In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

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December 14, 2007

Replacing an old tree with a new one

Q: We recently removed an 18-year-old redwood from our front yard and will be replacing it with a Chinese Pistache. We’ve heard you shouldn’t plant another tree in the same spot for at least a year, and that the ground up stump makes good fertilizer. Is this true? And what is the correct way to plant a new tree?
Dennis Shun, Sacramento

A: Luanne Leineke, stewardship coordinator for the Sacramento Tree Foundation, says you can go ahead and plant the new tree where you removed the redwood.

However, she suggests removing all of the sawdust and shavings from the ground up stump and replacing it with soil from another part of your yard. The reason is the sawdust/ shavings will take nitrogen away from the soil in order to decompose, and that means it will be taking that important food away from your new tree. It’s fine to use it as a top dressing, but don’t mix it into the soil. Leineke says let the new soil settle in for a couple of weeks and then plant the pistache.

For tree planting tips, visit The Sacramento Tree Foundation website, click on “tree info” and you’ll find instructions on how to plant a tree.

A pet peeve of mine is tree staking. Potted trees often come with a small stake tied directly against the trunk of the tree. This is for the tree’s protection in the nursery and while it is potted. Remove that stake! Further, most newly planted trees do not need to be staked. If the tree trunk is weak and wobbly, yes, stake it. Otherwise don’t. Swaying in the breeze helps a tree trunk develop the strength it needs to withstand stormy weather. Keeping it staked all its life is akin to us using crutches in case we might fall down.

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