The Kerby's Nursery E-Newsletter
July 16, 2020
Planting a Tree
by Joey Bokor
by Joey Bokor
Growing up, one of my favorite things to do was
to climb trees. My siblings and I had trees all over the yard that we used for different purposes. If it was
lunch time, we had a golden rain tree that we had great sitting places for eating. If we were trying to hide, we had a large bushy cherry laurel
that no one could
see us in. If we were daring, we'd try to climb the different young oak trees around the yard. Those trees provided us with countless hours of
adventure and fun.
Besides just fun, trees do all sorts of things for us. They clean the air, taking in carbon dioxide and pumping out oxygen for us to breathe. They shade our homes, allowing A/C systems to conserve energy in the summer. And they are great at soaking up water after a heavy rain. If you need a tree to add to your property, don't miss the tree section at Kerby's. You'll find oaks, magnolias, and plenty of crape myrtles too for adding a beautiful centerpiece to your property.
And the most important thing about planting a new tree is getting it off to a great start. Check out our video here, where we go through planting a tree. It happens to be a lime tree (because I never have enough fruit trees), but the instructions for planting any kind of tree are the same. Start with a wide hole, not a deep one. Use a great soil like our Kerby's Planting Soil and once planted don't forget to water, water, water.
And now it's time for me to go have some fun. It's Maddy's birthday and we are going to have an amazing day finding adventures in the shade of our trees.
Besides just fun, trees do all sorts of things for us. They clean the air, taking in carbon dioxide and pumping out oxygen for us to breathe. They shade our homes, allowing A/C systems to conserve energy in the summer. And they are great at soaking up water after a heavy rain. If you need a tree to add to your property, don't miss the tree section at Kerby's. You'll find oaks, magnolias, and plenty of crape myrtles too for adding a beautiful centerpiece to your property.
And the most important thing about planting a new tree is getting it off to a great start. Check out our video here, where we go through planting a tree. It happens to be a lime tree (because I never have enough fruit trees), but the instructions for planting any kind of tree are the same. Start with a wide hole, not a deep one. Use a great soil like our Kerby's Planting Soil and once planted don't forget to water, water, water.
And now it's time for me to go have some fun. It's Maddy's birthday and we are going to have an amazing day finding adventures in the shade of our trees.
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Happy Gardening, The Kerby's Nursery Family 
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Crape myrtles are in full bloom all around town. They come in a variety of colors, are cold-hardy and
are easy-care for our area. Below are a few tips for getting the most out of
your crape myrtles. 1) Prune in Winter - Crape myrtles should be pruned in the winter-time, when they don't have any leaves. How much you prune is up to you, there is no need to do a severe prune (sometimes called 'crape murder'), but trimming back overall height if needed and thinning the branches will help the tree flush out well in spring. If you missed the pruning time in the winter, you can always prune later, just wait until after bloom time, otherwise you will cut off all of those beautiful flowers.
2) Water Wisely - Like any new plant, crapes want plenty of water to get started. However, once established they don't need a lot of extra water to keep them going. One good soaking each week is all they need through the spring, summer and fall and once they are dormant in the winter, they won't need much at all.
3) Watch for Suckers - No, we aren't on the lookout for a gullible person. All crape myrtles are naturally bushes. Even the pretty single trunk 'trees' are naturally bushes and will sometimes grow shoots from the ground, or lower down on the trunk. These shoots are called suckers. It doesn't mean anything is wrong, just trim them off when you see them to keep the energy of the plant headed up into the canopy.
4) Fertilize for the Best Blooms - Crapes aren't heavy feeders, but a spring, summer and fall dose of The Kerby's Special fertilizer will keep them in top shape and ready to produce the biggest, brightest clusters of blooms.
5) Go for the Sequel - If you dead-head crape myrtles and trim off old blooms just as they are finishing you can sometimes get a second, lighter set of blooms to emerge. Tough on really big crapes (since the flowers are so high up), but for your younger or smaller bushes or trees, you can extend your flower enjoyment.
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New Arrivals |
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Monarch's Promise Milkweed Back in stock for hungry caterpillars. 6" Pot - $8.99 |
Pomegranate A medium sized fruiting bush. 3 Gallon Pot - $49.99 |
Black Diamond Red Crape Myrtle Gorgeous leaves, stunning flowers. 15 Gallon Pot - $129.99 |
