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northtexas

for Lou regarding Fire Dragon

northtexas
13 years ago

Lou I posted on my shantung maple thread a question but I found your tip about metro maples on another thread. I work only 10 minutes away from there so I am going to call him tomorrow to make an appointment to pick out a fire dragon to plant in October. I will be very excited to have that to go along with my shantung maple! Thanks for the help. I would have posted this on my original thread but it won't let me add a follow up and rejects me.

Comments (50)

  • lou_spicewood_tx
    13 years ago

    Hi, I just answered to your message in the other thread. I think it's fine to plant now so go ahead and get one now plus they seem to sell them out pretty quickly.

  • northtexas
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks again for all the help Lou. I am going over there Saturday. I called today and he said he will have plenty of fire dragons, plus possibly even a skinny dragon, golden dragon and doric dragon!

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  • lou_spicewood_tx
    13 years ago

    Then there's Dwarf Golden Dragon and Blaine's Dragon (another one with red fall color, more of purple reddish, I think). If you got room for them later when available, go for it!

  • northtexas
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Do you have all of those? I can't wait to get the fire dragon and have both the shantung gold leaves and the red leaves of the fire dragon in the fall.

  • ltruett
    13 years ago

    Lou has all of them except for Dwarf Golden Dragon.

  • lou_spicewood_tx
    13 years ago

    Same for ltruett except for Golden Dragon and Dwarf Golden Dragon.

    I got a small 3 gallon Golden Dragon last fall. It grew several feet. I got tiny Skinny Dragon and Blaine's last winter. I planted Skinny in the backyard and it grew like 5 feet this year. Blaine's was too small to be planted in the front because of kids and stray dogs running around and I was afraid that they would snap the graft off so I let it grow in the container in the backyard. It just looked like a small stick that you can barely see. It grew several feet this year. Metro Maples let me try out "test" plants which tend to be pretty small but I guess the owner trusted me enough to treat them right. The biggest thing is to learn how/when to prune properly when they are young/small. They tend to look shrubby if left unpruned at early age. Just have to be fairly aggressive with pruning till the branches are high enough to walk under. Rule of thumb is that 2/3rd of trunk should have branches for proper growth but I learned that it's a fine line between 2/3 and 1/2. One of mine ended up with 1/2 and looked funny for a while this year but by end of the summer it looks a lot better.

  • northtexas
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Lou, great to meet you at metro maples today. Sorry I couldn't stay longer we had already been there almost two hours and my two year old was getting very irritable. It was great talking to the people there and learning about all the different types. I bought a 15 gallon fire dragon and a 3 gallon skinny dragon. My mom bought a skinny dragon and a japanese maple. It was a great place and we will definitely be back. Trees are now home safely and about to go in the ground!

  • gardningrandma
    13 years ago

    Not a good time to plant trees in texas. too hot. keep it in the shade and watered in the morning and evening and plant it in november or when the daytime highs are consistently below 80. Lou should get a commission for all the people he sends to that place but I'm puzzled about the buying in september part when it's 100 degrees out.

  • ltruett
    13 years ago

    I don't think it is a bad time to plant, especially when planting from a container. If anything, it is good for the roots since the ground is cooler than in the pots.

  • lou_spicewood_tx
    13 years ago

    Northtexas, it was great meeting you there too. I can understand about 2 years old kid getting irritable. I have a 5 years old daughter. I remember taking her to Metro Maple when she was 2 years old. She was all over the place, feeding the fishes, etc. Anyway, I got 10g Seriyu for myself and a couple FD for a guy in Houston and Trident maple & Ginkgo for my brother.

    gardningrandma,

    Shantung maples are grown in full sun at Metro Maples so I'm not sure why you are saying to keep them in the shade. I don't see 100*F weather either. It's in the low 90s and is gradually getting cooler every day. It's really more about proper watering.

