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Tips for planting trees in Sacramento


Scarlet oak
Fall colors such as the leaves of this scarlet oak ( Quercus coccinea ), photographed in Elk Grove, may inspire you to plant a tree or two this fall. Follow the Sacramento Tree Foundation guidelines to ensure a healthy tree. (Photo credit: UC Master Gardener Jan Fetler)

October is great time to make major (and shady) addition to your landscape

A strong beginning leads to a lifetime of success. That’s particularly true of trees.

It takes a young tree about three full years to establish a strong root system and sturdy trunk. Mistakes made in planting can have major consequences throughout a tree’s life, including premature death.

October is considered the best month to plant a tree in Sacramento. Warm soil and cooler weather help trees put down deep roots.

But most young trees come in 5-gallon pots with few if any instructions.

To get that addition to your landscape off to the best start possible, the Sacramento Tree Foundation offers these tips:

* Remove and discard grass and weeds in a 4-foot-wide circle.

* Dig your hole 4 feet wide and 8 to 10 inches deep. Score the sides of the hole, so the inside of the hole is not smooth.

* Remove the entire root ball from the container. Thoroughly loosen and extend side and bottom roots from the root ball. Cut any roots circling the root ball with a sharp tool.

* Place the root ball in the hole so the root crown (where to trunk meets the roots) is about 1.5 to 2 inches above the surrounding ground level.

* Place the existing soil back in the hole. Do not place grass or weeds or soil amendment in the hole. When backfilling the hole, avoid air pockets by lightly tamping, but don't compact the soil. Refill the hole only up to the top of the root ball.

* Water your newly planted tree deeply after planting.

For more tips and a tree-planting video:
https://www.sactree.com/howtoplant


- Debbie Arrington

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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3

November still offers good weather for fall planting:

* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.

* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.

* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.

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