Planting and Tree Care

for Tallyns Reach

Keith Worley, Forester

ISA Certified Arborist
Where We Live:

High elevation at the edge of Mountains and
Plains.

Harsh climates with:

High winds.

Drought periods and watering restrictions.

Intense solar radiation.

Dry winters.

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 4
Why you want to plant a tree?

Shade

Screening

Energy Conservation

Beauty

Wildlife
Finding the right spot

Allow room for full growth at maturity.

Follow soils and engineering reports for your
property to protect your foundation.

Avoid conflicts with future uses such as
utilities, lawn area, and blocking of views.

Remember the future trunk flare and its
relationship to concrete surfaces and fences.
Soils- Mother Earth

Heavy clays are tough on trees:

Shallow rooting and conflicts with turf.

Do not allow for good soil atmospheres with
good oxygen content.

Prone to uprooting in high winds and heavy
snow loads.

Prone to compaction with heavy use.
Soil Amendments

Incorporate organic material 12-18 inches
deep and well beyond the drip line.

Use well aged compost.

Do not use horse manure- too hot with salts!

3 cubic yards per 1,000 square feet.
Buying Trees

Look for:

A central leader or main trunk.

Root Collar at or slightly above ground level of
the root ball.

Avoid:

Trees with multiple stems and no dominant
leader.

Plants with circling roots.
Remember:

The fullest looking tree is not necessarily the
best tree.

A tree with a strong central leader will tolerate
wind and snow.
Best Trees for our area:

Conifers:

Ponderosa Pine, Austrian Pine, White Fir,
Douglas-fir.

Deciduous:

Oaks, Honey locusts, Kentucky Coffee Tree,
Hackberry, Linden, Norway Maple.

Refer to “Recommended Trees For Colorado
Front Range Communities” and “Trees and
Shrubs for Mountain Areas”
Planting Tips:

Dig wide planting holes- not deep.

Do not dig deeper than intended planting
depth so tree will not settle.

Plant 2-4 inches above surrounding grade.

Mulch well beyond drip line with 2-3 inches of
mulch.

Water deeply and infrequently.
Dig Wide! Not Deep.
Remove!

All twine, rope and wire from around the tree.

Remove any wire baskets on the upper 2/3rd
of the root ball after it is placed in the planting
hole.

Remove all burlap from around or on top of
the root ball.
Staking and guying

Stake low on the tree.

Remove after the first year. Do not leave
staking on any tree for more than two years.

Use webbing or old carpet strips.

Do not place wire or string around the trunk.

Do not use any type of hose.
Watering Reminder:

Deep, infrequent watering is best for good
root development and prevention of drought
stress.

Check regularly with soil probe.

Turf watering and tree watering are not the
same thing!

Allow periodic drying of the root zone to allow
oxygen back into the soil.
Tree Watering with drip systems

Provide emitters to areas outside the root
ball.

Check regularly to make sure they are
working.

Make sure they are all on a separate zone so
it can provide “DEEP, INFREQUENT
watering”.

Frequent, shallow watering promotes poor
root development and does not promote
drought tolerance.
Mulching

Start at 0’ depth at the trunk or root collar.

2-3” of mulch is enough.

Do not use more than 4”.

Do not put mulch volcanoes around the tree.
Mulches
Weed Barriers/Fabrics

Please, do not use them!

No soil is ever built at the mulch/soil interface.

Do not allow for good air exchange.
Pruning

Learn to make proper pruning cuts.

Look for the branch collar and branch bark
ridge.

Train trees when young to avoid large cuts as
the tree matures.

Remove dead, dying, diseased and deformed
branches.
Branch Collar Pruning
Different Collar Locations
Monitor regularly for:

Watering

Over watering

Insect pests:

Aphids and spider mites

Scales

Defoliators

Diseases like fire blight
Contact your local ISA Certified
Arborist

Trained in proper tree care practices.

Up-to-date on current pests in the area.

Trained in Abiotic disorders.

www.isarmc.org

www.isa-arbor.com

www.treesaregood.com
Native Pine Care

Ponderosa Pines

Northern most extent of the “Black Forest”

On the edge of the “Great American Desert”

Ages may range from 30 to 150 years old.
Tallyns Pines are:

Shallow rooted due to heavy clay soils.

Easily impacted by construction and
landscaping activities.

Subject to overwatering!
Root Zones of Our Pines
Shallow roots in heavy clay soils.
Pines in Trouble

Overwatering:

Yellowing branches from the bottom upward.

Off color needles, yellowish green.

Root loss:

Top dieback.

Thinning foliage throughout tree.

Attack by Ips beetles.

Raised grade:

Similar to overwatering symptoms.
Poor Drainage

Grading that allows water from irrigation and
storm run off to slow down and flood trees.

Water from adjacent neighbors flooding into
your yard.

Sump pump discharges not drained away
from trees.
Raised grade
Bark Beetles

Ips Engraver Beetles

Main threat in Tallyns Reach.

Mountain Pine Beetles are rare in the area.
The Beatles
The Bark Beetles
Ips killed pines due to construction
Ips Love Weakened Trees!!!

Excavation

Trenching for:

Utilities

Irrigation

Transplanting

Lightning damage

Drought
Preventive Spraying for Ips

Must specify to tree spraying company that
you want your tree sprayed for Ips.

NOT Mountain Pine Beetles (MPB).

If sprayed for MPB, then only trunk is
sprayed.

Ips attack the top, branches and trunk!
Special Thanks to:

Tallyns Reach Metro District

ISA for diagrams used in the promotion of
good tree care practices.

www.isa-arbor.com

www.treesaregood.com

Colorado State Forest Service

www.csfs.colostate.edu

CSU Cooperative Extension Service

www.ext.colostate.edu