June Spotlight for Tree Care
Top 3 Tree & Landscape Tasks for June
The BIG Oak’s June TREEfecta
Every month, The BIG Oak will spotlight 3 tasks to focus on for each month. Here is a look at the TREEfecta for June:
#1 Tree Planting (continued from May)
Spring planting should continue from later April into early summer (June). Technically, tree planting CAN continue through summer months, but I prefer holding off until early fall once we reach the summer heat. For me, June signifies the end of planting until September. Sometimes even with a good watering plan, newly planted trees can struggle in July and August from the heat.
As you may have read in my May Spotlight, I gave some 5 reminders for planting. Two of the five were ignored in the example below. Unfortunately, the river birch pictured below was planted 12 inches too deep with the twine left intact. Less than one year after planting, half of the upper crown was already dead. I would have considered cutting the twine and re-positioning the birch at the proper depth, but with over 50% dieback less than one year after planting, I felt replacement was the proper call.
River birch that was planted a foot too deep with the twine left in place to potentially choke the tree.
#2 Emerald Ash Borer Injections
Once ash trees are fully leafed-out by the end of May, it is time for EAB trunk injection applications. These injections can technically occur anytime from June through August, but earlier injections will give better coverage. There are a few different products and techniques for EAB injections, but I prefer to use Tree-Age G4 (emamectin benzoate) with ARBORjet injection systems. This product will provide good protection against EAB for 2 years assuming the ash trees are healthy (and continue to be healthy).
Emerald ash borer trunk injection with Tree-Age G4 providing 2 years of protection from EAB.
#3 Early Summer Shrub Pruning
By early June, most lilac shrubs should be done flowering which indicates the beginning of early summer shrub pruning. At this point in the season, other shrubs (weigela, summer flowering spirea) will not be done flowering, but properties with a large number of lilacs and evergreens shrubs can be pruned in June. Typically, for properties with a larger variety of shrubs, I prefer to perform an early summer visit (for lilacs / evergreens) and a July visit for everything else once summer spirea are done flowering. For properties without lilac shrubs, I will just group the pruning of evergreen shrubs during the July visit (and skip the June visit).
Bonus reminder from The BIG Oak = For further information regarding shrub pruning in general or Urban Compromise shrub pruning, check out http://arbordayeveryday.net/
Deep root fertilization of trees will place the liquid fertilizer just below grass where the tree roots are located.
Bonus task for June from The BIG Oak = Make sure to water any newly planted trees and shrubs heading into the hot months of July and August.