  • gardningrandma
    13 years ago

    Good well when it's consistently below 80, that will be a better time to plant. And if a nursery or garden center is growing plants in full sun, don't forget... they've got people watering them constantly throughtout the day to keep them alive or they may be hooked up to drip emitters or have sprinklers running. Unless northtexas has a similar irrigation regimen, they should keep their plants in the shade until planting so they don't dry out and die like so many plants that people buy before they're ready to plant or when they are planted when it's in the 80s and 90s.

  • northtexas
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Maybe I will pay the consequences later but I am starting to think not planting in the summer is overrated. I planted 19 different trees and shrubs in June and so far all are still alive and I dare say even thriving. It was a brutally hot summer this year too.

  • northtexas
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Well I got them in the ground today. Link to the pictures. The first picture shows the fire dragon maple in the foreground and then the shantung maple that was planted in May in the background. The next picture is the skinny dragon.

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • lou_spicewood_tx
    13 years ago

    Grandma,

    Metro Maples isn't big box stores that don't do it right. Apple vs. orange....

    Another good reason to plant at this time of the year is that the day is getting shorter so that means that trees are diverting more energy into root growth in warm soil. That's extra 2 months of root growth so why not as long as proper watering is done? Surely, it's much cooler in the ground than just waiting till November to be planted. Doesn't make sense.

  • gardningrandma
    13 years ago

    northtexas, when you say "thriving" does that include the shantung maple in your recent panic stricken post where you wrote the following:
    shantung maple not looking great
    Posted by northtexas 7 (My Page) on
    Tue, Sep 7, 10 at 20:59

    A nursery planted this tree for us in May. I watered diligently all summer 4 times a week and I would water around 20 gallons each time. It was a brutally hot summer here in north texas but the tree looked great until the last couple of weeks. Ironically enough the last couple of weeks the temperatures have cooled down and we have had a lot of rain with an inch and three quarters today alone. Any idea what could be happening? looks like the edges of the leaves are burning and turning brown. "

    And Mr Truett when you say now is a good time of year to plant, did you forget that you wrote the following not even a week earlier:
    * Posted by lou_midlothian_tx z8 DFW, Tx (My Page) on
    Tue, Sep 7, 10 at 21:07

    I don't see anything wrong with it considering that it's first year. That's kind of to be expected in my experiences when it comes to spring planting. Fall planting is far superior but I digress. It actually looks good.

    Don't take my word for it. Just keep on making the same mistakes. Plant when it's 90 degrees out and then wonder why your tree looks the way it does. I know you're eager to plant right away but you're setting yourself up for failure if you plant at the wrong time or when conditions are not favorable.

  • northtexas
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    The shantung was planted in May and it is still alive so no it is not thriving but it made it through the summer and it is alive. I think I didn't do myself any favors either by spraying its leaves every time I watered it. I have since read that isn't the best idea.

    The ones I wrote in my post that were thriving I wrote were all planted in June. Look, obviously planting in June isn't the smartest thing but I guess somehow it can be done even by a novice gardner such as myself. Everybody told me that they would be amazed if these things I planted lived and I have not lost one thing this summer. As I wrote earlier I planted 19 different things on June 27th and the shrubs and trees all have new growth and are quite a bit bigger than when I planted them. I planted a fig tree, two red rocket crape myrtles, a dynamite crape myrtle, twelve stevens hollies, a pomegranate bush, and two italian cypresses. Temps this week are expected to be high 80s and low 90s so the worst of the heat is behind us. I will take the owner of metro maples word and Louis who both have a ton of experience with these trees that it is ok to plant now.

  • gardningrandma
    13 years ago

    What kind of warranty does metro maples have?

    The month you plant does not matter so much as the weather conditions. Hot and dry means you will have to be very diligent about watering and your plants will inevitably be more stressed. 80-90 degrees may be a cool crisp day in texas but to a container soil ball, it is still hot.

  • ltruett
    13 years ago

    Grandma,

    So what exactly are you saying? That it is the heat or that it is a water issue? The soil temperature will be lower than sitting around in a container, shade or no shade. If it is a water issue, the trees would need to be watered either way so that shouldn't be a problem. The only way I see the heat being a big issue is if the tree was transplanted or if there was a lot of root pruning needing to be done coming out of the container. Otherwise there shouldn't be any problems.

