Lets take a look at Tree Pruners

Source: Tribune Review ()

Question: I would like to prune my apple trees and need a recommendation for pruning paint.

Answer: I consider few things more satisfying than pruning a tree properly and trimming apple trees is the perfect plant to start with. First, you decide if it is to be a production tree or is it to be a charming part of your landscape, which just happens to produce apples. I’ll start with the basic steps and then answer the paint question.

• First: Remove all dead branches.

• Second: Remove suckers — straight shoots (non fruit-bearing sprouts).
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• Third: Remove branches growing toward the center of the tree so that those remaining can bend under a fruit load and not break.

• Fourth: For production trees, open the center of the tree. Remove the natural crown so that most of the apples may be reached or picked from the ground. The adage is, “You should be able to throw a cow up through it.”

As to the tools, you start with a chain saw, then move to lopping shears or a small pruning saw, then down to hand pruners. I prefer the single-blade with an anvil type-pruners.

People who have to “manage” everything don’t stop to realize that trees have been healing scars and broken limb damage from wind storms, lightning strikes, ice and snow and heavy fruit loads for eons. Long before the pruning paint was concocted, trees healed themselves from frost cracking, sun burning, and scars from being hit by adjacent windthrown trees.

Dr. Shigo, who did autopsies on many dead trees, discovered that trees with even the most irregular and shattered breakages compartmentalize wounds, shut off the area to liquid flow, and begin healing growth in one year’s time.

When I first did arborcultural work, we didn’t have pruning paint. Instead, house paint was supposed to seal the branches and exclude fungus spores. Even latex paint soon cracked and peeled. Then creosote-based asphalt paint stuck, stretched and stayed …

Source: Washington Post ()

Here are some horticultural events scheduled for December and January.

The District

Now through Jan. 6: " A Midnight Clear." Check out the model train garden, as well as the miniature replica of the Mall, crafted from plant materials. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Hours extend to 8 p.m. Dec. 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20 and 27. Free. U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. 202-225-8333, http://www.usbg.gov.

Source: Modesto Bee ()

By Ed Perry

last updated: December 14, 2007 05:00:43 PM

I recently attended a tree care conference where the main topic was pruning. The general consensus among the arborists and other tree experts in attendance was that pruning may be the most important maintenance task to perform on young trees if they are to live up to our expectations. The time and expense invested in training a young tree always will be much less than the costly and time-consuming corrective pruning of neglected mature trees.

Tree pruning must begin at time of planting. But avoid the temptation to thin a young tree’s crown excessively. Research has shown that growth is more rapid and trees become established sooner if pruning at planting time is limited to removing only weak, dead, diseased or injured branches, and to maintain a single central leader. By removing these obvious defects, young trees are able to use all available foliar resources needed to develop a strong root system and to overcome planting stress. However, you should avoid removing small side branches that may occur along the trunk. These lateral branches help the trunk increase in diameter, making for a sturdier tree. They also shade the trunk, reducing the likelihood of sunburn injury, a serious problem for young trees in our hot Central Valley summers.

Young tree pruning really should be thought of as training. Two general concepts that will help guide the pruner are 1) training or pruning can take place progressively over the next three to five years and 2) no more pruning should take place in a single year than is needed to enhance the shape or structural strength of the tree (in general, no more that 25 percent of a young tree’s canopy).

Unless your goal is to develop a multistemmed tree, such as for relatively small-growing species like crape myrtle, it should be trained to a central dominant leader. The central leader is the topmost vertical stem extending from the trunk. Prune …

Source: Web Services Journal ()

NEW YORK, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ — What Web sites can a New Yorker visit to learn how to estimate a taxi fare and find someone to share the ride, entertain kids while avoiding tourist traps, sail the Hudson, score cheap theater tickets, watch a video of David Byrne riding a bike through Times Square, tour a cemetery, or become a volunteer tree pruner in Central Park? Where in New York City can you find a dog-loving date, a poetry reading, a decent public bathroom, someone who will let you sleep on their couch, a 24-hour pharmacy, a sample sale, or a restaurant that is gluten-free or kosher or near a particular subway stop?

