An Obituary: The Life of an Unfortunate Tree

Part 2

By Doug Coffey, Fairfax Master Gardener Intern
(This is the second of a two-part article about the common mistakes we make when planting a new tree and owning mature ones.)

When we make the decision to plant a tree, we may not realize we are also making a commitment to care for that tree for the rest of our lives or at least as long as we own the property. If we take care and make the right choices regarding site selection, suitability and proper maintenance, most trees we plant will almost certainly outlive us.

Too often, however, we choose a tree that is the wrong shape and size for the site. It crowds out other plantings or bumps into the house when the canopy spread turns out to be wider than we realized, or it shades too much lawn and creates an unattractive, thin, weedy turf.

If we don’t take into consideration what the sun, soil or moisture requirements for our tree might be, we unintentionally create obstacles to its survival.

One obstacle is competition for survival. When we choose a beautiful specimen or flowering tree, we want it to be the center of attention in our perfectly manicured lawn. And there in is the rub. The conditions that favor a lawn often conflict with a healthy tree. While shading is the most obvious form of competition, roots also compete below ground for water, nutrients and space. The fertilizer needs of trees and turf are different and need to be applied differently.

Assuming we have carefully considered the site, conditions and what the mature tree will look like, here are some of the challenges to a healthy tree we might accidentally create.

It starts with the hole. If the hole for our new tree isn’t at least two to three times wider than the root ball and no deeper than the ball, we’re not giving the tree room to grow. We may think we’re helping the tree by augmenting the soil in the hole around the tree but all we are doing is discouraging the roots from extending out naturally. Since all of its nutrient needs are close at hand, the roots that are needed to anchor the tree don’t expand outward.

New trees we get from the nursery most often come either in plastic tubs or B&B (Ball and Burlap). If the material used to tie the burlap around the trunk, such as nylon rope, is not removed, it will strangle the tree. If the root ball isn’t loosened up when it comes out of the plastic tub, especially if it has become root bound, it may continue to grow around the trunk of the tree, creating a condition known as root strangle.

Virginia Tech has published several guides for successfully planting a tree that are available online. Links are in the references below.

After the tree is planted, we unintentionally can create other challenges. We may stake the tree to make sure it grows straight and true. Most of the time, staking is not needed. The natural movement of the trunk in the wind helps strengthen the trunk by thickening it and giving it taper from bottom to top. Trunk movement also stimulates root growth. If forgotten about and left in place too long, staking too tightly can girdle a tree, weakening and even possibly killing the tree. It results in a thicker trunk above the tie. This difference in thickness upsets smooth travel of water and nutrients up and down the developing trunk.

We have been known to use an established tree as an anchor for our fence or allow the tree to grow close to a chain link fence — never a good idea. It doesn’t take long for the tree to grow around the fencing material and lead to sure death as the cambium layer, the growing part of the tree, is strangled.

We want our tree to look nice and manicured so we might add mulch around the base of the tree. We may think if a little is good, a lot is even better so we add a mountain of mulch around the trunk creating a volcano of trouble that leads to rot, insect invasion or girdling roots growing above and around the base of the tree, another path toward tree demise. Better to spread the mulch away from the tree to limit injury from mechanical sources.

We may hire Careless Lawn Service to mow and trim the lawn and edge our flower beds. I once watched a kid repeatedly back his riding mower into a tree as he tried to mow closely around the trunk. Mechanical damage from lawn mowers and weed whips cut into the bark, wounding the tree. Bark is like your skin: It keeps good things in and bad things out. Accidentally wounding the bark of a shrub or tree with a string trimmer, lawn mower or saw allows infection and disease to get in that could end up killing the tree.

We like the shade our tree provides for our children’s swing set or our parked car. But the resulting soil compaction of the root zone deprives the root tissues of oxygen and water and can lead to root decline affecting the tree’s health. Building near the tree that requires either adding soil or excavating will also cause root problems leading to weaker trees that are prone to other stress factors or pests that can further injure the tree.

We may resort to chemical treatments of our tree to fight an infestation of tent worms or other destructive insects. We might decide to use chemicals to manage our turfgrass but poor conditions such as wind drift can have unintended consequences. Most chemical damage is the result of mistakes from not following instructions. Extreme care and careful reading of warning labels is necessary to avoid unintentional damage to non-targeted trees or plants. The wrong chemical applied the wrong way can cause serious damage to your prized tree.

Even though there are many ways we can accidentally cause the death of a tree, the value of a tree to your well-being and to your property value is significant and we should not hesitate to plant. The words of a Chinese proverb beckon us: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” Knowing more about the conditions needed for a healthy tree and careful management and regular attention will lead you to the enjoyment of your trees for many years to come.

References
• Tree and Shrub Planting Guidelines, Bonnie Lee Appleton, Virginia Tech
• Planting Trees, Diane Relf, Virginia Tech
• Trees and Turf: Can’t We All Just Get Along, Cregg, Department of Horticulture and Forestry, Michigan
   State University
• Dieback and Decline of Trees, Clatterbuck, University of Tennessee Extension
• The Tree Guide, Arbor Day Foundation
• Guidelines for Planting Trees and Shrubs, Deborah C. Swanson University of Massachusetts, Amherst
• River Birch, Home and Garden Information Center, Clemson Cooperative Extension