Brown trees and box stores I


t is so disheartening to drive down a street and see an avenue of brown cedars lining a hopeful homeowner’s drive-


way. It is easy to imagine the excitement and promise the homeowners felt when they planted these trees and just as easy to imag- ine their heartbreak come spring when there is nothing left but a row of brown sticks. Chances are, the homeowner bought the


trees at a very low price from a box store last year and chances are just as good that the trees were labeled “grown in Canada”, but what the box store manager and his dedi- cated employees lacked was the experience and understanding of the needs of these liv- ing plants both before sale and after. So often, these six foot cedars are sold at


an unbelievably low price. What you don’t know is that the root ball has been confined to an extremely small space, the tree has been subjected to the stress of inappropriate


lease fertilizer to the root zone to give the plant a boost next spring. Add an organic mulch to the root zone to keep moisture in. WATER, water, water, this first year, espe-


cially in fall before freeze up. This is critically import to allow the tree to store moisture in its leaves, because cedars do not go com- pletely dormant in winter. For a cedar hedge, you can plant the trees root ball to root ball.


h y Cedars need sunlight but be careful of


south facing exposures in areas where the wind is strong and the sunlight likely to re- flect off snow. You can face winterburn that can also be devastating to these lovely trees. Cedars are very hardy throughout the


province and generally really need little ex- tra care – except in these early stages. Don’t be discouraged and for additional comfort, visit you local garden centre for your pur- chase. `


NOW AVAILABLE


These “bargain” trees weren’t such a bargain after all.


watering and overheating for several months and that the box store employee does not have the training to tell you how to overcome these issues, if indeed, you can. Best advice is to ignore the sticker price and head for your nearest local garden centre where you may pay more up front but you have guarantees and the retailer knows what he is talking about. However, if you can’t resist the price and


really want the trees, here are a couple of tips to help these bedraggled fellows exist into next year. Examine the root ball. Pull the tree out


of the plastic pot and if you see roots cir- cling the pot, know that you are faced with some challenges. If you still go ahead with the purchase, be sure that you know enough to disentangle the roots before planting the tree.


Dig a wide hole, but only a little bit


deeper than the pot the tree is planted in. Build a mound in the centre of the hole and carefully position the tree over the mound, spreading its roots out around the mound. Fill the hole with a light mixture of or-


ganics and soil, porous enough to allow for moisture penetration but strong enough to anchor the roots. Add some bone meal to the mix and some slow release fertilizer. Fertilize in May, June and July with a wa- ter soluble fertilizer. In fall, add a slow re-


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