  • arktrees
    13 years ago

    We also have a Fire Dragon from Metro Maples here in northwest Arkansas, and honestly I think it's better suited further south. It has done OK, it is dark green, and is adding caliper at a good rate, but the rate of growth otherwise has been less than impressive. We have a Sugar Maple, Paperbark Maple, and Triflorum Maple that are keeping up with or beating it to date. To be fair there have been issues with some messy roots from where the rootstock was kept in a "tube" too long, and resulted in significant root pruning by me last fall, but this seems to have had no effect on how the tree behaved this summer. Also it has been VERY resistant to late frosts (21 degrees with 6" long spring shoots and little apparent damage). But fall color has been less than advertised, but it has only been in the ground for about three years, so we will see how this fall turns out. Maybe it will improve with time. But at this point my "Gut" feel is that is will be happier in Zone 7 and above.

    JMHO
    Arktrees

  • arktrees
    13 years ago

    One more thing I forgot to mention. Cats love to use it's corky bark for a scratching post. Be sure to protect the trunk from cat damage. It also endured 2-3 degrees below Zero last winter without damage as you would expect.

    Arktrees

  • ltruett
    13 years ago

    Arktrees,

    I think fall color is also relative to your other options. You live in a place where you have many other options (better options) for fall color than I do. I am generally happy for any resemblance of fall color. Growth rate for the FDs planted 3 years ago here have been decent. I think 3-4 feet, maybe more this year. The FD that I have planted in my yard hasn't done much of anything this year. It was planted last fall and I think I set it back by letting it sit around for a while in the pot before planting it in the fall. The other smaller seedlings that I started have grown well, 2-4 feet, this summer.

    P.S. I have also seen cats go to town on a few shantung maples. The bark is fairly soft so it doesn't take much to damage it.

  • arktrees
    13 years ago

    ltruett,
    Don't mis-understand me in thinking it is a "bad" tree, it is not. It has grown ~2'/yr each yet. It has had a primary spring flush of growth each year at the start of the growing season, and that is about it. Which could be an adaptation to a cooler climate. That is one of the things that makes me think we are about as far north as it will be happy. I also want to add for reference that Paperbark and Triflorum seem to REALLY like my climate/elevation, and so they are growing much faster than advertised (3' each in fact this year).

    As for fall color, yes we have some great fall color trees here, but to date the Fire Dragon has not produced color nearly as nice as you and Lou have posted, or posted on MetroMaples website. The first year (planted in the fall) it was nice,tuned to that climate. Just noting that it has not colored nearly as well as advertised to date. But fall color was not the primary reasons for acquiring this tree. The primary reasons are that my female counterpart in the house LOVES the leaf shape, and LOVES the bark (see the theme with the Paperbark and Triflorum Maples).

    FD is a very nice tree, it's just seems as though it would be happier where it is warmer.

    Arktrees

  • gardningrandma
    13 years ago

    lou- what I am saying is that transplanting is a stress to the tree. The hotter & drier, the more difficult it will be to recover.

    The soil in a shaded container is most definitely cooler and will remain more moist than a planting hole baking out in the sun, surrounded by lots of other dry soil.

    That's why I suggested leaving the tree in the container until conditions are more favorable for transplanting. Some insist on waiting til dormancy. I'm not saying to do that. I'm just saying to wait until it drops below 80.

    Below 80!!!

    That's not a lot to ask. Anyway, it's a moot point now. It's already done. You still haven't told us what the return policy is at metro maples. And you usually insist that trees are growing in a specific brand of fabric container but you haven't specified whether or not metro maples grows their trees in those bagtainers of if they are in plastic containers. And if they are why the exception in this case?

  • ltruett
    13 years ago

    Arktrees,

    Fall color in the Houston area for the Fire Dragon isn't as red as it has been for Lou in the Dallas area. Last year it was more of an orangish red. Nice but not what I would call spectacular compared to other trees up north. This year will actually be a good year to see how the color will be as the trees are a good size. It is just a nice alternative to what is mostly planted around here.

