TREES

TREES AND THEIR PURPOSE

We can get trees via Kings nursery or Jack lynch.

The purpose of a tree is to shade a house. We want a big tree on the west-facing side of the house.

We want at least two trees planted per house.

As a rule of thumb, if you would go in a westward direction from the house by about eight to 10 feet, that is where we would want a tree planted. In that spot, we would like either a Red Oak, a Bur Oak, a Sweet Gum, a Tulip Poplar, or a Willow Oak planted.

That will provide shade to the house.

You can download a Compass app on your phone or use the rule that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so whatever direction the sun's setting is, that is the direction.

Note:

Avoid planting maple trees in Kentucky as the effects of global warming may increasingly make the region unsuitable for these species. Maples, which thrive in cooler climates, struggle to endure prolonged periods of extreme heat and drought conditions. As temperatures continue to rise, these trees are less likely to survive and maintain their health, leading to a diminished canopy and increased susceptibility to pests and diseases. Consequently, it is prudent to consider more heat-tolerant native species like oaks. Oaks are better adapted to the changing climate, offering durability and resilience in hotter conditions while providing significant ecological benefits such as habitat for wildlife and a robust, long-lasting canopy.

Burr Oak Tree

You DO NOT need to call the dig line if you plant a tree with shovels.

Here's the link to the Dig Line-How To Manual: https://sites.google.com/burroak.capital/bocmanual/table-of-contents/plumbing-rough-in/the-dig-line

You can go off a few degrees as long as it's our property. You could make it northwest or southwest of the house, BUT we want it pretty close to the house (in front of the house). We would generally like a tree planted on the right and the left with any trees mentioned above.

If we want to create a hedge of trees (for privacy), we would either plant our providers or Leyland Cypresses.

We always want to get smaller trees, like six feet tall or less. We don't want a big tree, just a small one BUT it's higher around the base so that nobody can mess with it.

Leyland Cypresses

You should indicate the place where you want the trees to be planted and the kind of trees, as shown in the pictures below.

If it's an area that gets a lot of water, you could plant a sycamore tree. Or you could also plant a Kentucky coffee tree.

Sycamore Tree

Kentucky Coffee Tree

If there's a power line that comes into the house at that spot, you could plant a smaller tree. Something that would grow to 25ft in height.

The Dogwood or redwood tree is the best example of this.

Remember: They should be planted in a place that gets a whole lot of sun.

Dogwood Tree

We try to plant trees that are about 5 feet in height. They grow quicker than really large trees that are expensive and are heavy to plant. The small trees generally do better.

NOTE: Do not weed-eat the bark of the tree. We would rather have grass growing around the base of a tree than have a weed eater hit the tree.

This is what happens when you weed eat around the tree. It will kill it. See the photos below.

How to Properly Mow Around Trees

When mowing near trees, it’s important to protect the tree’s trunk and root system from damage. Proper mowing practices not only keep the area looking clean but also help ensure the tree stays healthy and strong.

1. Avoid Mowing Too Close to the Base

Stop the mower a safe distance from the tree base (6–12 inches).
Leave a protective zone where the mower and weed eater will not touch the trunk.

2. Do Not Weed Eat at the Tree Base

Weed eating (string trimming) directly around the trunk can strip or cut the tree’s bark.
Even small cuts can expose the tree to pests, diseases, and decay.

3. Why Weed Eaters Hurt Trees

The bark acts like the tree’s protective skin. Once damaged, it cannot fully heal like human skin does.
Beneath the bark is the cambium layer—a thin, living tissue that transports water, nutrients, and sugars throughout the tree. If the cambium is cut or damaged, the tree can slowly starve or die in that section.
Repeated damage around the trunk (called “weed eater blight” or “lawnmower blight”) can girdle the tree, cutting off its nutrient flow entirely.

4. Best Practices for Protection

Create a mulch ring around the base of the tree (2–4 inches deep, but not piled against the trunk). This keeps grass and weeds down, eliminates the need to weed eat near the trunk, and retains soil moisture.
If mulch isn’t possible, maintain a clear grass-free zone around the trunk by hand-pulling or using ground cover.

