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There's still time before the really hot, dry Kansas weather settles in midway through the summer months. But before getting your spade out, its best to spend a little time researching the do's and don'ts of tree selection.
Too many times, little consideration is given early on, and sometimes the right tree is planted in the wrong place causing a myriad of problems as the tree gets older.
First off, there is a host of things to consider - almost mind-boggling. What will the approximate size the tree you're thinking of planting will eventually be and is there ample room for it once it reaches maturity?
Are overhead utility lines close by, an alleyway, or too close to your neighbor's property? What about possible underground hazards? Is a city permit required?
If paying for the work to get done, does the company in question have a city license (They must be bonded to get one in many towns.)
Part of this these questions are answered by contacting Dig-Safe, a free public service paid for by the utility companies, saving you a lot of future headaches by having them come out and mark off the locations of the buried utility lines and pipes.
This prevents someone from possibly getting a costly utility bill when they accidentally dig where they're not supposed to and causing damage, plus the embarrassment of possibly having service shut off to their neighborhood to correct a problem they caused.
As to what to plant, trees come in various sizes, shapes, and colors, from deciduous, semi-deciduous to evergreen. Whether you want a large to medium shade tree to a small ornamental or fruit tree, or an evergreen, there are a number to chose from for this area. However, its best to take the professional advise of the Kansas Forest Service and choose varieties listed in their “Preferred Trees for South Central Kansas” pamphlet listed on the Internet at: http://www.kansasforests.org/pubs/community/SC%20Pref%20Trees%20-%20FINAL2.pdf
Trees that you select don't necessarily have to come from this list because there are other species that do quite well in this area if you're willing to take a little extra care of them. Colorado Blue Spruce are sometimes hard to transplant, but once started usually do fairly well in this area. While Austrian Pine is listed in the pamphlet, it is much more susceptible to Pine Wilt disease than the Ponderosa Pine that's not listed. Northern Pin Oak also do well in this area if you're willing to have them injected for Iron Chlorosis every four to seven years. White Oak (not to be confused with the Swamp White Oak) are fairly rare in these parts because they are also hard to transplant. But once established, they grow quite fast for an oak, in fact, many times having two growth spurts each year.
There's still time before the really hot, dry Kansas weather settles in midway through the summer months. But before getting your spade out, its best to spend a little time researching the do's and don'ts of tree selection.
Too many times, little consideration is given early on, and sometimes the right tree is planted in the wrong place causing a myriad of problems as the tree gets older.
First off, there is a host of things to consider - almost mind-boggling. What will the approximate size the tree you're thinking of planting will eventually be and is there ample room for it once it reaches maturity?
Are overhead utility lines close by, an alleyway, or too close to your neighbor's property? What about possible underground hazards? Is a city permit required?
If paying for the work to get done, does the company in question have a city license (They must be bonded to get one in many towns.)
Part of this these questions are answered by contacting Dig-Safe, a free public service paid for by the utility companies, saving you a lot of future headaches by having them come out and mark off the locations of the buried utility lines and pipes.
This prevents someone from possibly getting a costly utility bill when they accidentally dig where they're not supposed to and causing damage, plus the embarrassment of possibly having service shut off to their neighborhood to correct a problem they caused.
As to what to plant, trees come in various sizes, shapes, and colors, from deciduous, semi-deciduous to evergreen. Whether you want a large to medium shade tree to a small ornamental or fruit tree, or an evergreen, there are a number to chose from for this area. However, its best to take the professional advise of the Kansas Forest Service and choose varieties listed in their “Preferred Trees for South Central Kansas” pamphlet listed on the Internet at: http://www.kansasforests.org/pubs/community/SC%20Pref%20Trees%20-%20FINAL2.pdf
Trees that you select don't necessarily have to come from this list because there are other species that do quite well in this area if you're willing to take a little extra care of them. Colorado Blue Spruce are sometimes hard to transplant, but once started usually do fairly well in this area. While Austrian Pine is listed in the pamphlet, it is much more susceptible to Pine Wilt disease than the Ponderosa Pine that's not listed. Northern Pin Oak also do well in this area if you're willing to have them injected for Iron Chlorosis every four to seven years. White Oak (not to be confused with the Swamp White Oak) are fairly rare in these parts because they are also hard to transplant. But once established, they grow quite fast for an oak, in fact, many times having two growth spurts each year.
Notice that Silver Maple and Siberian Elm (mistakenly called Chinese Elm) are not listed for good reason – these two varieties causing the majority of limb breakage during ice storms, especially with a little wind added to the mix.
The City of St. John has approximately fifty tree varieties in our three city parks. Most of these varieties are identified at least once with a tree marker. By taking a hands-on approach and looking at the ones that are marked, it might help you in deciding what tree you might want to plant.
Barry Ragan is St. John’s volunteer city forester. E-mail tree questions to Barry at sjnews@embarqmail.com.
