Category Archives: Yard & Garden Notes

String Trimmers and Trees – Not a Good Idea

June 3, 2011 – 2:28 pm

As spring rains have caused rapid growth of lawns and the need for frequent mowings, I have once again seen fresh examples of severe damage to landscape trees.  Careless use of string trimmers is the most common cause of severe damage to trees that I see during the many site visits I make to help people evaluate their landscapes and diagnose tree problems.  When the bark gets damaged, sap flow is reduced to leaves and tree quality declines.  More damage with each use of the trimmer can eventually result in the death of the tree.

The cure is very simple:   String trimmers should never ever touch the bark of a tree, no matter the age or size of the tree.  I repeat:  NEVER, EVER.  The damage inflicted from one careless round of string trimmer use can run into hundreds of dollars if the bark is touched by the trimmer string.

Very often the damage is gradual, but cumulative.  There’s no more reason to hit the living bark of a tree, than there would be to weed whip your bare leg.  Both are living tissue and both say “ouch” if you hit them with a string trimmer.

The following are ways that grass/weeds around trees can be safely controlled:

1) Trimming with hand operated grass clippers

2) Kill grass and weeds around the tree with roundup herbicide (avoid contact with the bark) and use a bark/wood chip mulch to keep a 3’—4’ circle around the tree free of weeds/grass

3) Heavy-duty tree guards that deflect the string of a power trimmer.  Thin plastic won’t be good enough.

4) Plastic or rubber mats around the tree (must have the hole for the trunk enlarged on an annual basis to accommodate the growth in trunk diameter.

5) Give the person/company that carelessly damages tree bark a $50 bill for each tree, for each time, they touch the tree bark, and insist they pay the bill, or pay to replace the damaged tree!  I suspect they will stop hitting the bark.

CAUTION:  This information will ruffle some feathers.  Be prepared for push back, but be firm and insist that trimmers never ever touch tree bark, no matter how large the tree.  (I even see severe damage to wooden fence posts from string trimmers!)

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in How To Advice, Trees | Comments (1)

Garden Bed Preparation

April 5, 2011 – 8:06 am

Patience pays big dividends when doing tillage of the soil to prepare for spring planting.  Whether you do your tillage with a 4 tined hand cultivator, a garden fork, a shovel, a roto tiller, or a plow behind a giant 4 wheel tractor, wait until the ground has dried well and crumbles when worked.

If you dig when the soil is too wet, you are likely to battle a garden full of lumpy soil all the way through the growing season.  Waiting a few more days or weeks until the soil has dried usually results in tilled soil that is nice and crumbly.  Just prior to doing the tillage, spread fertilizer, compost, manure, and peat or sand, so these amendments become evenly mixed into the tilled soil.

Coarse sand is a great thing to add if you have high clay content in your soil.  Once you work sand into the clay soil, the soil will be much easier to work up into a nice crumbly condition in subsequent years.  In the photo – you will notice smaller pieces of rock/sand.  This makes this soil drain nicely and is quite fertile.  Too much sand, on the other hand, can cause plants to dry out too quickly.

It is wonderful and amazing to see how much more quickly roots of new plants are able to grow into a large root system when the soil has been made porous by good tillage and a few well-chosen soil amendments.  Your patience will be rewarded by bigger flower blossoms, vegetables that are bigger and more plentiful, and trees and shrubs that become handsome specimens in a shorter time!

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in How To Advice, Landscaping | Comments (0)

Sponsor a Tree – Strengthen our Community

March 31, 2011 – 7:52 am

We would like to extend the opportunity for you, your child’s class, your service club, your church group, your softball/bowling team, your carpool, your neighbors…. to join us in sponsoring tree plantings for our city, to be planted in public spaces.

Knecht’s will provide trees at half price.  As a sponsor of a tree for Northfield City parks, you pay the other half of the cost (see chart below).  City staff will select planting sites.  You get the satisfaction of knowing you’ve helped make us a stronger and more beautiful community, and can enjoy watching these trees grow more majestic with each passing year.

