Crabapple Trees

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:11):
Six thirty ten, WI MEA and asking the experts. You
know that beautiful music means. We're going to be joined
by Kevin Ham, master arborist at hams Arborcare the website
Hamsarborcare dot com. That's h A m Msarborcare dot com.
Delv lubber eight sixty six five nine six five three
nine six that's eight six six five nine six five

(00:32):
three nine six. And joining us this morning is Kevin
Ham of hams Arborcare.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Kevin, how you been doing well?

Speaker 1 (00:40):
I know we worked on we were watching previously on
Ask the Experts with hams Arborcare. We were we were
counting and watching the degree days and we're kind of
in a gray area for oak oak pruning. We're done
with that now.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Yeah, we are. We're still actually within the window if
you can believe it. Of course, the ordinances in Madison
area kicked in on April first, so that kind of
we just observe those in the northern markets. You know,
if if something happened, if a storm came through tomorrow
and broke some oak trees, I would be concerned. You know,

(01:18):
we're still low. This cool weather we've had just stalled
out the process. But at this time of year, it
changes so rapidly. You know, we get a sixty degree day,
we get an eighty degree day. You know, it just
is a rapid change. So we've completed everything on the
calendar that we have and so we're we're pushing it off.

(01:41):
But that that model that the UW puts out, if
you if you were to google, you know, thermal oak
wild model, you know you would, it would come up.
And it's a great you just it tracks your location
and wherever you're standing, you can you can push the

(02:02):
calculate button and it will calculate the degree days for
that specific spot. So it's a really great tool as
we enter the spring to utilize without having to do
all the math.

Speaker 1 (02:17):
That's well, and you know, if we can, if we
can get around doing the crunching numbers, we're all better
off that way. And Kevin with that is speaking of
the math and where things kind of break down, what
about things like maple maples and other things I'm still
good to prune on on that front or where things stand.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
Yeah, you know a lot of people have the misconception
that you know, because the stat flows in the spring,
that you can't prune maples in the spring. And and
this is simply not true that that stap flow is
a natural phenomenon. It's going to happen, and if something's
coming out, nothing's going in, you know. So there's that,

(02:55):
but that that's besides as soon as the buds pop
and in fact when they're when they're due making babels.
Mackenzie Center just had their their annual maple syrup man
by point at and they they have a big Chindi
gun on a weekend where people can come out and

(03:15):
see the maple syrup and and taste it and have
pancakes and whatever all the other things I don't eat,
I'll do it for you at any rate. They uh,
my my son and daughter went to that this last weekend.
And and when those buds start to pop and that
you know that the sugar content goes way down because

(03:37):
the tree is using all of that and and so
they stopped tapping when the bud break comes. Interesting, So
is pruning we can do.

Speaker 1 (03:48):
Maple pruning is is absolutely fine. Obviously oak pruning has
mentioned we're past that and it is a good time
though for folks with those oak trees. For people are
you know, kicking themselves saying why and I get that
take care of this year if you if you need
that done scheduling now for for fall and winter. That
is that is definitely advisable, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (04:10):
Absolutely? We have a little category called after October fifteen.
Oh you just go, you go in there and you're
in Q.

Speaker 1 (04:21):
So fantastic and again you can learn more online the
website Hamsarborcare dot com. That's h A m msarborcare dot
com are toping number eight sixty six five nine six
five three nine six. That's eight sixty six five nine
six five three nine six. Now, as temperatures get warmer,
little critters start to emerge from the soil in other

(04:41):
areas and can wreak havoc on trees and leaves and
other plants in your you know, in your garden and area.
I think of like Japanese beetles and all sorts of
borers and other things there that are just looking to
looking to destroy your stuff. Now is the time to
be thinking about these things, isn't it, Kevin?

Speaker 2 (04:59):
Yeah. Absolutely, We've got our soil injected products that we
treat Japanese beetle and bronze birch boor and two line
chestnut bore specifically in oaks. We've just spuged out all
of those serviced, but we have a window up until

(05:21):
For Japanese beetle, they emerge from the ground in late June,
and it takes about thirty days for this soil injected
product to get into the tree, and so we have
a window up until about May to take care of
the soil injection. And that's your most economical approach to

(05:43):
treating Japanese beetle in as June comes. If you end
up having a big population, you haven't been protected. We
are able to apply at another soil product that gets
into the tree quickly within a few days, and so
we can treat them on the fly. And then linden

(06:06):
trees that are favored by Japanese beetles, we have to
treat those in late June because of the flowering in June.
We don't want to affect any bees. Birch trees don't
attract the bees, but linden trees do, and and so
we we wait until late June to apply those treatments.

