Farm Stand Marfa

TREE DREAMERS

As a gardener I can’t imagine living in a tree.  I like to feel the earth in my hands and under my feet. But when I hear of young activists living in trees to save forests from being cut down, I admire their outrage and the extreme form of their protest.  I imagine them living in a tree for a year, exposed to the elements.  They can feel the tree growing. They must talk to the trees.

When I was a child I was a tree dreamer. I sat in one of the two trees in our suburban backyard, nursing the knee scrapes from tree climbing, and felt safe.  These weren’t ancient old growth beauties I took refuge in, but were instead ragged tract home specimens. Neighbors surrounded us on all sides. Most people never looked up, so I was as hidden as a small bird.  In the tree I could escape family dramas.  I was somewhere between earth and sky, half human, safe from reality.

In a neighborhood of one-story houses, I didn’t have to climb very high to be free of life on the ground. Fifteen feet in the air I slipped easily into an imaginary world populated with insects and birds, bark and leaves and characters I created.  Conversations real and imagined kept me from dozing off into a nice deep sleep.  In the tree no matter how securely I wedged myself between branch and trunk, I had to stay awake to keep from tumbling down. At suppertime a tree-sit extractor, my mother usually, would yell for me to get into the house.

When Oscar Mestas, who works for the Texas Forestry Service, arrived in Marfa this week, it was as if a fellow tree dreamer had appeared. Oscar had spent the early morning with the trails crew in Big Bend National Park training them about tree care and teaching them about the science of trees.

Oscar was very generous with his lifetime of knowledge. I collected the information and categorized it below for easy reference.  The most frequently asked questions such as- what is a good tree to plant and how much do I water my trees- do not have simple answers. It depends on the location, the soil and the climate.  I will give you some guidelines that Oscar taught me so that you can answer these questions for yourself. You will find enough information to help you care for your trees and plan for new plantings.  Sources for further inquiry are listed throughout the document, Tree Care Info.

Here’s what you will find in the Tree Care Info document posted below:

KNOW YOUR REGION’S PLANT COMMUNITIES
TREE LIST for the Marfa/Alpine/Fort Davis area
IDENTIFYING WATER-STRESSED TREES
WATERING
Established trees and young and newly planted trees
PRUNING
Winter pruning
Pruning all year round
TOOLS AND TOOL CARE
MULCH
WHEN TO PLANT TREES
TRANSPLANTING ESTABLISHED TREES
HOW TO PLANT TREES
SOURCES

TREE CARE INFO
Compiled by Sandra Harper
(advisors- Oscar Mestas and Jim Martinez)

KNOW YOUR REGION’S PLANT COMMUNITIES
In the Chihuahuan Desert region of the Trans Pecos where Marfa, Alpine and Fort Davis are situated the elevation ranges from 1000 to 8,749 feet.  The plant communities in our region include the riparian areas of the Rio Grande and Pecos Rivers, the Chihuahuan Desert scrub, representing the lowest elevations, the grasslands ranging from 3,500 to 5,200 feet, the Oak/Juniper/Pinyon woodlands from 5,500 to 7,500 and the Conifer forest reaching 8,749 feet.

Marfa sits in a grassland. Alpine proper is mostly grassland.  Fort Davis proper is a mix of grassland and Oak, Pinyon, and Juniper.
Oscar Mestas of the Texas Forestry Service explains, “Elevation and drainage change the plant community.  There are many different micro-climates in all the areas. Look in a rocky gravelly arroyo to see what trees grow naturally in the grassland area.”

Choose trees that are suited for your plant community. The Texas Tree Planting site can help you with this.
http://texastreeplanting.tamu.edu/

TREE LIST FOR MARFA, FORT DAVIS AND ALPINE

Oscar Mestas:
“Actually my favorite shade tree for West Texas is the Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii  A.K.A. Western Soapberry, Jaboncillo, or Wild China.   A beautiful specimen is growing in your town across the street from the Town & Country.”
(See the photo above of the Soapberry growing in Marfa.)

Plant mostly native such as Desert Willow, Goldenball Leadtree, Hackberry, Texas Persimmon, Mexican Plum, Sumac, Mesquite, Littleleaf Walnut, Chokecherry, Mexican Buckeye, Texas Pistache, Mexican White Oak (quercus polymorpha, aka Monterrey Oak and Netleaf White Oak) Juniper, Chinkapin Oak (aka Chinquapin,) Plateau Oak, Gray Oak, Chisos Red Oak, Pinyon Pine

Jim Martinez, the plant enthusiast I collaborate with often, recommends Gregg’s Ash. “It is a small tree,” he tells me, “evergreen and from the area. Gregg’s Ash can be planted as a windbreak. It will make a big hedge. The more water it gets the faster it will get there…just regular watering will do.”
For more Trees see:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/elpasoplants/lowwatertrees.html

IDENTIFYING WATER-STRESSED TREES
These signs may indicate a 10-15 year decline.

_dead at the top
_first the leaves burn and shrivel and fall off
_next the twigs die off first
_then larger branches start to die
_borers attack stressed trees then spores enter

WATERING
Ninety percent of trees have roots that only reach three feet deep. Their roots spread out laterally beyond their drip line, the edge of the tree canopy.
Mesquite and Bur Oak send down taproots, main roots that grow vertically.

