Arbor Aesthetics Tree Service - Professional Tree Trimming & Tree Removal - Omaha, NE
  • Residential Services
  • Free Proposal Request
  • Commercial Services
  • Our People
  • Careers
    • Employment Application
  • Customer Portal
  • Gift of Beautiful Trees
  • Blog

Time to Plant: Part 2 - Purchasing Quality Nursery Stock

3/28/2016

3 Comments

 
In the second part of our tree planting blog series, we're tapping into the knowledge and wisdom of horticulturist and owner of Great Plains Nursery, Heather Byers. Great Plains Nursery, located in Weston, NE, focuses on growing high quality plants that are native or especially suited to our climate. They start their trees from locally-collected seeds and grow them with love!  Here are three things Heather advises you to look for when shopping for a tree.
Picture

When choosing a new tree to add to your landscape there are lots of things to look for. Here are a few tips when purchasing a quality tree.

1.  First of all… start at a LOCAL nursery or garden center.

  • If you can buy toilet paper and screws there, it’s not the best place to find quality trees.
  • Check the tag or ask where the tree was grown. Locally grown trees are best adapted to our erratic Nebraska weather. Go even one step further and ask the seed source – again local is always best.​

2.  A tree is only as good as its root system so that’s where we’ll start:

  • The root ball should be free of circling roots and contain lots of small, fibrous roots – a tree grown in the Rootmaker® containers and RootTrapper® bags are our highly preferred choice.
Picture
  • Check for stem girdling roots around the trunk – these are bad.
  • The root collar or flare should be right at the soil level. If it looks like a telephone pole then it’s planted too deep and this can cause problems down the road.
  • Don’t hesitate to dig around in the tree a bit before buying it – this is going to be your tree, so get to know it before you make the purchase.

3.  Evaluate the Crown

  • Shade trees should have one relatively straight central leader. 
Picture
  • Main branches should be well distributed along the central leader, not clustered together.
  • Temporary branches particularly on trees 1 inch caliper or less should be present along the lower trunk below the lowest main branch – in other words, it shouldn’t be “limbed up” just yet.
Picture
  • The trunk should be free of wounds, sunburned areas, cracks, signs of boring insects, cankers or lesions. Properly made pruning cuts are acceptable.
  • The trunk caliper (thickness) and taper should be sufficient so that the tree remains vertical without a stake. 
Picture
By following these basic guidelines you’ll be enjoying your new trees for years to come.

Diagrams courtesy of Dr. Edward Gilman
3 Comments
John Carston link
1/24/2022 06:26:32 pm

I appreciate that you mentioned that it is important to prevent the plants from having wounds. My aunt mentioned to me last night that she is hoping to buy new fruit trees for her garden and asked if I have any idea what is the best option to do. Thanks to this helpful article, I'll be sure to tell her that she can consult a trusted plant nursery service in town as they can answer all her concerns.

Reply
Michelle link
2/22/2022 12:49:45 am

Thanks for sharing this useful information! Hope that you will continue with the kind of stuff you are doing.

Reply
Braden Bills link
9/2/2022 07:57:54 am

I want to make sure that I get the right plants for me. It makes sense that I would want to see what's in stock from the nearby nursery. That way, I can see what my options are.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Amy Grewe, Certified Arborist & Co-Owner 

    Categories

    All
    Community Involvement
    Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)
    Our Company
    Our Work
    Pests & Disease
    Tree Care
    Tree Planting

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    February 2022
    October 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    November 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    August 2014


    Follow this blog
Picture
Member TCIA
Picture
Picture
Arbor Aesthetics Tree Service

Arbor Aesthetics Tree Service
6724 Irvington Rd, Omaha, NE 68122
402-408-5600
info@arboraesthetics.com
  • Residential Services
  • Free Proposal Request
  • Commercial Services
  • Our People
  • Careers
    • Employment Application
  • Customer Portal
  • Gift of Beautiful Trees
  • Blog