We want a tire put around the base and then get some planting instructions that show how to plant a tree.

IMPORTANT: You cannot put mulch around the base (touching) of the bark because it will kill the tree.

Also, put a tree trunk protector around the tree, as pictured above. These can be ordered from Amazon.

Tree Wraps

Tree wraps are made of burlap or other breathable materials that are wrapped around the trunk of the tree. They provide protection against extreme temperatures, sunscald, and frost cracking.

Tree wraps are usually removed after the first year.

The photo below shows a white tree wrap wrapped around the trunk of the tree.

You can put mulch dirt above the base. basically, the top of the soil that surrounds the tree trunk needs to be a little bit above the soil around.

We generally throw in a bag of mulch in with the dirt that we're putting back in the ground with the tree when we plant it.

We want to mulch around it because it provides nutrients to the tree and helps retain water.

DO NOT place mulch or dirt around the bark of the base of the tree. THIS WILL KILL THE TREE.

PROPER MULCHING

You need to water it when you plant it. It needs to be watered, probably 10 to 15 minutes. This should be about 50 gallons of water. You can water the trees for two days in the first week. Here's the link to the article on Getting to the Root of How to Water Trees.

IMPORTANT: Ensure that the root ball does not dry out.

We always plant the trees late in the season, like late October or in the entire month of November. Anytime in November is a great time to plant trees.

NOTE: Do not plant trees in the summer. It will probably die.

If there's a dead tree that we planted, we need to replace it.

Food for rooting plants is essential for trees. We recommend root enhancers to achieve the trees' maximum potential for growth. Here's the link to the Amazon Exterior Landscaping Product Lists

You can mix Mycorrhizal Fungi into the soil when you plant trees. It helps the tree roots absorb more water to make the tree grow better.

IMPORTANT: Do not fertilize the tree when you first plant it.

If you fertilize the tree the first time you plant it, you'll kill it. You need to fertilize it after a year. You'll need a pound or two of fertilizer.

HOW TO TELL IF TREES ARE ALIVE?

You can scratch a branch of a tree and see if the color is green. If it's green, you will know it's alive. That's the cambium of the tree.

Generally speaking, a lot of times, these branches can die off with a newly transplanted tree. And that is fine. You can cut those off.

You can scratch the trunk with your thumb in a small area, and you can see the green color in there.

The thing is that cambium if you cut the bark all the way a tree, and you cut through that cambium, that will kill the tree because it won't have the ability to take nutrients up to the leaves from the soil, and it won't be able to take the sunlight down from the leaves to the roots.

Here's a video of Jeff showing how to check if the trees are alive.

How to check and see if a Tree is Alive

Here's another video that tells if trees are alive.

PROPER TRIMMING

Here's a video on proper trimming.

Tree Trimming Tips

IMPROPER TRIMMING

HOW TO PRUNE TREES

Generally speaking, when you come to a mature tree, you don't want branches close to the ground as such, we recommend pruning it up to 8 to 12 feet in height. Basically, you shouldn't be able to jump and touch a branch.

When trimming a young tree, you need to be careful not to over-trim. A good rule of thumb is not to take more than one-quarter of the total leafy area or branches off of the tree in one year. Get them up in the air a bit so that you don't walk into it.

If there's a hole in a tree where a branch has rotted out, take out any debris in the hole, fill it with great stuff and trim it flush with a blade. Then cover the trimmed area of the tree and great stuff with the prune sealer. This Is an asphalt based product, so, wear gloves when using It. You want enough pruning seal to make the tree Impervious to water.

We suggest a heavy first coat, then another after the sealer has dried.

Here's the link to Home Depot Exterior Landscaping Products List.

Here's a video on How to Prune Trees

PRUNING TREES 101

Pruning tress.mp4

EXAMPLES OF TREES

Below are the other trees that can be planted to provide shade to the house.

Tulip Poplar

Willow Oak

An Autumn Blaze, a Bald Cypress (London Plane Tree) is also okay.

Autumn Blaze

Bald Cypress

Other trees approved for planting anywhere would be Black Gum, Sawtooth Oak, and Autumn Blaze. These should be planted in a place that gets a lot of water.

