Field grown trees need to be root pruned prior to harvest. This is sort of like periodically cutting a circle around the tree, to sever root extensions. Over time, more fiberous roots grow inside the circle, close to the trunk, so that by the time the tree is harvested, it has enough absorbing roots to survive. Normally, this would not be done during the hottest time of the year. For example, if I called the nursery last week and said I needed a 4.5' Cornus kousa, and it was a field grown tree, they would tell me one of two things: that there were some available and heeled in (harvested, balled in burlap, and reburied until sold), or that they would be available by (fall harvest date). Sounds like you bought it heeled in, which is fine.
When you planted it, did you take off all the burlap and the wire basket, or leave some of it, or all of it? Did you keep the root ball intact, or break it up? Did you mud it in (plant in a wet slurry)?
Can you post any pics?
It was keeled in, two layers of burlap which we loosened, no wire mesh. When we planted it the soil was moist but not wet per say. We dug slighly deeper than the root ball to loosen the soil, packed the soil in around it and watered deeply.
i can tell it's taking, but i guess we'll have to prune it to straighten it.
It's a beautiful specimen, lots of glossy leaves and healthy.