Your cost of sponsorship – choose the size/price for the tree(s) you wish to donate.     

                                             Tree Only             Tree & Planting 

#3 Container – 3′-6′              $20.00                 $40.00

#7 Container – 5′-8′               40.00                    80.00

#15 Container – 8′-12′           60.00                  120.00

2 1/2″ B&B – 10′-16′              150.00                 300.00

City Staff will choose from the following tree varieties -   Maple, Oak, Hackberry, Linden, Honeylocust, disease resistant Elm, Coffeetree, Birch, Tree Lilacs & Flowering Crabs.  The City Staff will also choose planting sites on City Property / Parks.

To sponsor a tree,  just contact Knecht’s Nurseries & Landscaping at 507-645-5015 or send us an e-mail at info@knechts.net.  Or if you prefer, you can contact  TJ Henricy, Streets & Parks Supervisor for the City of Northfield at 507-645-3032  or TJ.Heinricy@ci.northfield.mn.us

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in Community, Trees | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Spring is Coming

March 24, 2011 – 10:42 am

Single digit temperatures this morning are an unpleasant reminder that gardening in Minnesota is not for the faint hearted.  The good news may be that flood crests may be slightly reduced by this colder than normal weather that will last until about April 1st.  Happily, the long range forecasts show a period of pleasant early spring weather coming for the first week of April.  I’m sure we will all breathe a huge collective sigh of relief!

There will be opportunities for work out in the landscape while the big chill is still in force.  Pruning shrubs and trees, and cutting down dead trees can be a comfortable activity if you pick days with low winds and mid-day hours when temperatures are at their warmest.    My April 15, 2009 blog on tree pruning discusses pruning in more detail and I am linking back to that post.

 If you like to make firewood during this period when the seasons are transitioning, you may have to carry in your chainsaw gear and do the cutting.  In most locations, haul out will have to wait until the ground firms up enough to allow vehicles to operate without making nasty ruts.  If you cut down ash trees that have died, it would be a good idea to check under the bark to see if emerald ash borers (EAB) have infested the tree.  The Emerald Ash Borer website has more information and photos that will help you determine if your ash wood is infested with EAB.  If your wood is infested, be sure to call the City or County Forester to report the infestation.  They will probably come out to verify and lend some advice and assistance.  It is extremely important for the health of our forests to report possible new occurrences of Emerald Ash Borer.  We all need to help out in reporting new infestations so the spread of this devastating pest can be slowed/halted.

I have also shared this post with the Northfield News.

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in How To Advice | Comments (0)

Soil Moisture Recharge Benefits Trees

March 19, 2011 – 10:55 am

This year the melting of the heavy snowpack presents a good opportunity to recharge soil moisture levels that have been depleted by several years of summer dry spells.  In many areas of the landscape, the soil is not frozen, which is allowing water from melting snow to soak into the soil.  Deeper levels of the soil profile will be able to absorb a lot of water before it runs off.

Recharging moisture in the deeper levels of the soil will be especially beneficial to established trees that experienced drought stress the last few years.   Larger trees have larger, deeper root systems, and larger leaf canopies to support, meaning greater needs for moisture that can be met by recharge of moisture in sub-soils.

Hopefully spring flooding will be a little less severe due to unfrozen soils absorbing some of the snowmelt.  Unfrozen ground also means it will be possible to get an early start on spring planting of trees and shrubs.  While it is tempting to rake your lawn right away, it’s best to let the ground thoroughly dry out before beginning the spring clean-up. 

Early April should present good planting opportunities, and we normally have trees and shrubs available for sale beginning around April 1st, depending on the weather.  Our experienced and knowledgeable staff will be available to help you zero in on the plant materials that will work best for your particular situation.

I have also shared this post with the Northfield News.

