The Home Ownership Thread

[Ataturk]

You cut the bark with a knife. If it's soft and green the tree is still alive. But at a certain point the growth has been marsupialed enough that you should replace the tree whether it's going to survive or not.

 

[Piobaire]

While we were eating dinner last night several deer walked up and started eating some of the plants at the edge of our lot. Was a cool dinner show.

 

[texas_jack]



While we were eating dinner last night several deer walked up and started eating some of the plants at the edge of our lot. Was a cool dinner show.

Only cool if they're not your plants. I hate deer.

 

[gomestar]

indeed. they destroyed a couple grand worth of new landscaping at my parents' vacation house. no fresh berries for gomestar.

 

[Snoogz]



You cut the bark with a knife. If it's soft and green the tree is still alive. But at a certain point the growth has been marsupialed enough that you should replace the tree whether it's going to survive or not.

I'm afraid of replacing the tree because I want to plant in the same area. And if the ground below is causing the problems, then it can get real expensive. I treated all the trees with a shock nutrient , and am going to repeat it again 2mor (7 day mark). If the tree is just in shock and not dead, I'll baby it for a few seasons to see if I can get some growth out of it. I've heard shock can take a few years to turn around. I'll try and take pictures of it, and see what you guys say.

 

[Ataturk]

If your soil is like ours around here, disturbing it can be tricky. The clayey dirt around here repels water but also holds it very well once it's saturated. So it runs off solid undisturbed ground, but soaks into turned over soil. It turns into a soupy mush for the first couple good rains. I don't think putting rocks under it would do any good unless it's a LOT of rocks.

But you should be able to tell if it's that bad, so bad that it smothered the tree in a couple days. Having dirt that stays wet (as opposed to drenched and drowning) can breed fungus and the like but that usually takes more than a couple days to affect the plant...

 

[jbarwick]

I'm glad our lot is shady so my wife doesn't plant flowers for the dear to eat. One of them stood next to the driveway as I made my way up it without even moving the other night. I know the pack around our area is at least 8 deer strong.

 

[Snoogz]

Well when I water my trees, the surface does absorbe and is not sitting water or flooded. But, that's the surface. Now I've read a drainage problem can hurt the tree, but is not visible from the surface. I afraid to dig into it or around right now. I've also be waiting to trim it, because I wanted it to settle and root itself. Would it be helpful to trim a hurting tree? Can tht help bring some life back into it? Again, I'll have to snap some pics to shoe the leaf discoloration.



EDIT: I'll edit this to add in a few pics

The branches overall look sad, they droop instead of perk up. I can tell its hurting, but maybe its just struggling and can fight through it. What should I do at this point, if I decide to fight this fight with the tree? Water daily? I'm going to do a shock treatment again 2mor like I said earlier, to hope that it gets a burst of nutrients to help those roots settle.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 

[brokencycle]

It could be shock. For an fyi, I bought a quaking aspen and it did behaved similarly after transplanting. I bought a bag of mulch, put it around the base then got one of those rubber tree watering things. It looks like a giant doughnut and you fill it with water, and it slowly releases water. The tree rebounded quickly, and now I don't even water it (a year later).

 

[otc]



Only cool if they're not your plants. I hate deer.

Need a slingshot.

**** our neighbor who used to feed those assholes

 

[Ataturk]

Snoogz: It really doesn't look that bad. I wouldn't think it's too wet, either (though I don't know about that particular tree). Read as much about transplanting that particular tree (or one similar) as you can and do what's advised online.

 

[Ataturk]

Town I used to live in had so many deer they became a big nuisance (apparently that happens a lot). The fun part is that the mayor instituted a program to cull them and there was a lot of controversy -- because allegedly only his buddies got the permits.

 

[Piobaire]

You guys hate on Bambi?

 

[Snoogz]

Snoogz: It really doesn't look that bad. I wouldn't think it's too wet, either (though I don't know about that particular tree). Read as much about transplanting that particular tree (or one similar) as you can and do what's advised online.

They are talking about soil samples taken to labs to figure out a fungus or disease regiment....I don't want to take it that far, just quite yet. That why I thought I'd ask the community here about how to "baby" a tree that is possibly just in shock.

 

[brokencycle]

Mowed the lawn for the first time this year. It looks the healthiest since we bought it, but it looks like I should have gone with my normal plan of using weed and feed fertilizer rather than stuff focused in crabgrass. Oh well, I can use that in another 5 weeks. I also bought 50 cubic feet of mulch for landscaping. I will have to try some different grass seed that is designed for near the curb. The long winter and lots of snow killed a long strip along the street - likely due to all the salt and sand.

Soon I will have a new driveway. Now if the contractor that did the roof would come do the gutters and other work they are supposed to, I would be in good shape.

Anyone have any tips for staining a deck? Last summer I tried, and it looks like it is already peeling.

I used a deck wash meant to strip the paint, then I used Sherwin Williams stain, which I applied using a roller. Do I need to sand it first? Should I just use a brush? Is it just crappy stain?