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Seasonal Stars

Fall Care Checklist

Five Rules for a Healthy, Long-Lived Tree

Three Reasons Not to Rake & Bag Leaves

Planting the Seeds for a Beautiful Spring

Conservation Plant List

Five Rules for a Healthy, Long-Lived Tree

1.	Select only native or well-adapted trees for our area which have unblemished single trunks, firm rootballs and more branches than clear trunk (i.e. no “lollipop” specimens). See the plant list for specific recommendations.
2.	Locate large trees (over 60 feet at maturity) no closer than 20 feet from a building; medium trees (over 30 feet at maturity) no closer than 15 feet from a building; small trees (under 30 feet at maturity) no closer than 10 feet from a building; and all trees no closer than 15 feet from a telephone pole, fire hydrant, or driveway.
3.	Dig a hole, no deeper than the root ball or container, but at least twice as wide as the root ball (preferably 3 to 5 times as wide).Place the root ball in the center of the hole.
4.	Backfill the planting hole with a mixture of native soil and a small amount (less than 15%) of compost.
5.	Cover the planting area with three inches of mulch in a three foot radius. Do not make a berm (a tall ring) around the trunk and do not push soil or mulch up around the trunk. Both of these common practices can cause rotting at the tree base.

Tree Drip Lines. The most active tree roots will be found in the top few inches of soil around the drip line (shown in red) of your tree. Protect the area in this zone during construction activities. This is the area to target with slow release fertilizer during the fall and with a soaker hose if irrigation is needed.