  • ltruett
    13 years ago

    Grandma,

    I agree that transplanting is a stress to the tree but I don't consider the taking from a container to a hole in the ground "transplanting". I consider transplanting to be digging the tree out of the ground where most of the roots would be left behind which would without a doubt stress the tree in hot weather. Going from a container, there generally isn't any loss of roots. There might be a transition period going from a container to ground but nothing like a tree transplanted from the ground. I also disagree about a container in the shade being cooler than in the ground. A container is going to be the same temp as the air temp which will be hotter than the ground temp, especially if well mulched. In the winter it is the opposite. Ground temp will be warmer compared to air temp which will be colder. The ground will moderate the temp.

    I have no idea what the return policy is at MM. Call and ask if you are that interested. The trees are grown in plastic containers there. That is just how they do it. Could the roots be better with a root pruning container, probably but I would say in general MM does a better job than most in potting up trees in a timely manner compared to trees found at most big box stores which would help to some degree to decrease circling roots ect.

    By the way, I am not Lou.

  • northtexas
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    The trees have been planted and I suspect that they will live just like the other 19 things I planted this summer in worse conditions than now.

    I also have no idea what the return policy is. I guess my school of thought is that if I buy something that looks good and then it dies later it is my fault so I do not ask for money back.

    If these trees somehow do end up dying I will just go back and buy more.

  • gardningrandma
    13 years ago

    Ha ha ha.
    I'm through with this. You're not fooling anyone with your advertising.

  • arktrees
    13 years ago

    FWIW,
    These are long time posters who have LOVED Fire Dragon Shantung Maple for some time, and it is how I learned of this tree. I really don't believe that they are the owner of MM. I've meet the owner of MM on a couple occasions, and he does not speak in the same manner at which the above posters write. They are only supporting the use of a tree they highly prize.

    As for planting Shantung in north Texas this time of year, I happen to think the trees will be just fine if well watered in a timely manner. What was stated about the roots being kept cooler in the ground than in an above ground pot during summer in N Texas is true. I have seen many trees in above ground pots this time of year that did not have living circling roots on the outside likely due to the heat of the ambient air, and that's from a climate far cooler than the DFW area.

    JMHO
    Arktrees

  • lou_spicewood_tx
    13 years ago

    Grandma,

    http://metromaples.com/growing_maples.htm

    "Lastly, be careful not to scratch the young bark on the trunk or branches. Small wounds are not a big health problem but when the tree turns that area naturally black, as if painted, it can be unsightly. Don't let cats use your tree as a scratching post as it will leave black marks for several years. Plant Shantung maples at the proper time for our 1 year guarantee. We no longer guarantee trees planted in the months of May thru mid-September as this can be too stressful for them in our hot climate."

    I guess that's close enough. Some years, I wouldn't recommend planting in early September. It really depends year to year. Weather can stay too hot longer into September. Weather can be a lot cooler in September. It's always different every year for September.

    Ltruett isn't me. Seriously.

    Arktrees, I've seen "north" source Shantung maple seeds. Schumacher (I think) sells them. I've bought the south source seeds. I wonder if those north source seeds would produce better fall color for your area? Pretty cheap and easy to grow if you want to experiment with it to see how they fare compared to Fire Dragon but it will be mostly bright yellow (close to Ginkgo fall color) which I thought was pretty nice. Not sure where Metro Maples got seeds from.

  • lou_spicewood_tx
    13 years ago

    Last year when it was a very wet fall and unseasonably cooler than normal-

    Fire Dragon - We always get full blast from north wind whenever a cold front comes through. Seems that the leaves on new growth don't stay on as strong as the ones on the older woods. {{gwi:443416}}From 2009-11-29

    A shantung maple that I grew from a seed. it was in the 15g container and now is planted at a neighbor's. {{gwi:443418}}From 2009-11-29

    A regular shantung maple that I bought from a big box store (and still the only year they ever sold Shantung maple). Had nice bright yellow fall color. Unfortunately, I didn't have the camera with me when that happened. This one was just beginning to color up. {{gwi:443420}}From 2009-11-29

    I mainly recommend shantung maples for Texas in hot weather and have crappy soil where you can't grow other trees that produces nice fall color out in the east. I don't know what other trees that reliably produce nice fall color in Texas, even in Houston....