American Hornbeam would be a very good tree to plant, too.

Note:

Black Gum Tree

Sawtooth Oak Tree

Autumn Blaze

American Hornbeam

Below are other examples of a smaller tree that you could plant. You could also plant sweet bay by Magnolia, a service berry that only grows about 30ft.

Eastern Red Bud Tree

Sweet Bay Magnolia

Service Berry Tree

Cherry Tree

Yoshino Cherry Tree

The allowed fruit trees to be planted in yards are Bing Cherry Tree, Peach Tree and Plum tree.

Bing Cherry Tree

Peach Tree

Plum Tree

If we need to stake trees

This what should we do when we need to stake trees;

Double up your emergency tape and tie a square knot securing the tree to the pole in several places.

Vines on tress are BAD

Cut a few inches out of the base of the vine to kill it.

Premium PVC Tree Drip Irrigation Bags

We should give these a whirl when planting new trees.

【BIG CAPACITY】This automatic watering bags can hold 20 gallons of water that can sustain the life of a tree for a long time. Maximize your tree watering needs, Save time, water, and effort. Especially great for drought or hot areas.
【QUICK & EASY TO INSTALL】Very easy to use, just wrap this water bag around the trunk, tighten the zipper, and pour water into it. For larger trees, you can zip multiple bags together.
【HEAVY DUTY MATERIAL】Made of durable PVC tarpaulin material, UV stabilized to withstand exposure to sunlight. Designed with wide water fill hole suitable for universal size hose, and sturdy handle for long time use.
【SLOW DRAIN】The slow and controlled irrigation eliminates the severe water stress new trees endure after transplanting while preventing water run-off and evaporation. Allows a better saturation of waters, promoting the deep growth of the tree roots.
【PROVIDES DEEP WATER SATURATION】Newly planted/transplanted trees, with their greatly reduced root systems and the shock from being removed, are in great need of frequently applied deep irrigation. Deep watering keeps moisture concentrations far below the surface, reducing transplant shock, and attracting roots down deep into the soil.

Here is the link on this item in Amazon:

Tanzfrosch 10 PCS 20 Gallon Tree Watering Bags Reusable Heavy Duty Slow Release Tree Irrigation System for Trees, Premium PVC Tree Drip Irrigation Bags

CUTTING TREES

Tree Cutting/Yard Cleanup Tips

In this video Jeff mentions the use of tools such as chainsaws and electric chippers, highlighting the effectiveness of a miniature handheld chainsaw in cutting trees. He shares a cost-saving approach by doing some of the cleanup work themselves, utilizing various tools like shredders, and hooks. Jeff also talks about saving money by involving neighbors and creatively disposing of wood, such as using a neighbor's wood burner.

Cutting trees.mov

NOTE: Jeff wants limbs cut back to at least 8’ from the sides of the house.

FERTILIZER: HOLLY TONE

Home depot link: Landscaping

Holly-tone is an organic fertilizer designed specifically for acid-loving plants. It is a blend of natural ingredients enhanced with Bio-tone microbes, making it suitable for plants like azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons, blueberries, and hollies. This fertilizer provides a slow-release feeding, ensuring a consistent supply of nutrients over time, which helps in promoting healthy growth and vibrant blooms.

How to Use Holly-tone:

New Plants: Mix 2 cups per cubic foot of soil.
Established Plants: Use 1 teaspoon per 3 inches of pot diameter.
Trees: Apply 1 pound per inch of trunk diameter. Triple the amount for diameters of 3 inches or more.
Shrubs: Use 1 cup per foot of the drip line diameter. Double the quantity for diameters of 3 feet or more.
Garden Beds: For new beds, mix 10 pounds per 100 square feet into the top 4-5 inches of soil. For established beds, use 5 pounds per 100 square feet.

Application Tips:

Apply in the spring and late fall for best results.
Ensure to water thoroughly after application.
For mulched areas, remove the mulch before applying the fertilizer or double the application rate if applying over mulch.

Plants Benefited by Holly-tone: Holly-tone is ideal for a variety of acid-loving plants including holly, azalea, camellia, hydrangea, dogwood, blueberry, rhododendron, and many others.

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