Let's Plant Some Trees!
Planting new trees is a great way to add beauty and value to a property, but there are several considerations that should be made when deciding what to plant and how. From species and genus diversity to soil conditions and heartiness zones, just shopping for the right tree can be a science in itself! Our Arbor Specialists are here to help with the entire process, including selection based on site and soil conditions as well as choosing quality trees from a number of trusted nurseries we work with in Iowa.
Diversity is important, on a property as well as the canopy of the community, whether a rural woods or urban forest. By planting less common trees and more of them, we can avoid the disastrous results of monoculture we've seen with the American Elm and now all North American Ash varieties. When Dutch Elm Disease wiped out virtually all the Elms, Iowa planted Ash almost exclusively as a replacement tree. Now with the onslaught of Emerald Ash Borer infestation spreading across Iowa, we are learning from these past mistakes. The DNR now recommends that we plant no more than 5% of the entire canopy in a species and no more than 10%. We should reconsider what is popular and especially avoid doing what our neighbors do just to give our streets a uniform look. Arbor Specialists Tree Health Care technicians work closely with homeowners and corporate properties as a liaison to the many nurseries we have to choose from. We not only pick the right nursery for our clients, we also select the best specimens available based on our experience with similar trees in similar landscapes to your own!
When planting the perfect tree for your property, we will handle everything so it's as easy as watering for you! Our step-by-step approach starts with obtaining permission to dig and locating buried lines through Iowa One Call. We then purchase and pick the tree up for you and deliver it to its new home, where we use the Air Spade to create a planting hole with channels of less compact soil radiating outward to further reduce the chances of circling roots. After removing the pot, scoring the roots and dropping it in the hole, soil is added and watered in to the proper planting depth that leaves root flares and trunk taper above ground. Finally, we add 2-3 in of mulch as far out to the dripline as possible, making sure to shape a donut with very little mulch at the base of the tree rather than a mound or volcano burying the trunk taper. Proper mulching is one of the easiest things you can do for your tree to ensure its success.