  • lou_spicewood_tx
    13 years ago

    Limestone rubble soil at my house... That was 2005
    {{gwi:79083}}From Before and After Lawn

    That was 2007. {{gwi:79084}}From Before and After Lawn

  • northtexas
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Lou, do you have any tips for fertilizing my maples? When what and how much? The owner at metro maples mentioned that you had some great success with your techniques.

  • lou_spicewood_tx
    13 years ago

    I would focus more on proper mulching, preferably 5ft wide and maintain it for several years because bermuda grass is very aggressive and can steal away water and nutrients from the trees. You will need to have Round Up sprayer ready to kill bermuda growing in the mulch. Maples will get fertilizer you give to Bermuda grass. Nothing fancy. Maybe hunting for earthworms to put in the mulch would help improve soil more quickly. I've used fish fertilizer several times a year during first year for all trees though mainly to improve soil biological activity in the mulch area. Basically, you want the soil to be more like forest soil. After 4 years, the soil is a lot better and maybe that's why my little Skinny Dragon readily responded to the improved soil by growing 5 feet this year.

    And be careful of which pesticide you use. Some are very toxic to earthworms and other beneficial insects. Sevin pesticide is pretty harsh. Avoid it. Over n Out ant killer pesticide didn't seem to do anything to earthworms, spiders, lizards, praying mantis, etc so I suppose that's good enough. Fire Ants suck and it sucks to see my kid get bit by them. Over n Out is long lasting so only once a year seem to do the trick. I've read that it lasts as long as 16 months.

    Not sure if Lowe's still sells greensand but I used a lot of them on my lawn to add some slow releasing minerals like iron, potassium, etc. That's to replace whatever is gone. There used to be 2-3 feet of pure black crumbly topsoil on top of limestone bedrock. I guess they scrapped that away? Over time, my soil is slowly improved and now is full of earthworms and seems to be more black deeper down (thanks to improved soil biological activity).

    Be very careful with weedkiller that has 2-4,d. It can cause a lot of damage if accidently sprayed on the leaves from what I've read. Pre-em weed control every spring and fall will do the job though.

  • arktrees
    13 years ago

    To kill "grass" around your trees, you might consider the product below. It's specific to grass, so if you accidentally spray a non-grass, it should be fine. It also breaks down pretty quickly in the environment, so not persistent. The active ingredient inhibits ester synthesis and bothers little else than grass. Takes it a couple weeks to kill the grass, but is very effective. I use it, and have liked the results.

    One thing I will disagree with Lou on with the Sevin, is that is also breaks down pretty quickly, and therefore it's eco-footprint is not nearly as large as a persistent insecticide. I use it for adult Japanese Beatles during their season, and our trees/shrubs are currently filled with Mantis, Crickets, Butterflies, etc.

    One thing to added on the soil biology. Mulch mow your lawn and leave the clippings lay. This will greatly stimulate the soil biological community as well as increase organic matter, and improve soil texture/drainage. It also helps much not to have an absolute monoculture. I get compliments on my lawn frequently even from the really involved nit picky lawn people, but I use a very limited amount of anything. Selective use of glycophosophate, pre-emergent, fertilizer, and very limited use of 2-4 D (breaks down reasonable fast) and lots of mowing. I just make my lawn look good, not perfect. Result is it looks good, is healthy, full of insects, fungi and mushrooms, earthworms with a good layer of topsoil in 4 years from bare very infertile clay.

