Finally we received our free tree from Austin Energy. I'm going to be
putting it in the ground tomorrow, other than a nice irregular hole and
steady watering, anything else I should do. The soil it's going into is
good "blackland prairie"-type dirt, in south Austin.

Thanks

On Fri, 11 Apr 2003 14:26:22 GMT, whit .*ork wrote:

Finally we received our free tree from Austin Energy. I'm going to be
putting it in the ground tomorrow, other than a nice irregular hole and
steady watering, anything else I should do. The soil it's going into is
good "blackland prairie"-type dirt, in south Austin.

Thanks
There's a good brochure at the consumer info link in my sig, but the
best thing you can do for a new tree is make sure not to plant too
deeply. I don't know how big the city's trees are, but if it's been
repotted more than once or twice, it may already be too deep. If you
can't see root flares at the soil surface, scrape away soil until you
can. Then plant a bit high in the ground to allow for settling later.

If you've been reading many of my posts recently, you may have noticed
I recently attended a workshop on correcting root problems on trees.
Estimates there were that 80% of trees are too deep; another source I
saw put it at 93%. Correcting this problem is a hard sell because
there are no instant results, but within a few months a too-deep tree
will generally show improvement, according to the lecturer. A great
way to do it (though expensive, unfortunately) is with high-pressure
air that blasts away excess soil without damaging roots--also a great
way to dig trenches for utilities, sprinklers, etc. See
www.air-spade.com (no affiliation between myself and this company) for
more on this tool.

k
For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please visit http://www2.champaign.isa-arbor.com/.
For consumer info about tree care, visit http://www2.champaign.isa-arbor.com/.../consumer.html

Thanks for the infomation and the link. I looked at the plant and the
"root crown" appears to be healthy, yall know what I'll be doing
tomorrow AM g

Better to plant too shallow than deep, replace the soil in the same way it came
out. Subsoil back into hole first, then topsoil, the topdress with compost and
mulch.


On Fri, 11 Apr 2003 14:26:22 GMT, whit .*ork wrote:

Finally we received our free tree from Austin Energy. I'm going to be
putting it in the ground tomorrow, other than a nice irregular hole and
steady watering, anything else I should do. The soil it's going into is
good "blackland prairie"-type dirt, in south Austin.

Thanks

Austin Energy sells trees?


"whit" .*ork wrote in message
...
Finally we received our free tree from Austin Energy. I'm going to be
putting it in the ground tomorrow, other than a nice irregular hole and
steady watering, anything else I should do. The soil it's going into is
good "blackland prairie"-type dirt, in south Austin.

Thanks

On Sat, 12 Apr 2003 15:01:20 GMT, "seller"
wrote:


Austin Energy sells trees?


No, they give them away. Enhanced shade means less energy
consumption, so it's a rare instance of COA thinking long-term.

k
For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please visit http://www2.champaign.isa-arbor.com/.
For consumer info about tree care, visit http://www2.champaign.isa-arbor.com/.../consumer.html