K-State Horticulturist Jason Griffin presented information on how to select a tree for this part of the country and state to the Pratt Master Gardeners. on Sept. 19 at the Pratt County Fairgrounds.
Pratt Lunch and Learn participants learned that there are many choices when it comes to selecting a tree on Wednesday.
Jason Griffin, horticulturist at Kansas State University John Pair Horticulture center, shared some tips for selecting and caring for trees in Kansas at the Pratt County Fairgrounds.
Griffin said care has to be taken when making a selection because that tree will be on the property for many years. But in the case of trees, selecting a species of tree is even more important. Some trees thrive better in certain regions than others so property owners have work to do before putting that tree in a hole.
Before selecting a tree, property owners need to find out which species are best suited for their region and they need to consider what the tree will eventually look like, Griffin said.
Tree height, width, blossoms, age, foliage, seed production are all elements to be considered. A tree’s tolerance for heat, drought, moisture and soil contents like pH should be determined before selecting a tree, Griffin said.
Fertilizer is also a key factor in a successful tree. Griffin said to not fertilize a new tree for the first year because of the nutrients it already has from the nursery.
The most critical time for a new tree is planting and the first year. One of the most common mistakes with a new tree is overwatering. Property owners need to remember when they water their lawn, they are also watering their tree. They also need to consider the impact herbicides and pesticides will have on a tree.
“We have to do everything right or it will fail,” Griffin said.
Some trees that grow well in Kansas include amur maple, redbud, Chinese fringetree, American smoketree, flowering crabapples, trident maple, hedge maple, shantung maple, John Pair sugar maple, autumn splendor maple, golden raintree, Osage orange, river birch honeylocust, Kentucky coffeetree, national elm trail, London planetree, swamp white oak, shingle oak, shumard oak, Texas red oak, baldcypress, Chinese pistache.