Care and How-To - Evergreen
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Learn how to protect plants from frost and freeze damage in fall and spring. Get tips on covering plants, using cold frames, and when to bring plants indoors for the season.
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Occasionally the need arises to move trees within the home landscape. Follow these tips to move small, young trees successfully.
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Anyone can plant a tree, but to ensure success, sound installation practices must be followed. Use this guide to plant any tree.
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Several factors cause branch dieback on trees. Correctly diagnosing the problem(s) is the first step in managing an unhealthy tree. Below are some common causes of branch dieback on trees in the landscape. Use this guide to evaluate your tree and determine the likely cause of the branch dieback.
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Newly-planted trees need active and frequent care during the entire establishment period. In USDA hardiness zones 4 and 5, the establishment period lasts about 12 months per inch of trunk diameter. For a two-inch caliper tree, this translates into a 24-month establishment period. Good cultural practices during this period help reduce transplant stress and create a favorable environment for tree growth.
Consistent and proper care during the establishment period is the most important thing you can do to succeed with your new tree.
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The best time to rejuvenate large, overgrown shrubs is late winter or early spring (March or early April)
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Hardwood cuttings is a propagation method done while the plant is dormant from the shoots that developed during the previous growing season. Learn more about this type of vegetative propagation if you want to propagate any trees, shrubs, or vines in the home landscape.
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Broad-leaved evergreen shrubs like boxwoods, wintercreeper, and rhododendrons add beauty to landscapes but require careful site selection and soil prep in Iowa. Learn more about caring for these evergreens in Iowa.
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There are so many options in the garden center, and yet some plants seem to be everywhere (and some of them are even invasive)! These recommended alternatives are a great option for a similar plant that can introduce diversity and have fewer problems.
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A healthy garden has properly spaced plants. Use this guide to help determine how many plants you need based on their recommended spacing.
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Organic mulches serve several important functions in gardens and landscape plantings.
These many benefits make the use of mulch very beneficial in a wide range of garden settings. When choosing which organic mulch to use, consider availability, cost, appearance, function, and durability.
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Trees enhance landscapes with beauty and shade, but healthy roots are crucial for their vigor. Damage or soil grade changes can jeopardize tree health. Learn how to avoid these issues.
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When planting in alkaline or high-pH soil, it's important to select a tree or shrub that is tolerant of soil pH above 7.0.
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Stem girdling roots happen when a tree’s own roots either completely encircle the trunk or grow tangential to the trunk on one or more sides, causing stem compression and damaging important vascular connections (xylem and phloem). Learn more about how to address this all too common issue with trees in the landscape.
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Young or newly-planted trees require special care to ensure their establishment and rapid growth. Young trees must be protected from the careless operation of lawnmowers and weed-trimmers, from vandals, and from harmful construction activities.
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Trees, shrubs, roses, and perennials are available bare root. That is, they come to you from the garden center or mail-order retailer with no soil around their roots. Extra care is required to make bare root plants survive and thrive.
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Learn how to protect container plants in winter. Discover methods like burying pots, mulching, and using unheated storage to keep roots safe from cold damage.
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After planting a new tree, sometimes you will see decline, dieback, or even death of the young tree. When trying to determine the primary cause of the problem, several factors need to be given consideration.
Learn about the factors that you need to investigate to determine why a newly planted tree is failing.
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February and March is the best time to prune most trees and shrubs in Iowa. The absence of foliage at this time of year gives you a clear view of the tree and allows the selection and removal of appropriate branches. Also, when pruned in the late dormant season the walling-off, compartmentalization, or sealing of wounds can begin as soon as growth starts in the spring giving the tree the most time to recover from the pruning cut.
Iowa State University has many resources available to help with pruning all your woody plants.
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Storms can damage trees through wind, ice, and snow. Proper maintenance reduces risk, while damaged trees need careful evaluation and prompt action. Many times, trees are best replaced.