    Arktrees

    Here is a link that might be useful: Hi-Yield Grass Killer

  • lou_spicewood_tx
    13 years ago

    Arktree,

    There was this University of Kentucky study (I think) showing a couple dozen different products and Sevin was shown to be the most damaging to earthworm killing at least 90% of earthworm population. That's why I never tried it. How did you use it on Japanese Beetles? They fly around erratically.

  • arktrees
    13 years ago

    Lou,
    I use it on the plants they attack. I do not use it on the soil. Even if you used it to kill grubs, it will do little good if the entire area does not use it, so I do not consider using that. I did spread a 20 lb bag of Milky Spore a few years ago, as that Bacillus should persist and spread over time. Even so, the carbaryl (Sevin active ingredient) that does hit the ground has a relatively short half-life and therefore not persistent, plus on the surface and not drenching the soil. That's a big difference. We don't have fire ants, so I don't have to worry about those. I'm just trying to protect our plants from the adult beetles, and Sevin works well for that. Even so, I use as little as possible. As stated above, we still have a full community of insects etc in and around our plants. One last thing to consider about carbaryl, it has been around somewhere around 50 years, and has been studied to the extreme, while the newer compounds will have some question marks associated with them over the longer term. We don't have kids, but for this reason alone I would shy away from much of the newer stuff if we did. Mainly, I choose the compounds I use carefully, and use sparingly. It helps allot that I have a broad science background to make sense of the available info.

    Hope this helps, if not ask more questions.

    Arktrees

  • Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
    13 years ago

    Back to the fall color topic.

    My generic Acer rubrum Red Maple has turned yellow and red in different years. The grafted Acers seem more consistent. Could Shantung be more Acer rubrum like?

    I do not own an Acer saccharum, Sugar Maple. Are the non named cultivars also variable in color?

    Acer palmatum from seed is reportedly all over the place in habit and color.

    The older presumably seed grown saccharums and Acer saccharinum Silver Maples around here seem consistent in size (and fagility for the saccharinums!)

    Thanks guys. I'm going back to reading and learning.

  • arktrees
    13 years ago

    tornado,
    Of course they do vary with genetics AND environment. I've seen it reported that Acer rubrum October Glory varies some with the soil pH, with acidic being more red. I have seen some evidence of this myself. In front of my work there is a red maple that I believe to be October Glory planted in a concrete landscape island (with undoubtedly higher pH due to the concrete). It has a mix of oranges and reds in the fall. Half a mile down the road are more October Glories planted in a much larger area next to the road, but not surround by concrete that turn a very bright red year after year. Most all of soils (except for small local areas) are acidic, so it would make sense that those in the larger area would be more acidic and therefore more red.

    Arktrees

  • lou_spicewood_tx
    13 years ago

    Thanks Arktrees. Japanese beetles are always in the flowers so I wasn't sure what to use because there are also many bees roaming around flowers so I just grab JBs and throw them into a bucket with pesticide. Last year was pretty bad but I didn't see any significant damages. They are just annoying bugs that can't fly straight and would fly into my head occasionally.

  • Marie Tulin
    13 years ago

    I appreciate your obsession! A couple of comments since I haven't had anything to say before....

    Sevin is lethal for honeybees. Please don't use it. We need as many honeybees as possible. Please find something else. Short half life...phooey. Its a short whole life for beneficial insects who meet sevin

    ---Texas: Would you consider pulling your mulch back from the trunk of the tree?

    Thanks

  • arktrees
    13 years ago

    Yes it does have a short half-life and an insecticidal life or 3-10 days. That is far far shorter than MANY other highly used insecticides. Certainly not 15 years as I have seen claimed before. As previously stated, we have a full community of insects in our plants, and in our soil, and we use it to control Japanese Beetle damage during the 6 weeks or so the adults are present.

    ENVIRONMENTAL FATE
    Carbaryl has a short residual life on treated crops. The insecticide remains at the application site, where it is slowly taken into the plant and metabolized. Insecticidal properties are retained for 3-10 days. Loss of carbaryl is due to evaporation and uptake into plants. Breakdown by sunlight does not appear to be significant.

