Evergreen Trees Justify Expense And Care
Evergreens are expensive and they have every right to be. A blue spruce six years old ranges between 16 and 24 inches. That means six years of pruning, transplanting, and care by the nurseryman.
Seedlings or rooted cuttings can be purchased for less than a tenth of the cost of a mature plant. The only requirement of the grower is time and patience. Transplanting to permanent positions can be expected any time between three and ten years. Where many plants will be needed for hedging, windbreaks or landscaping, this is the economical answer.
The first step after receiving your plants, is to give them immediate attention. If the weather is unfavorable, dig a trench and heel them in by covering the roots with soil. If they can be planted promptly, set them in a pail of water while the holes are being dug.
A site with good drainage and full sun is essential to the success of these baby evergreens. If the soil drains poorly it may be improved either by raising the bed a couple of inches or excavating to a depth of 1 1/2 or two feet and placing a layer of broken bricks or crushed rock at the bottom.
A handful of sand placed beneath the roots of each plant will also aid in perfect drainage.
Soil preparation is important. Manure – fresh, rotted, dehydrated, any form and lots of it, should be dug deeply into the soil.
Seedlings are spaced a minimum of six inches apart and a little deeper than they stood in the nursery. Spreading types such as the Pfitzer juniper and the yew, Taxus cuspidata, should be spaced far enough apart to allow at least two years’ growth between. After planting, mulch with manure and water well.
A note in regard to yews. Rabbits love their soft succulent growth. Therefore they should be protected by a short fence of some sort. We learned this the hard way when we had a complete planting leveled over night.
Care the first summer consists only of frequent, thorough watering and keeping the plants weed free, preferably by mulching rather than by cultivating. Roots growing close to the surface are easily damaged by close hoeing, but they benefit from a mulch which helps keep the surface cool and moist.
Added nourishment should be given once or twice during the growing season either by a dry chemical fertilizer, a soluble fertilizer or by liquid feeding.
The most important duty towards putting the evergreen planting to bed for the winter is a thorough soaking. Let the hose run in the rows a couple of hours two or three times a week before the ground freezes.
Evergreens that are known to sunburn or windburn in your area, such as the arbor-vitae group, should have protection. This can be in the form of a screen made by stretching burlap between two stakes. As the plants increase in size after a few years, it may be wise to cover each individual plant with a burlap sack.
Seedlings planted in the fall should have a deep mulch of leaves or manure applied after the ground is frozen.
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