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By For The Madera Tribune - Michelle Lestrange

Neighborhoods are springing up everywhere so nurseries are busy with new homeowners buying plants for vacant back yards. Fall is a great time of year to plant trees because plant energy is devoted to root growth. When spring comes, trees are established and ready to grow.

Purchasing the tree. Avoid buying container trees with big full tops (I call them lollipop trees). These trees have been "headed back" in the nursery and usually have many branches arising from the same point.

In the long term these trees will have poor branch structure. Instead, look for trees with a central leader and side branches that are evenly distributed around the tree. It is great if the trees have some small branches growing the entire length of the trunk.

These are "temporary" branches, but are so important for shading a young trunk and supplying it with food so that it develops a good taper.

Preparing the planting hole. The planting hole need only be as deep as the root ball. Plant "high" in all but extremely sandy soils.

The root ball should set on a firm base with the center slightly higher than the edge of the hole. The hole should be about twice as wide as the root ball for up to 15-gallon plants. Larger trees can be planted in holes less than twice the root-ball diameter, but don't plant any tree so low that water flows towards the trunk.

Setting the tree. Orient the tree to give the most pleasing landscape effect. Place the side with the most branches into the prevailing wind direction. If wind, sunburn and appearance are not problems, place the largest branch or heavy side of the tree toward the northeast. The less developed side of the tree will be favored with more light from the southwest.

Back fill the hole with the original soil. Organic amendments are only necessary for extremely heavy or sandy soils (mix 20 to 40 percent organic matter by volume, with the back fill soil). Work the soil around the roots so that they are spreading and supported by soil. Firmly tamp down the soil with your foot several times while backfilling. Contrary to popular belief, fertilizer is not a necessary requirement at planting.

Watering. Tree water basins should be 3-4 feet in diameter for a 15-gallon tree. Fill with water to settle the soil and provide water to roots. If the tree ends up sitting lower than the soil surface, use a shovel under the root ball to raise it. Never add soil to the top of the root ball near the trunk; it makes water penetration more difficult or leads to trunk decay.

If trees are planted in lawns, keep the grass away from trunks. Young trees are stunted by grass growing close even when additional water and fertilizer are applied and are prone to injury by lawnmowers and weed whackers.

Staking. Trees are usually purchased with a wooden stake tightly tied to the tree trunk. Remove it. This stake is only for ease of nursery operations and will hurt the proper development of a tree in the landscape.

Try not to stake your tree. Staking trees is undesirable, but sometimes necessary. Support staking may be required when a trunk is not sturdy enough to support the top or it is unable to return to an upright position after a wind.

For trees with heavy tops, try thinning the crown before staking. Remove up to one third of the branches to reduce crown weight and wind resistance.