Water deep to encourage deep roots that will sustain your tree in drought conditions.
Soil type will effect how quickly and deeply the water is absorbed.
Measure the depth of moisture with a soil probe. (for info on the soil probe see the TOOL section below)

Rule of Thumb-
Water established trees every two weeks during the growing season, spring until early fall.  Water every three weeks during the fall.  In the winter a good deep watering can be done once a month.
Watering deeply means moistening the soil to a depth from 18-36 inches.
A good rain will mean you can skip the watering.
How to Water-
Water from the drip line and beyond.  The tree’s outermost leaves define the drip line.
Use several hoses arranged around the drip line and beyond. Leave them on low until the soil is moistened to a depth of 18-36 inches.  You can measure the depth of moisture with the soil probe or, in a pinch, an 18-inch screwdriver will show you how deep the moist soil goes.
Bubblers and drip irrigation lines with emitters can also be used to irrigate trees. Set them up at the drip line and beyond.

Watering Newly Planted and Young Trees-
Irrigate a newly planted tree twice a week with a hose or a bubbler.
Young trees will take from 2-3 years to become established.  Water at the base of tree. Moisten the entire root ball. As the tree’s canopy spreads expand your watering range.  Young trees may need to be watered once a week.  Use the soil probe or an 18-inch screwdriver to determine how deep the moistened soil goes. Pushing the probes into the soil will let you know when you hit dry soil.

PRUNING
Oscar recommends learning to do small pruning jobs yourself.  For bigger tree care jobs hire an arborist.  He warns, “Don’t go with the door-knockers.  Often they are just selling chemical injections for the trees.”

PRUNING IN THE WINTER
Winter is a good time to prune deciduous trees because you can see the shape of the tree when the branches have dropped their leaves.
This is a good time for serious pruning. Correct large trees for safety problems – such as branches rubbing against windows, large dead branches, and branches overhanging wires.
Prune small trees for form.

PRUNING ALL YEAR ROUND
Take care of small issues anytime of the year.
Take off the dead, the dying, and the broken branches.
For live branches use a hand saw with smaller teeth.
For dead branches use a hand saw with larger teeth.

Make Proper Pruning Cuts-
Removing branches one inch in diameter or larger requires a 3-step process to prevent the bark from ripping.
_Begin with an undercut at least one foot away from the trunk.  From the underside of the limb cut 1/3 of the way through the limb.
_Move to the topside of the limb several inches towards the branch tip and cut all the way through the limb.
_The final cut is made just beyond the branch collar.

I recommend this site for diagrams and videos on making pruning cuts. http://texastreeplanting.tamu.edu/PruneYoungTree.html

TOOLS and THEIR CARE
_hand pruner, favorite Felco #2, works like scissors
cuts anything up to an inch.
http://www.felcostore.com/order1.jsp?code=F2&referer=pruners.jsp

_pruning saw, razor teeth, back and forth sawing motion that cuts on the pull motion, use for branches one inch and thicker
Corona from TrueValue Hardware, $30-35, will last for years.  The blade is replaceable.

_Larger pruning saw
Ibuki is a good product. It is a heavy- duty arborist saw. Use this larger saw for removing dead branches and large branches.
http://wesspur.com/saws/silky-hand-saws.html

_Lopper
The lopper is a two handled cutting tool used to cut branches that are no more than an inch thick.  If the tool resists get out the pruning saw.
http://www.felcostore.com/order1.jsp?code=F21&referer=loppers.jsp

_Soil Probe
A soil auger is used for boring holes in earth. Use the probe to find the depth of dryness in the soil under the tree.
Since you want to water 2-3 feet deep each time you water, use the soil probe to find the depth of the moist soil.  If the soil is only moist to a depth of one foot, keep watering.
http://www.ehow.com/how_18413_make-soil-probe.html

TOOL CARE
Keep the blades clean using Wd 40. If the blade is covered in tree sap, leave the oil on it for twenty minutes then wipe off with a cloth. Use a fine steel wool on the blade or teeth to remove any remaining sap.
Keep the pruner and lopper blades sharp with a ceramic stone sharpener and a diamond sharpener.
http://www.felcostore.com/accessories.jsp
The saws cannot be sharpened.  You can replace the blades, but with home use, they should last for 20 years.

MULCH
Mimic the forest. Mulch trees out to the drip line and beyond.  Their roots are reaching laterally 2 to 3 times further than the drip line.  Mulch 3 inches deep with native hardwood chips and leaves.
Keep mulch away from the trunk of the tree.

GOOD TIME TO PLANT A TREE

Plant in the fall when it is cool and not so dry.  The new tree will have a better chance of getting a good start.

Plant in the rainy season.  In the Marfa, Alpine, Fort Davis areas that means August and September.  Take advantage of the rainfall.  Water between the rains.

The winter is cold and dry, early spring is windy and dry and early summer is hot and dry.  If you plant during these seasons the tree will be stressed and need more water to become established.
Most fruit trees are not available until spring, so be vigilant in your watering schedule.  When buying a fruit tree look for one that is short and branched out, rather than one that is tall and whip-like.

TRANSPLANTING ESTABLISHED TREES

The best time is the dormant season, usually December through February, after the tree has dropped its leaves and before the leaf buds.  If you have to transplant in the fall, wait until after the first few frosts.

Exceptions are palms; transplant them when the weather is warm.

Before moving a tree or shrub read these 2 sites:
http://www.grounds-mag.com/mag/grounds_maintenance_transplant_tree/

http://forestry.about.com/od/arboriculture/ht/transplant.htm

HOW TO PLANT NEW TREES
Look at these diagrams and videos http://texastreeplanting.tamu.edu/PlantTreeProperly.html

QUESTIONS
Oscar Mestas
omestas@tfs.tamu.edu

TREE INFO
http://texastreeplanting.tamu.edu/

The source I turn to every week is out of print:
Big Bend Gardener’s Guide, a publication of The Native Plant Society of Texas Big Bend Chapter
http://www.npsot.org/BigBend/

CHIHUAHUAN DESERT RESEARCH INSTITUTE
https://cdri.org/Desert/index.html