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in How To Advice | Comments (0)

Planting for Wildlife

March 15, 2011 – 1:20 pm

This is the time of year when wild creatures are at the absolute end of their energy reserves.  Even though the weatherman is predicting warmer weather and receding snowbanks, new growth and new food sources are 3-6 weeks from being available for wild animals.  By planting trees and shrubs that produce various kinds of berries, nuts and fruits, you can provide late winter food for the critters.  Some Minnesota hardy varieties to consider are highbush cranberry, nannyberry, chokecherry, oaks, hackberry, amur maple, flowering crabapple, red twig dogwood, echinacea & rudbekia. 

By planting the right trees, shrubs and perennials, you can both beautify the landscape and help the wildlife.  You may want to check out the publication titled ‘Landscaping for Wildlife’ put out by the Minnesota DNR. 

I am sharing this blog with the Northfield News.

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in How To Advice, Landscaping | Comments (0)

A Time to Imagine

February 16, 2011 – 7:30 am

As the heavy snowpack begins to disappear with some of the first warm days we’ve had since late December, it’s time to allow your imagination to dream of green grass, fragrant flowers and a more beautiful and functional landscape.  If part or all of the landscape around your home is uninspired, overgrown or poorly arranged, begin now to envision how you’d really like your yard to look and feel.

Think about what you really want before you discourage yourself with budget concerns.  When creating a plan don’t forget to incorporate an inviting outdoor living space , a place to recharge your batteries, and a place for the activities you and your family really enjoy.

Next figure out what actually installing these landscape features will cost you.  If the costs are too high, decide how to implement the changes over a period of several years, to match your cash flows.  If the costs are still too high, decide how you can change some expensive elements of the project to lower priced choices.  By following this sequence, you are likely to still get the majority of the look and feel you envision.

If you feel you aren’t able to design your own landscape, our landscape designer would be able to help you with advice during a site visit consultation or even create a landscape plan for your property.   

I am also sharing this post on my blog spot with the Northfield News.

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in How To Advice, Landscaping, Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Winter Tree Protection and Other Cabin Fever Cures

January 25, 2011 – 12:32 pm

The unrelenting winter of 2010-2011 has many of us suffering from cabin fever.  Here are a few ideas for garden lovers to break out of the winter doldrums by doing something:

  1. Protect a tree.  Younger trees may be vulnerable to bark damage from mice, rabbits, deer and sunscald.  Unusually deep snow means rabbits and mice can sit on top of snowbanks and chew bark above the tops of already installed tree wraps.  Simply add another white plastic tree wrap above the snow line that overlaps with protection you put on last fall down to the ground level.  These wraps also protect against sunscald from sunlight bouncing off the snow.   We do have tree protectors for sale here at the nursery. 
  2. Thumb through a seed catalog.  It helps get the imagination going in a positive direction.  Order something you’ve never tried before.  It will give you something which you can look forward to in anticipation.
  3. Go for walks on days with low winds, and take notice of which landscape elements you see on other properties that have a nice appearance in winter.  Make a few notes for future additions/revisions to your landscape.
  4. Get on an airplane headed for any direction but north!
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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in How To Advice | Comments (0)

Mouse Damage

January 10, 2011 – 5:39 pm

Wondering what caused small tunnels in some of the snow banks on your property?  Have you been frustrated about your lawn being torn up when the snow banks melt in the spring?  Are mice getting altogether too friendly and paying you visits INSIDE your home?

In all likelihood all three of these events have the same cause, probably meadow voles/mice.  Heavy snow cover is a paradise for mice.  They can freely tunnel around at ground level, and feed on the roots and bark of grass, forbes, perennials, shrubs and tree seedlings.  Under all that snow cover they are very safe from predatory hawks, owls, fox and the like.  There is little reason for them to go anywhere else, so if they like the plant materials they encounter on your property, they will probably continue to do damage all winter.

While they are cute and fuzzy, they are very destructive.  Trapping them is a hit or miss approach to solving your mouse/vole problem.  The most effective way of eliminating the problem is placement of poison bait.  It is essential to be sure that the mouse/rat poison can’t be eaten by pets and wild animals.  A simple and safe way to do this is by purchasing a heavy duty plastic bait station.  It opens side so you can load chunk type bait on spindles from which the bait can’t be removed once the cover is screwed shut by a handy set screw.  The rodents smell the bait inside, crawl through a winding labyrinth and easily find the bait.  One feeding is all it usually takes to poison the  rodent.  Where populations of mice and voles are high, bait stations are a very effective way to safely control rodents.  They work for you 24 hours a day, and probly only need to be checked and re-baited every month or two.