Speaker 1 (06:30):
For people that don't know, like you mentioned things like
Japanese beetles or the bronze bor what are like obviously
there's there's signs for tree owners. What when are we
looking at like, what are things that are like, ohah, you've.

Speaker 2 (06:42):
Got some dead branches at the top of your birch tree. Okay,
there's probably bronze birch boor involved and white birch, specifically
river birch. There're a native. You know, a lot of
the white birches that are planted in the landscape are
not our native white birch and they're they're Japanese white birch,

(07:05):
and so our native bronze birch boor likes the non
native and uh likewise, are native birches that are planted
in the landscape with a bunch of landscape rock around
their base are not technically in a native environment when
they're subjected to you know, a south facing slope in

(07:27):
front of your house that with a lot of intense
pete it's the forest tree in the north or or
on a bluff side by Barboo, you'll see a lot
of birch trees and and that's that's their native environment.
So a lot of people's yards are not exactly that
native environment. So they get a little stressed, and then

(07:48):
the bronze birch boor moves in, and so a lot
of the white birches, you just in their later years,
you're you're you're best off having them protected against the
quite prevalent past. So if you got a little decline
anywhere in your tree, dead branches, especially at the top,
you probably are in need of some bronze pur for treatment.

Speaker 1 (08:12):
Really good guidance is running from Kevin ham mester Arborius
at Hams Arborcare, the website Hamsarborcare dot com. That's h
A M. M Sarborcare dot com. Obviously this time of
year spring spring renewal, we start thinking of things all
you know, everything outdoors and things that are are beautiful,
and something that looks great in the yard always is
adding a new tree in the right spot, the right

(08:34):
tree and legacy trees a really cool program you guys
offer at at Ham's Arborcare. It starts with the tree
and goes all the way through the care and everything else.
Let's talk about a really good opportunity when it comes
to legacy tree planting. And you may have a am
I seeing this right, a little special coming up on
certain legacy trees.

Speaker 2 (08:54):
Yeah, yeah, we've we've got a number of crab apple
and you know we're going to offer the crab apples
at it with the five year warranty at no extra costs.
So that's a significant savings. And you know, we the

(09:14):
crab apples are fairly popular, but you know, we often
are planting oaks or maples or you know, tall growing
trees and and the you know, site selection for crab
apples is a little different than those big trees. But
if you've got power lines close by, you need something

(09:35):
where you height restriction, or or maybe you just want
the ornamental flour. We've got some nice disease resistant crab apples,
so you're not subjecting to to fungicidal sprays or different
things that you have to do. And the fruit that
we have is retained, so you have you know, fruit

(09:56):
throughout the winter as ornaments and else feeds the birds.
All though a couple of good good traits there.

Speaker 1 (10:04):
Yeah, crab apple trees, they're they're beautiful and as you mentioned,
and certainly if you've got an area where you need
something a little bit lower, they what do they maybe
twenty thirty feet how tall? Does a crab apple tree
get in Wisconsin? They don't get all that tall, do they.

Speaker 2 (10:18):
Yeah, they vary. You know, a standard form can get
thirty feet tall, you know, almost as wide. But we
have some that are more you know, twenty feet tall
and very fairly compact. And you can get some dwarfs
as well, but we don't have any dwarf varieties currently.
But yeah, so you kind of match them to the site.

Speaker 1 (10:44):
Oh that's excellent. Well, that's definitely we talk about some
great options and what a great deal that is as well.
And folks you want to learn more about of course,
pick a phone give Kevin and the team and Hams
Barborcare call telf a number eight sixty six five nine
six five three nine six. That's eight six six five
nine six three nine six the website. Hey ms arborcare
dot com. That's h A M. M Sarborcare dot com. Kevin,

(11:06):
it's always great chatting. You enjoyed this great dan and
we'll do it all again in a week.

Speaker 2 (11:11):
Okay, take care

Speaker 1 (11:12):
Shock Dakecare News comes your way next year on thirteen
ten w I B I