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Old 07-07-2004, 03:02 AM
Earl Buchan
 
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Default Tree woes can cause headaches... and heartaches!

The Plant Man column
Tree woes can cause headaches... and heartaches!


Trees add so much beauty and tranquility to our landscape. But when
trees
develop problems they can cause some big headaches.

Several readers have sent me tree-related questions via e-mail, and
I’ve
done my best to help. If you have questions – or suggestions to help
your
fellow readers with their problems – send an e-mail to


QUESTION: “We have a couple of pink crabapple trees that bloom
beautifully
in the sping time, but as soon as the blossoms die and fall off, the
leaves
do as well. By the time the summer is over, it is nearly bare and it
does
produce the apples, but they are the size of very small cherries. Any
help
you could provide, would be welcomed.” – Kirk

ANSWER: “Without seeing the tree, it’s hard to tell but it sounds like
it
could be a nutrition issue. Have you been fertilizing the trees? Is
your
soil acid or does it have a balanced PH? You might need to add lime.
As you
know, fruit-producing trees put on blooms that are pollinated by bees.
Then
the tree begins to devote most of its energy to producing fruit. At
the
fruit producing time it needs more than it’s usual amount of water.
Then,
after the fruit is produced, it needs nutrition to replenish the tree.
You
might want to check with a local county extension agent or get a
second
opinion from a local garden center.

QUESTION: “We are having a problem keeping our trees alive. Most of
them get
wind burn and we are not sure how to treat them. Maybe we are not
putting in
the right trees. We hope you can help us with this problem. We don't
know if
getting a young tree is the reason or if the weather has something to
do
with it. We would really like your out put on the matter.” – Bill &
Nina

ANSWER: Young trees need protection from the wind. I recently received
some
photos from a reader who cut 5 gallon plastic buckets in half
(vertically,
top to bottom) and then cut out the ends. He then pressed the “half
buckets”
into the ground about 12 inches from each tree on the windward side.
This
gave the trees a chance to grow in size and strength to the point
where the
winds did not affect them that much. This sounds like it might be
worth a
try in your situation!

QUESTION: “I have a small starter wisteria that a friend gave me. This
spring I planted it to grow on some lattice, but after reading that it
can
get pretty heavy, I am thinking I should move it. I'd love to let it
climb
but I don't really have a place for it to hold it's weight, so I have
considered moving it and shaping it into a small tree. I have seen
some that
are just huge and not very pretty. Any suggestions on what to do with
it and
on how to train it would be greatly appreciated.”– Mary C.

ANSWER: In order to create an attractive display, you would need to
stake
the central leader. Once you’ve done that, go up to about five feet
then top
it and begin the shaping process. It should take about 2 years to see
the
effects of your labor.

QUESTION: “I am writing in regards to an epidemic affecting the pine
trees
in my area. I heard there is a virus that's attacking all the pine
trees. Is
there anything you can do to try to save them? My neighbor’s trees
were
dying and now mine are, too. There is not a shortage of water and
nothing
has been done to them. Also, all around my work the pines are dying
too.
Help!”– Brad Mueller

ANSWER: I hate to tell you this but I think there is nothing you can
do to
save them. It is a pine canker, and there are many arborists trying to
figure out a solution. Hopefully, they will succeed before it wipes
out all
the pine. If any reader has any good news to pass on regarding this
subject,
please drop me an e-mail. Meanwhile, here are a couple of links with
some
information:
http://forestry.about.com/bldisex.htm
http://forestry.about.com/od/forestd..._dis_worst.htm You
can
find direct links to both sites from my web site. Go to
www.landsteward.org
and click on the links in this column archived under “The Plant Man”
heading.


The Plant Man is here to help. Send you questions about trees, shrubs
and
landscaping to and for resources and additional
information, including archived Plant Man columns, visit
www.landsteward.org
where you can also subscribe to Steve’s free e-mailed newsletter.

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