Until today, the answers to these questions were elusive; discovering them required a convoluted search of hundreds of disparate Web sites. But now all of the answers, and more, can be found on one Web site — findingDulcinea’s New York City Survival Guide. http://www.findingdulcinea.com/guides/Travel/New-York-City-Survival-Guide-Part-I.html

The NYC Survival Guide, created over several months by a team of expert Internet researchers at findingDulcinea, contains narrated links to more than 275 carefully selected Web sites. Each link is accompanied by a concise description that explains what you’ll find when you click, so you can zoom in on what you’re searching for.

“The New York City Survival Guide is the only resource you need to visit, learn about, experience and enjoy one of the greatest cities in the world,” said Mark Moran, CEO of findingDulcinea.

“This guide reads like a love letter to New York City,” said Adam Hofstetter, Senior Editor of findingDulcinea. “Anyone reading the guide will find his or her own reason to fall in love with the City of New York, either for the first time or all over again.”

Part I of the guide, “Core Services,” contains narrated links to Web sites that help users with life, such as using mass transit, and finding an apartment, locksmiths, emergency medical care, and local …

Source: Toledo Blade ()

Are you done cleaning up the garden? It may seem like a never-ending task.
One reader, Mary Norton, asks about her hollyhocks and forget-me-nots. Hollyhocks are nice background plants; they sprout huge blossoms and attract many insects. Once the season is over, they usually will drop many seeds and will sprout again next year. They are biennials, which means they will put their energy toward creating foliage the first year, then flower the second year. They are also considered annuals with great reseeding power that keeps them coming up year after year.
Now that the growing season is over, cut the large hollyhock stems at ground level. Those won’t flower again. But look closely around them. You will see little plants sprouting around the mother plant. These will bloom next year. Cover them with mulch and uncover them in the spring.
Forget-me-nots also are annuals that toss out a lot of seeds. Four-o-clocks, California poppies, bachelor buttons, and johnny-jump-ups are other annual favorites that can make a comeback year after year on their own. You also can collect their seeds and see what you come up with next year. Cut back the foliage on this year’s plant, then look for small plantlets that might have taken root. Cover them gently with mulch and let them freeze for the winter.Pruning shrubs

The basic rule of thumb for pruning shrubs is to prune them after they are done blooming. If your shrub used to look like a tree and has gotten out of control, it might take a few seasons to make it look like a tree again, because you shouldn’t remove more than one-third of the shrub at a time.
Some shrubs and trees are loaded with blossoms that will be ready to bloom in the spring. The shrubs you shouldn’t touch are lilacs, magnolia, crabapple, hydrangea, dogwood, forsythia. You will want your holly shrubs to show off this winter, so wait to shape them in the summer.
Clematis be pruned in the winter. First prune back areas that are damaged, then prune it back …

Source: Seattle Times ()

City of Mercer Island, Washington

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

POSITION:                   Arborist – Right-of-Way

(Part time, contract position funded through December 31, 20

POSTED:                          November 26, 2007

CLOSES:                          Open until filled -  Applications will be reviewed as they are submitted.

WORK HOURS:                          20 hours per week Monday – Friday, Hours and days negotiable.

SALARY:                           $29.00 - $30.25 per hour (Depending on experience plus excellent benefits)

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

The Arborist provides urban forestry services for trees in the public right-of-way, including long-range comprehensive planning, the development of City standards, public information about City policies and regulations, and removal and replacement efforts. Responds to about hazard trees, performs tree inspections and provides referrals. Advises the City regarding tree selection, retention, …

Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution ()

WEEK 1

Mistletoe is easy to see in trees now. Although not fatal, it does weaken the branches. Remove as much as you can with a ladder and a pole pruner.

Fertilize your fescue lawn if you have not applied nutrients since October. Keep an eye on the weather forecast; you’ll need rainfall to dissolve the plant food into the soil.

Wild onions are beginning to peek up now. Control them with a broadleaf weed killer that contains 2,4-D or imazaquin. Read and follow the label exactly.

Small shrubs, 3 feet to 4 feet high, can be moved now. Bring as many roots as possible with the transported plant, even if most soil is left behind. Use bathwater to irrigate deeply afterward.

WEEK 2

Fertilize pansies and ornamental cabbage if they have not been fed in the last three weeks. Houseplant fertilizer or special pansy fertilizers work well.

