Arbor Day Trees

Join the Arbor Day Foundation for $10 and get 10 “free” trees. Of the 10 from last year, 3 are still alive. This fall, for taking a survey, there are 10 more trees plus a crepe myrtle. They won’t be labeled so it is really fun to guess what they are. They will be planted between the street and the sidewalk. If 3 live each year and I only want 9 trees, someday my part of the streetscape will be tree-lined.

The Arbor Day trees are just tiny little sticks, some of them don’t even have roots. I’m excited that 3 of them lived. Of all the blueberries I have planted, there are only 2 plants alive. I have planted at least 10 or 12. They were a lot more expensive than the Arbor Day trees. This year, I will clone some blueberries and mulberries for a hedge on the inside side of the sidewalk. The birds seem to beat us to the mulberries in the back yard every year; but we like the birds too.

This is a really good time of year for taking most cuttings. Snip a 6” to 8” piece of new growth with a tiny bit of old growth. Dip this in some rooting hormone and plant it in some wet sand. Cover with plastic to maintain humidity. Mist the young plant every couple of days. Place the plant in indirect light rather than in strong sunlight. When the plant has developed roots and begins to show signs of growth transplant it to a pot for about a year before planting it in the ground.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/