Before you begin spring landscaping, here are some tips on planting trees.
1. Select the right tree for the site. To avoid serious problems, choose trees that are adapted to your location. Consider whether the tree produces nuisance fruit or if there are disease-resistant varieties available. For example, there are a number of crabapple varieties that are resistant to apple scab and rust diseases. Also consider the mature size of a tree to be sure you have enough room. See
http://www.hfrr.ksu.edu/p.
2. Keep the tree well watered and in a shady location until planting. When moving the tree, lift it by the root ball or pot and not by the trunk.
3. Before planting, remove all wires, labels, cords or anything else tied to the plant. If left on, they may eventually girdle the branch to which they are attached. The root flare (point where trunk and roots meet) should be visible. If it isn’t, remove enough soil or media so that it is.
4. Dig a proper hole. Make the hole deep enough so that the tree
sits slightly above nursery level. Plant the tree on solid ground, not
fill dirt. In other words, don’t dig the hole too deep and then add soil back to the hole before placing the tree. The width of the planting hole is very important. It should be three times the width of the root ball.
Loosening the soil outside the hole so it is five times the diameter of the root ball will allow the tree to spread its roots faster.
5. Remove all containers from the root ball. Cut away plastic and peat pots; roll burlap and wire baskets back into the hole, cutting as much of the excess away as possible. If you can remove the wire basket without disturbing the root ball, do it. If roots have been circling around in the container, cut them and spread them out so they do not continue growing so that they circle inside the hole and become girdling roots later in the life of the tree.
6. Backfill the hole with the same soil that was removed.
Amendments such as peat moss likely do more harm than good. Make sure the soil that goes back is loosened – no clods or clumps. Add water as you fill to insure good root to soil contact and prevent air pockets.
There is no need to fertilize at planting. Note: Adding organic matter to larger area than just the planting hole can be beneficial, but it must be mixed in thoroughly with the existing soil. However, adding amendments to just the planting hole in heavy soil creates a “pot”
effect that can fill with water and drown your new tree.
7. Don’t cut back the branches of a tree after planting except those that are rubbing or damaged. The leaf buds release a hormone that encourages root growth. If the tree is cut back, the reduced number of leaf buds results in less hormone released and therefore fewer roots being formed.
8. Water the tree thoroughly and then once a week for the first season if there is insufficient rainfall.
9. Mulch around the tree. Mulch should be 2 to 4 inches deep and cover an area two the three times the diameter of the root ball.
Mulching reduces competition from other plants, conserves moisture and keeps soil temperature closer to what the plants’ roots prefer.
10. Stake only when necessary. Trees will establish more quickly and grow faster if they are not staked. However, larger trees or those in windy locations may need to be staked the first year. Movement is necessary for the trunk to become strong. Staking should be designed to limit movement of the root ball rather than immobilize the trunk. (Ward
Upham)
The Pratt Community College rodeo team is more than two-thirds of the way through the 2014-2015 season, a year that has brought many changes to the program.
The rodeo team is currently seeking a full time men’s and women’s head coach. The coach will organize, instruct and promote the team, as well as recruit for the next year. If the coach has experience in farrier science, they will also take over coordination and instruction of that program. The search is nationwide search and PCC hopes to announce a new coach by the first week of April.
During the search, Rocky Patterson has taken over as interim head coach (pictured). Patterson is a three time World Champion Steer Roper, most recently in 2012, and a former head coach of the PCC rodeo program in the 90s. As a student, Patterson rodeoed at Allen Community College and Oklahoma Panhandle State University.
Daine McNenny is a current member of the rodeo team and will step us as interim assistant rodeo coach. McNenny is a sophomore from Sturgis, S.D. and competes in team roping, calf roping and steer wrestling.
Lori Montgomery is head of the agriculture program which oversees the rodeo program and remains enthusiastic about the outlook for the remainder of the season.
“Our athletes are staying strong and pushing hard into the last string of rodeos on the road to nationals,” she said. “Rocky and Daine are great additions to our program, and practices are going really well.”
In December, PCC announced they would not be hosting a National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association rodeo in fall of 2015 in order to reexamine how to execute the rodeo in the future. The decision to take a year off was based on factors including the high cost of producing the event, staffing challenges and the state of the PCC facilities, said PCC President Michael Calvert.
For the 2015-2016 season, the students will continue to compete at all 10 rodeos in the Central Plains Region as usual, keeping them eligible for the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo.
Pratt is one of only eight colleges or universities to offer a rodeo program in the state of Kansas and recently celebrated 45 years with the program.