    Degradation of carbaryl in the soil is mostly due to sunlight and bacterial action. It is bound by organic matter and can be transported in soil runoff. Carbaryl has a half-life of 7 days in aerobic soil and 28 days in anaerobic soil (9). Degradation of carbaryl in crops occurs by hydrolysis inside the plants. It has a short residual life of less than two weeks. The metabolites of carbaryl have lower toxicity to humans than carbaryl itself. The breakdown of this substance is strongly dependant on acidity and temperature.

    Here is a link that might be useful: carbaryl, A.K.A. Sevin

  • northtexas
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks all for the tips and advice!

    When I planetd the 19 different things back in June I was finding lots of earthworms. Since then we have a new pesticide company treating our house and lawn. I planted these last two trees and didn't find one earthworm so I am concerned they have killed them somehow. I will be checking to see what they use for sure!

    Ida I have moved the mulch back so it is not touching the trunk. When I water it moves back to the trunk but I will just continue raking it back. I fertilize the bermuda once a month with high nitrogen during the growing season

  • lou_spicewood_tx
    13 years ago

    Hmm. Check for earthworms in various area. Maybe they are sleeping deep in the ground when it's hot? I really hope that's the case!

    Are you buying fertilizer from Lesco/John Deere Landscape store? They're pretty cheap compared to big box stores. I can't imagine fertilizing that much but of course bermuda needs that much nitrogen to look good unfortunately. Neighbor's look bad if they don't fertilize it. Last time I fertilized was back in May. Planning on fall fertilizing soon.

  • northtexas
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Yep I buy Lesco from a John Deere landscape store near my office. One bag is only $23 and can last me about 2 and ahalf applications so cost is not bad at all. I just put down preemergent for winter weeds last weekend. Here is my firedragon today one week after I planted it. You can see my two year old's shovel she left after "helping" me.

    {{gwi:279226}}

    {{gwi:279225}}

    On a totally unrelated note, does anybody have any ideas on what I could plant along the top of my retaining wall? I was thinking a small shrub of some sort. I would like it to get thick enough so I don't have to worry about the grass up there any more. This spot will be full sun and is only about 10 inches wide and right next to the fence. You can see some of the rocks sitting on top of the wall that I have been digging out of our yard while planting things this summer. We have very rocky soil!

    {{gwi:279223}}

  • arktrees
    13 years ago

    Northtexas,
    IF it's well draining soil, then Cotinus obovatus-American Smoke Tree. Can be kepth to shrub form, or small tree. VERY drought resistant, and can have great fall color. May have to ship in small specimens though as they are fairly rare. But they can grow a couple feet a year. Their native habitat is atop rocky limestone out crops where very little else can grow. I included a link below where you can obtain them for a good price. Very nice woman that we bought a bunch of plants from in the spring. Lots of hard to find stuff.

    Arktrees

    Here is a link that might be useful: Pine Ridge Gardens

  • lou_spicewood_tx
    13 years ago

    You could turn that into plant bed. Small shrubs like dwarf nandina, flowering types like latana, etc.

    Whenever I plant a tree, I end up hauling away a couple of wheelbarrow load of rocks. Occasionally, a huge rock (or a boulder...) Sadly, they are building a new house behind my backyard where it used to be the dumping ground for rocks. Going have to haul to the other side of the neighborhood to dump rocks from now on.

  • northtexas
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    The fire dragon that was planted last September is looking great so far this spring!

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    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • lou_spicewood_tx
    13 years ago

    Fire Dragons over here just started blooming. Should peak in a couple days. I'll post pictures. I wish it would rain here. It seems that during El Nino years, they grow better due to longer springlike season. We're having La Nina which could mean drier and warmer spring than usual and hot weather coming early than usual. My tap water doesn't seem to do much for them compared to rain water...

  • northtexas
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    The fire dragon has really leafed out now. I will try to get better pictures when it isn't so windy and I can use the good camera not the one in my phone.

    It looks like this tree has somehow managed to survive despite the September planting :)

    {{gwi:443433}}

  • northtexas
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I took these pictures today. It really is a beautiful tree!

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