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As weather pattern shifts from wet to dry, pay attention to trees under stress

Lead Summary
By
Michael Walgrave, Rock County Soil and Water Conservation District engineering technician

Spring is here. The soil is warming. Frost could impact vegetables and crops, but this is the right time to plant trees.
If you ordered trees from our office this past winter, they will be available for pickup April 9.
In the following weeks, the Rock SWCD will be planting trees around Rock County for conservation and land-improvement projects.
Landowners should be aware that trees are experiencing more stress than usual as a result of weather extremes in the last five years. We have seen historically wet conditions in back-to-back years. In the last six months, we have seen drought conditions.
Weather events stress trees, which then makes them more susceptible to diseases. As a result of recent climate extremes, we have received more calls than usual regarding tree mortality and needle/leaf drop.
The University of Minnesota Extension has a few tips to help trees survive and thrive.
   
Water trees first and second year
The most important time to water trees is in their first and second year to help roots get established. Within 24 hours after planting, the soil around the tree should be thoroughly soaked past the roots. Filling the hole with water and letting it soak in before planting the tree is a good strategy.  
Your new planting should be watered every other day for the first two weeks. Trees should be watered weekly if there is less than 1 inch of rain for the week.
One way to see if you are watering enough is by sticking your finger in the soil a couple of inches.  The soil should at least be moist two inches into the ground.
If water is ponding on the surface and does not soak in within a few hours, the soil could be saturated and may have drainage issues.
 
Mulch around trees
Three to four inches of hardwood mulch under the tree is recommended to help maintain and regulate moisture in the soil. There should be a 2-to-3-inch space between the mulch and the tree trunk, so that the mulch will not hurt the tree. A circle of mulch around the tree should be as wide as the branches reach.
Along with moisture control, mulch also helps prevent diseases found in the soil from splashing up on the lower branches and killing new growth. 
 
 Increase airflow
Thin out evergreen trees so that their branches are not touching. Some tree diseases thrive in humid conditions. Increasing airflow by thinning out trees will decrease humidity in the canopy and thereby decrease disease pressure.
 
Add cover crops
If you don’t want to mulch around your trees, you might want to consider planting a low-growing pollinator mix around the tree. A diversity of plant roots in the soil is good for soil health and tree health.
If the area had been tilled for planting the tree, cover crops can help get your soil structure back in to shape. Good soil structure allows water to infiltrate the soil to the trees roots.
Don’t forget about the critters. Tree tubes seem to be the best defense against rabbits and deer.
    
How to plant more trees
Tree orders for the spring should be placed in the fall of the previous year. We recommend contacting our office in October. Popular trees tend to run out by November.
You can see what our nursery can ship to us by visiting SchumachersNursery.com
We only order 2-to-3-foot bare root ($1.85-each) and 1-gallon potted evergreen trees ($8.50-each).
We do have a few extra trees this year. The bare root trees we still have are American plum, apricot, elderberry, American hazelnut, hackberry, nannyberry, golden willow, blue willow and laurel leaf willow.
Larger trees still available are red oak and American linden, paper birch, black walnut and cottonwood. We also have a few extra evergreens including white spruce.
You can reach me at the Rock County Land Management Office by calling 507-283-8862.

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