Most hardware stores and building centers sell the bait stations and chunk style bait.  Make sure the bait station has a secure way of being locked after placing the bait in the station to protect Fido and Garfield.  Your landscape plants and lawn will thank you.

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in How To Advice | Comments (0)

Tree Donation to the City of Northfield

November 18, 2010 – 11:19 am
Jim Westlund and Todd Marnie

In recent days, the Northfield area landscape has had a wintery look, but we are still planting trees and a few hardy customers still venture in to get trees for late season projects of their own.  The 2010 growing season had very favorable weather, despite the unfortunate flooding in late September.

Because the loyal and consistent  support of Northfield makes it possible for us to keep improving our nursery and landscaping operations, we enjoy the opportunity to give back to our community.  Last week, we donated to the City of Northfield, 24 different varieties of shade trees to be planted along the new walking path at Old Memorial Park, the site of Northfield’s new swimming pool.  The City of Northfield covered the cost of having the trees planted.  The photo shows Jim Westlund and Todd Marnie during the planting of one of the trees on November 11th.

The Master Plan for Old Memorial Park calls for the planting of over 100 trees to beautify the park.  Anyone who wants to sponsor the $150.00 cost of planting a tree at Old Memorial Park can contact Scott Carpenter (neighborhood resident) at 645-8501 or Leif Knecht at 645-5015. 

Knecht’s Nurseries will donate a nice sized shade tree to the park for each $150 donation to cover the cost of planting.  Most trees are 2″-3 ½” trunk diameter and 10′-20′ tall.  An effort will be made to have each tree be a variety different from those previously planted.

I have also shared this blog with the Northfield News.

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in Community, Trees | Comments (0)

Late Fall Planting

November 1, 2010 – 6:36 am

Last year some of the best weather of the season for planting came in November.  Mild temperatures, October rains that softened the soil, and dry working conditions during November made for many successful late season projects.

This year looks like similar late season planting opportunities are available.  We still have an excellent selection of most varieties of trees, shrubs and quite a few perennials.  Our crews usually do landscape installations well into late November, and so can you, so come on down to look over the plants and the Fall Sale prices!

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in Retail Sales | Comments (0)

Firewood

October 17, 2010 – 12:10 pm

October and November are traditionally the months when people stock up on firewood.  For your safety, and to enjoy beautiful fires that burn nicely instead of smoldering and smoking, be sure to buy firewood that has been well dried.  An awful lot of firewood that is sold has been drying for only the summer, or less.

Wood that has been dried in an open, sunny, windy place for two full summer seasons or longer, burns far better, and produces far less creosote deposits which is a big safety concern.  It is also important that during the drying process, wood be stacked neatly so air can move on all sides of the wood.  Firewood that has been simply thrown in one huge pile will dry some, but does so far more slowly than in neatly stacked rows.  Be sure to ask how long it has been drying when purchasing firewood.

The amount of firewood pictured here is a “fireplace cord”.   It is a stack of wood that is 4 feet high by 8 feet long and approximately 15″-18″ wide.  (This amount  of firewood measures about 1/3 of the standard logger’s cord).   Our supply of firewood has been drying for three summers, and consists of hardwoods – elm, maple, hickory, oak, basswood and others.  The price for this delivered in Northfield is $175.   Please give us a call for delivery costs to other areas.  We also have for sale here at the nursery firewood bundles for that backyard campfire this fall.   These bundles are also from this same supply of firewood.

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in How To Advice, Retail Sales | Comments (0)

Celebration Maple

October 17, 2010 – 7:59 am

The amazingly mild October days and nights have been a joy for anyone working or playing outdoors this fall.  If there is any downside at all to this fine weather, it has been the muted fall colors I have noticed the past ten days or so.

