Saturday Webinars | Trees: Spring Maintenance & Choosing a Suitable Tree

More than likely, you’ve made memories with trees.

As a kid, you may have climbed a large deciduous tree, camped among the evergreens, or spent time at an orchard to pick apples. These giants provide privacy, shade, and produce some of the tastiest fruit. Trees are plants that you grow up with and that stand strong for generations.

Choices, Choices, Choices

• Our Trees & Shrubs are now available online!
• When you come to Golden Acre, it’s always a good idea to have an idea of what you’re looking for in a tree or shrub.
  • Aesthetic – Do you want year round beauty? Lots of colour? A nice scent?
    • Types of Trees:
      • Coniferous: “cone-bearing”. needle foliage. Evergreens.
      • Deciduous: Broad leaf. Loses leaves in the fall. Flower and fruit bearing.
    • An interesting tree that fits loosely into both of these categories is the Larch tree. They’re suited for our Alberta climate, are soft, and showcase gorgeous yellow foliage in the fall.
  • Purpose – Do you want things like privacy? Fruit? To block the wind? To fill in a major empty space in your yard?
  • Space – What is the height and spread requirements of your space? As a plant grows, you want it to fit into those measurements. Beware of structures and pathways. Keep in mind the effect a tree will have on other elements in your yard like plants.
  • Weather Exposure – How much sun does the area get? Will the tree be subject to elements like rain, wind, or snow?
  • Outdoor Living – Do you mind having to pick up fruit? Will it have a large canopy and provide lots of shade? Is it beside other plants that may suffer from a shady exposure?
  • Seasonality – Do you want year round colour? Striking foliage in the fall? Flowers in the spring?
  • Long Term – Is this a tree you can live with long term? Once it’s in, that’s pretty much where it’ll stay.

Planting Trees

We have a simple How-to Guide now available on our website.

1. Measure the pot of your tree to get an idea for how big the hole should be. Dig the hole slightly bigger than the root ball.
2. Loosen soil at the bottom of the hole.
3. Gently remove tree from pot
4. Use Myke Tree & Shrub – A natural root booster product (Optional)
   1. Tip: All regular priced trees purchased with Myke product receive a 5 year guarantee with receipt.
5. Place tree in hole and ensure it’s straight.
6. Backfill with a 50/50 blend of existing soil and amendment like compost.
7. Firm soil as you go – DO NOT stamp down as you risk damage to the vulnerable root system.
8. Water – Every day for the first couple of weeks and then observe the tree to learn when it needs watering. This will create a strong and anchored root system.

Spring Wake Up Call

There are natural processes happening when a tree wakes up in the spring. Some of the ways you can assist in those processes are:

• Pruning
  • The 5 D’s
    • Dead: prune visibility dead branches that aren’t undergoing active growth.
    • Diseased: prune diseased branches and ensure the effected branches are disposed of and tools are cleaned to avoid spread.
    • Damaged: prune bent branches and those that may have sustained damage over the winter.
    • Dangerous: prune any branches that are blocking pathways, damaging property, etc.
    • Desireable: prune to a desirable shape.
  • How to Prune? There is a helpful diagram on Colin’s PowerPoint presentation found at the bottom of this blog.
  • Tools: Ensure you have the correct tool for the job. No injuries here! Remember, gardening should be fun. We have a large selection of Pruning Tools. Big or small, whatever you need.
• Control Products
  • Use early to avoid major infestations and damage. Problems do not go away on their own.
  • Prevention is better than treatment.
  • Choose a proper control product based on your tree, especially fruit trees. Check out our selection of Control Products to find the one most suited to your needs.
  • Always follow the instructions as control products vary. Do no apply control products to flowers.
• Weeding
  • Weeds can be things like grass! Weeds will take moisture and nutrients away from the tree.
  • Remove unwanted eyesores around trees by hand. Trimmers may impact the tree. Damage to the base of the tree could create an open wound perfect for pests and disease.
    • In today’s webinar, Colin showcased his fav tool if you want to check it out: Comfort Grip Weeder
  • A better solution: Replace grass around the base of the tree with mulch on top of landscape fabric. This will prevent weeds and provide insulation and moisture for the tree.
• Amending Soil
  • Gently cultivate the soil to avoid harming roots. This is Colin’s fav tool to use in his gardening: Rake Hoe Cultivator
  • Amend the soil at the same time with organic material and minerals such as Sea Soil
    • This is especially important for high production trees like fruit bearing varieties.
    • We have a large selection of Soil Additives that you could add to your garden. You don’t need to use all, but it would helpful to include some. Some of the examples Colin gave we:
      • Compost, manure, peat moss, coir, worm castings, rock dust, charcoal, natural mulch.
• Fertilizing
  • Promotes leaf growth, strong roots, flower and fruit development, etc. Especially great for new trees.
  • The stronger the tree, the more success it will have in fighting off pests, disease, and environmental stress.
  • Colin mentioned a few excellent brands in today’s webinar:
    • Evolve Organic Tree & Shrub Food (Canadian)
    • Evolve Organic Fruit & Berry (Canadian)
    • Pro-mix Multi Purpose (Canadian)
    • Miracle Gro Shake n Feed
• Watering
  • Moisture is important for buds. Conditions vary among trees so observe each one to determine if it needs water.
  • Slow saturation is better than rapid flooding.
    • Colin suggested using a Soaker Hose, Sprinkler, or a softer setting on a Multi Pattern Nozzle.
  • Don’t just water the base, water to the “Drip Line”. Check the diagram on Colin’s PowerPoint located below.

The more detailed encore presentation hosted by Colin Hayles is now available to view on our YouTube channel.

If you’d like a copy of Colin’s PowerPoint, click here: Golden Acre Webinars 2022 – Trees

UPCOMING FREE WEBINARS/SEMINARS:

May 14, 2022: Annuals Webinar – Designing annual planters, hanging baskets, and planting in the garden <<< Register Now

May 21, 2022: May Long Weekend Gardening Webinar – Ready, Set, Grow!  <<< Register Now

Registration for all of our free Saturday Spring Webinars