This is a great time to have your soil tested by the University of Georgia Soils Lab. Details at www.georgiasoiltest.com.

Wax myrtle is an excellent evergreen screen, but it demands yearly pruning to keep it in shape. Now is a good time to remove lanky branches and thin sprouts from trunks and roots.

Pull weeds from asparagus beds. Since the plant grows in the same spot for years, weeds are difficult to control with herbicides. Weeds compete with asparagus for nutrients.

WEEK 3

Enjoy the blooms of Christmas cactus, but keep the plant away from furnace vents. Warm air on the buds and flowers makes them short-lived.

Dawn redwood and bald cypress are beautiful deciduous trees that can grow quite large. If you have a farm pond, consider planting either statuesque tree on a bank where you can enjoy the view.

Shredded leaves make great mulch but keep this material, and all other mulches, 3 inches away from perennial plant stems and inches away from tree and shrub trunks.

Raspberries and blackberries are among the most reliable and pest-free …

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer ()

Here are some of the holiday workshops being offered over the next few weeks:
Creating homemade wrapping paper, personalized cards, ornaments and gift boxes: 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 7, for preschool children and their parents. Registration required; bring photos or magazine images to create personalized collages. All other materials supplied. Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagy's Mill Rd.; 215-482-7300; www/schuylkillcenter.org. Members $5/child, nonmembers $9/child. Instructor: Jennifer Frudakis.
Evergreen wreaths: Hourly, Dec. 7 and 8. Registration required. Triple Oaks Nursery, 2359 Delsea Dr., Franklinville; 856-694-4272; tripleoaks@aol.com. Fee: $40.
Wreaths: 7 to 9 p.m. Dec. 7 and 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 8. Registration required; bring pruners & dish gloves. Swarthmore College, Scott Arboretum office, Route 320 & College Avenue, Swarthmore; 610-328-8025; www.scottarboretum.org. Fee: $45.
Wreaths: 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 8. Bring garden gloves, pruners. Registration required; all materials supplied. Morris Arboretum, 100 Northwestern Ave., 215-247-5777, Ext. 156 or 125; www.morrisarboretum.org. Fee: $45.
Wreaths: 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 8. Register by Wednesday. Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve, River Road (Route 32), New Hope; 215-862-2924; www.bhwp.org. Fee: $42.
Centerpieces, luminarias, ornaments, wreaths: 7 to 9 p.m. Dec. 13. Registration required; all materials supplied. Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagy's Mill Rd.; 215-482-7300; www/schuylkillcenter.org. Fee: Members $8, nonmembers $12. Instructor: Jennifer Frudakis.
Creating an edible winter fairy tale with gingerbread houses and woodland creatures: 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 14, for preschool children and their parents. Registration required; all materials Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagy's Mill Rd.; 215-482-7300; www/schuylkillcenter.org. Members: $8/child. Nonmembers: $12/child. A …

Source: OCRegister ()

Contact the writer: cmcnatt@ocregister.com or 714-796-5023

Source: Allentown Morning Call ()

More gifts for your gardening friends

Sue Kittek |
Garden Keeper
December 7, 2007

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Last Saturday, despite the cold, we played the part of the grasshopper in the Aesop fable, ‘’The Ant and the Grasshopper.'’ While husband, Fran, puttered about the yard, tidying, storing and securing things; sister Peg and I played with a turkey fryer. Yes, it was cold; yes, it was a bit windy; and yes, I have tons of things that need to be done outside. However, we fried our first turkey. So, like the grasshopper, we went for the instant gratification while Fran labored on getting things ready for winter. We did share the turkey with him and it was delicious.

More gifts

This week I’m going to continue with gift suggestions. One of my favorites this year is the reciprocating saw I mentioned a few weeks ago. While it is still a serious power tool, I find it much safer than the chainsaw. This gift is good for gardeners with wooded areas or trees that need serious pruning. For those not into power tools, consider a good tree saw, lopping shears, or a nice pair of bypass pruners.

Sue Kittek

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For seed starters, things like heat mats, grow lights or replacement bulbs, plant trays with no drain holes, or, one that intrigued me, a form for making paper pots from newspapers. I questioned the durability of those pots until I a pulmoneria in a paper pot this summer. As usual, it took a while for me …