My great pleasure, Anthony. I have found that it is only possible to understand the growth behavior of trees through prolonged observation of a single place. I have the sense that you are doing that with your observations in The (Wild)erness Journal.
I couldn't agree more, nature can be our greatest teacher if we take the time to be still and observe. It is clear you have become a masterful observer, and I certainly aim to do the same. Looking forward to your next posts.
Very helpful, Tom, thanks. As I’ve previously mentioned, the seedlings in my nursery- including dogwood and redbud- don’t really start putting on growth until mid summer and continue into September, at least. These are grown in storage containers, btw, and I’m usually late in fertilizing them. Any thoughts?
That seems rather late. However, nursery trees are often in an unusual environment, with more access to water and nutrients than most forest trees. In addition, if they are cultivars, propagated by cloning and often selected for particular attributes, especially rapid growth, they may not reflect the growth patterns of wild trees of seed origin.
Thanks for your reply, Tom. These are all species seedlings, but you are correct in that a nursery is indeed an unusual environment, in some ways much more harsh. I definitely have to irrigate during dry spells and provide additional nutrients due to a mostly sterile growing medium. The difference from wild trees is notable, especially with the dogwood and redbud. Thanks again!
I learned something new today, thank you Tom. My love for trees continues to flourish. Maybe I am experiencing a late flush.
My great pleasure, Anthony. I have found that it is only possible to understand the growth behavior of trees through prolonged observation of a single place. I have the sense that you are doing that with your observations in The (Wild)erness Journal.
I couldn't agree more, nature can be our greatest teacher if we take the time to be still and observe. It is clear you have become a masterful observer, and I certainly aim to do the same. Looking forward to your next posts.
Very helpful, Tom, thanks. As I’ve previously mentioned, the seedlings in my nursery- including dogwood and redbud- don’t really start putting on growth until mid summer and continue into September, at least. These are grown in storage containers, btw, and I’m usually late in fertilizing them. Any thoughts?
That seems rather late. However, nursery trees are often in an unusual environment, with more access to water and nutrients than most forest trees. In addition, if they are cultivars, propagated by cloning and often selected for particular attributes, especially rapid growth, they may not reflect the growth patterns of wild trees of seed origin.
Thanks for your reply, Tom. These are all species seedlings, but you are correct in that a nursery is indeed an unusual environment, in some ways much more harsh. I definitely have to irrigate during dry spells and provide additional nutrients due to a mostly sterile growing medium. The difference from wild trees is notable, especially with the dogwood and redbud. Thanks again!