tree- arbor society

[micaaronfl76]

hello all,

my wife donated to the arbor society and they sent us a few trees, but my wife cant remember what kind they are and only on surivived. can anyone tell me what type of tree this is? I believe its some sort of flowring tree.

[img]https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Ny_mj4_btl0/T6bnqVq5bvI/AAAAAAAAANI/nSywOjnfhAM/s512/IMAG0576.jpg[/img]

[rainbowgardener]

potatoes meant we were getting an error message, because you didn't post the photo quite right..

[kdodds]

Can't really tell, some kind of crabapple maybe.

[WildcatNurseryman]

They normally send out Crabapple (which I also think it is), Redbud, Dogwood, Crepe Myrtle and Hawthorn. This may be a regional thing that they do, so I'm not sure if they send different trees to different regions, but I would think they do. Does anyone else have experience with them sending other types of trees to other zones (not 6)?

[Kisal]

I think they used to send out Doug firs in this area. Been a long while though since I made any effort to get any. I didn't want any Doug firs in my yard. Too likely to land on my house during a storm.

[kdodds]

THey send 10 trees, which 10 trees is up to you and your zone. You can choose, for instance, 10 confiers (I think it was Spruce this year) or 10 flowering (2 each of 5 species, including redbud and I think crabapple), etc.

[!potatoes!]

for the pa zip code I randomly chose (harrisburg), hey give 2 dogwood, 2 crabapple, 2 hawthorn, 2 redbud, and 2 goldenrain tree.

of those, it would have to be crabapple, with leaves like that.

[micaaronfl76]

thanks potatoes is there anyway to be sure, should I het a closer pic of the leaves and post?

[!potatoes!]

sure - couldn't hurt.

[WildcatNurseryman]

Cool. I would be interested in the conifer choices for my area. I bet White Pine, Norway Spruce, Blue Spruce, some sort of Arb, and maybe Black Pine or some other stiff-needled pine. Thanks guys.

[kdodds]

Don't get too excited. The trees you usually get are shipped bare-root, dry, no soil, not even a damp paper towel. They're also only 24" tall, max, from root tip to "tree" top.

[WildcatNurseryman]

Yea, your right. I've seen what they ship. They don't look like the finished product, for sure, but they ship well and at least they're free. The first plant I can ever remember growing came from this source. My Mother-out-law got some last year too, and they were in pretty bad shape. Mold and mildew infested.
I would expect to get 1-2 nice trees out of the bunch, eventually.

[rainbowgardener]

Yeah, out of ten trees (read baby whips), maybe 2-3 survive. However that is 2-3 trees you got for nearly free. I have a gorgeous redbud tree that is about 12' high and wide that was one of those whips about 9 yrs ago.

[kdodds]

Has anyone ever ordered from "their" nursery? Not the "free" trees?

I understand NPOs having to ship and provide goods on the cheap, sure. But, you have to admit it's a little ridiculous. How hard can it be and how much can it cost to wrap the roots in damp paper towels? Seriously. OTOH, I've gotten similarly packaged dubious sprigs sold as "trees" from other sources as well. BUT, they were business nurseries, not NPOs dedicated to education about, and the ecology of, trees.

[applestar]

I was kind of thinking similar thoughts -- it's bad PR and "marketing" of their image and what they stand for. They should really come up with a least expensive way to ship while ensuring the survival of the seedlings (I tend to think shredded damp newspapers -- or discarded office paperwork -- would do the trick. If they had the wherewithal, they should soak the newspapers in regular or worm compost tea.... If they kept rain barrels where these things are packed and used the saved rainwater to dampen the packing material, and said so, that would mean something, too.)

Moreover, hearing these problems, they don't come across as "tree experts" nor demonstrate that they know what they are doing.

I have to admit, though, that I wouldn't know where to plant 10 viable tree seedlings if I got them.

OT -- I really like seed companies that use last year's leftover catalogs printed on newsprint type paper (not glossies) as packing material. It's also fun when small businesses use local newspaper as packing material. I always end up smoothing it out and looking it over

[micaaronfl76]

closer pic of the leaves poitatoes

here is the link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1004521997 ... 3976557778

[WildcatNurseryman]

Applestar- "I always end up smoothing it out and looking it over". That's pretty funny, and I think we would all do the same.

[kdodds]

Crabapple.

[micaaronfl76]

thanks I see there are several species, anyway to tell exactly which one?

[kdodds]

Totally beyond my scope of knowledge, sorry. Maybe once it's flowered and fruited, but most Malus spp. cultivar leaves look pretty much all the same to me.