Iola’s spring tree sale, an annual event since 1991, starts at 8 a.m., Saturday at Riverside Park.
About 65 trees and 20 bushes will be offered at $28 each for trees and $18 for bushes. They will arrive late this week from a nursery in Park Hill, Okla.
Sales are not restricted to Iola residents, and will be made on a first-come, first-served basis.
Trees will be about five feet tall and come in five-gallon containers; bushes smaller and in three-gallon containers.
Container size is an important feature when it comes to transplanting, said Tim McDonnell, community forestry coordinator with Kansas State Extension Service in Haysville.
“A lot of people tend to plant a new tree too deep,” McDonnell told the Register. “You don’t want the tree to be any deeper than how it sits in its container.”
Another tip, he said, is to check for spiraling of the root system within the container, a concern commonly overlooked.
“Cut off any roots that are spiraling,” McDonnell advised. “If you don’t the roots will continue like that,” and not spread out as they should.
Watering is important, but initially not as much as some people may think, he added. It is important, though, not to let a young tree’s root system dry out. With young trees, including those just planted, once-a-week watering usually is sufficient, he said.
“A lot of it is common sense,” McDonnell cautioned. “If it’s windy and the temperature gets up to 90,” a tree or anything growing outdoors needs more water than during a rainy period.
“I water at home once a week, and that’s usually enough,” he said.
But, don’t underestimate the value of watering, McDonnell added. “Actually, adequate watering is as good an insecticide or fertilizer you can have for a tree.”
Well-established trees also need watering, particularly when dry and hot weather threatens sub-soil moisture. McDonnell recommends a “good, deep watering for older trees.”
Also, he pointed out that tree owners shouldn’t take a break from watering during wintertime.
“We have some warmer days in the winter and it’s good to water regularly” to keep the soil’s moisture profile in good order, he said. Also, “evergreens use up more moisture in the winter than other trees.”
McDONNELL will be in Iola May 6 to help with Arbor Day activities.