The best conditions for excellent fall color is a period with warm days and crisp nights with a bit of light frost.  We had some frost several weeks ago, but since then nighttime temperatures have been considerably above normal, and the result has been noticeably less intense fall color on the varieties that turn color in the last half of the fall color season.

One tree that has showed nicer than usual fall color this year is the Celebration maple.  Many years this useful hybrid maple of modest size simply turns to a soft shade of yellow.  This year, the Celebration maples in our fields have a lovely orange/apricot glow that is really quite striking.  Celebration also distinguishes itself with very uniform and strong branch angles, and a narrower width than most shade trees, making it a good choice for smaller spaces between buildings and along lot lines.

I have also shared this blog with the Northfield News.

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in Retail Sales, Trees | Comments (0)

Wrap your New Trees for Winter Protection

October 14, 2010 – 10:33 am

Trees that have been recently planted (sometime within the last fives years or so) – are much safer in the late fall – winter and early spring with a white tree wrap protecting the bark from sun damage, rodents, rabbits and deer.  All young trees should be wrapped going into winter, however, it is very important for maples, crabapples and ALL fruit trees to be wrapped.  These trees are more tender, and are more attractive to the rodents and rabbits.  We have three different kinds of tree wraps available that are all re-useable for several years and a weed whipping guard for protecting the bark on trees. 

We highly recommend that you use only white materials  to wrap your trees for winter protection because white changes temperature far less during the cycle from night to day than darker colored materials.  Temperature fluctuations if they are extreme can encourage sap to rise into the bark of the tree prematurely and when a cold snap comes this extra moisture in the bark can sometimes freeze and destroy fairly significant amounts of bark.  I’ve often seen people use black drain tile for wrapping trees and while it does prevent bucks from rubbing their antlers and rodents from chewing, it may actually aggravate problems with sunscald damage or frost cracking.

When installing the white wraps it is important to try to fit the bottom of the wrap as tightly to the ground as possible.  This makes it tougher for small animals like mice to do any major damage.  We recommend wrapping trees to a height of 4′ or 5′ if possible.   White wraps only cost a few dollars each and can save an awful lot of disappointment.  Last spring we had a very sad and unending procession of customers coming in and telling us how their tree(s) got severely damaged because they were lacking a good wrap.  Wraps should be removed in the spring and stored again until fall.  It is important for the tree to be able to get good air circulation during the growing season and it also prevents insects from causing damage underneath the wraps during the summer.

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in How To Advice, Retail Sales, Trees | Comments (3)

Fall Observations

October 14, 2010 – 10:09 am

After record rainfall and flooding in late September that  provided plenty of moisture for area trees to be fully active just prior to going dormant, fall colors have been very intense on the varieties that traditionally put on an autumn show.  The exceptionally dry and warmer than normal weather since the historic flood has also shortened the length of time individual trees showed their peak colors.

It looks like a few tree varieties that turn color in the last half of October may not achieve peak color due to the very rapid dry down of the leaves.  The same rapid dry down has farmers harvesting soybeans and corn at unuusally low moisture levels which should save costs on grain drying.  I’ve even heard that the corn is so dry, that a little of the bumper crop of 2010 is ending up on the ground as kernels fall of the cobs before they even get to the part of the combine where screens capture the grain as it is shelled off the cobs.

Grain prices are at fairly high levels at the moment, which means our area farmers may have good economic fortunes in the midst of a national economic recovery that has been modest at best.  Our local farmers take great risks to help our nation have some of the worlds cheapest food prices and I am ever greatful for their efforts each time I go to the grocery store.  If they are able to bring in a good crop at a good price, we should all benefit from the ripple effect of these extra dollars in our local economy.

Planting conditions look as if they will remain favorable for planting landscape projects throughout the month of Octber, and as usually, many bargains can be found this time of year.  Be sure to enjoy these fabulous days of Indian Summer as you complete your late garden projects and prepare for fall maintenance and cleanup activities.

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By Leif Knecht | Also posted in How To Advice | Comments (1)