Tuesday May 15, 2012
Global Positioning Satellite receivers (GPSrs) are more than just car accessories that move you around in your automobile. Portable GPS receivers can be a life saver if you find yourself exploring or working in a forest and lose your sense of direction. Getting lost in the woods can be unnerving to even the most experienced woodsman. Here is a tip or two on how to use GPS technology if you become disoriented in a forest.
A receiver with a track log function can keep a visit to the woods from turning into a night spent trying to find the truck. Most reasonably priced GSPrs have a track log function. You will certainly have this functionality in the Garmin eTrex series (called the tracks function) and in the Magellan Triton series (called the trails function). You can purchase the basic models for around $100.
Get yourself a receiver and take it along on visits to the woods. Before going on your walk, turn the receiver on, let it pick up the satellites and leave on auto mode. The auto mode saves the route slowly, conserves battery life but provides a more than adequate track back to the truck. At your final destination, stop and save the track log. You can then easily use Garmin's TracBack feature or Magellan's Reverse Trail to find you way out.
Garmin GPS 60C Photo
Sunday May 13, 2012
There are 5 herbicide application methods most commonly used for woody-stem plant control. They all have their advantages and disadvantages and are not always appropriate for specific conditions and cost constraints. I provide a situational graphic to illustrate each of these techniques.
Tuesday May 8, 2012
You need to fertilize trees and shrubs to insure their good health which prepares them to fight off pests, disease, and environmental stresses. A proper fertilization program can't solve all tree problems and over fertilization can do harm. Still, tree fertilizing at the appropriate time and with the appropriate formulation will help your tree(s).
Ideally, growing trees should be fertilized throughout the year. The greatest amounts should be applied during the early spring and summer months. Right now is an excellent time to fertilize trees.
For young trees, good times to put out fertilizer is late March through early June, and while you are at it, proper mulching will aid in proper nutrient and water uptake. When a tree reaches the desired height you may decrease the fertilizer application to only once a year.
Sunday May 6, 2012
Water is the single most limiting essential resource for a tree's survival and growth. Most of us understand the need to water trees during dry times, especially in the landscape. But what we often forget is that a tree can also be harmed by too much water. Unfortunately, the symptoms for a water-starved tree can be the same as symptoms caused by water-logged tree roots.
Symptoms for both under-watering and over-watering are wilted and scorched leaves. Both conditions can prevent tree roots from effectively transporting water to the top of the tree and that tree will express these symptoms. In addition, too much tree water can also shut down sufficient oxygen to the roots. Some tree species can handle "wet feet" but many trees can not.
