2019 Spring Home & Garden

PAGE 36 2019 SPRING HOME & GARDEN LINCOLN DAILY NEWS MAY 2, 2019 CONTINUED u tree that can grow up to 60 or 70 feet in a spot that can only handle trees around 20 to 30 feet. Similarly, a tree that spreads over 50 feet may encroach upon buildings and open areas where sunlight is desired. Make sure you find a place to purchase high quality trees that are shipped, unloaded, and cared for correctly with a staff who can guide you through the process of planting the trees. Ask them about any problems that arise and address concerns such as dry leaves. You might want to avoid the lower priced trees that are on clearance as they may be more likely to have problems. See more advice on purchasing trees at ‘ Growing & Caring for Trees : How to Buy Shrubs & Trees’ Deciding on the best tree for your yard requires knowing about size and shade. Landscape Contractor Roger Cook from ‘This Old House’ shows how to pick and plant a tree that is right for your yard by figuring out how tall and wide the tree will get and how much sun it needs. Call JULIE before choosing the spot so you do not hit any utilities. The hole you will put the tree in should be twice the diameter of the what is wrapped in burlap, so make sure to measure and mark the area so you dig out enough space. To find out how deep the hole should be, measure from where the roots flare out from the trunk. Once the tree is where you want it, you can cut the burlap and loosen the roots of the ball. Ensure that none of the roots are wrapping around the trunk. Adding compost, super phosphate and fertilizer are helpful, too. Once the dirt is in, give it a good watering right away saturating the new soil. Cook recommends putting special bags that hold water around a tree for a couple weeks to keep it moist. Mulch around the tree will help keep the weeds down. ‘How to Plant a Large Shade Tree’ Jay Golberg in his article “How to Buy Big Trees” says you need to figure out “whether the trees you would like to plant should be container trees or balled and burlapped trees. Large trees in a plastic or wooden container usually have more roots intact than balled and burlapped trees because they were probably dug from the ground as long as one year before.”