Novice requests advice?

We "greenified" a slice of land in an urban semi-industrial section of New York City. Planted a bunch of stuff last fall...shrubs, tomatoes, eggplant, onions, a couple trees, grass, etc. Huge success...the sun gets the credit, not us.........this plot gets full sun all day long!! Questions:

-Can we compost in some way the weeds we've pulled out?

-Should we prune the russian birch tree that we planted? (we planted it 14 months ago...it's a relatively young tree, but not short...about 12 or 13 feet tall already

-The grass is really dense and luscious green...can we leave it dense and long?(that's our preference).... or is it neccessary for the health of the grass to cut it? Thanx in advance for comments!

Reply to
jeffrey lohn
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Birch trees bleed, any pruning is best done beginning of August and would be limited to removing dead ,diseased, or damaged branches. Composting your weeds is good but you might build up quite a supply of weed seeds in the process. Grass should be cut in a manner that removes about 1/3 of it's length when cut.

Reply to
beecrofter

You planted tomatoes & eggplant last fall? Are you sure? "Fall", as in "autumn"?

Some weeds, yes. Some weeds, no. Until you have observed the growth habits of your various weeds, I wouldn't risk composting them. If your compost system was working perfectly, you might get away with it. But, at this point, you probably don't know what "working perfectly" means. Time to head for the NY public library.

Do rats like to eat fresh vegetables? Tall grass might give them a great place to slink around until you go home for the day.

Reply to
JoeSpareBedroom

Last time I looked newbies made many mistakes. These were very easy to recognize and amend. But us oldies have to wait to realize our mistakes. Plant too close to our home with a flowering tree that tends to grow too large for example. Planting a weeping crab apple that drops fruit into my pond. I can go on and on.

Bill whose first garden was a five foot patch of lily of the valley.

Reply to
William Wagner

I just noticed (as I have every year for 30 years) that once again, I should've pinched back the hearty mums so they'd be bushier, and not flop over when all the flowers open up. You'd think I would've learned by now. And, why I planted rhubarb 2 feet from the oregano, so it shades the herb is beyond me.

Reply to
JoeSpareBedroom

When I lived there and we planted a vacant lot across the avenue from our building, it was called keeping a community garden. Sounds a bit better than "greenified" don't you think?

I weep for the tomatoes and eggplant planted in the fall. How they must have suffered!

"An urban semi-industrial section of NYC" could be anywhere. In what neighborhood is the garden?

Reply to
Pennyaline

for novice Many tree problems are associated with the following: They are Case Sensitive.

Troubles in the Rhizosphere

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Trees from the Nursery / Improper Planting
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up "Tree Planting"
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Mulching -
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Look up "Mulch"

Improper Pruning

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Fertilization (See A Touch of Chemistry)
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Farming and Related Problems
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John A. Keslick, Jr. Consulting Arborist
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Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss.

Reply to
symplastless

what was i thinking?? we of course planted them in spring, not autumn...

Reply to
jeffrey lohn

it's not a "community garden" ..it's private property...we bought the land and a wrecked building on it which we've been renovating

no need to weep....error was in my post, not the planting....they were planted in spring

Flushing avenue bey\tween Knickerbocker ave/Morgan ave and Broadway....that's in Brooklyn...extreme eastern edge of Williamsburg..on Bushwick border

Reply to
jeffrey lohn

Crazy city folk. :-)

Reply to
JoeSpareBedroom

For the NOVICE:

These books can also be obtained at some libraries. If your library does not have it, ask them to get it. For the novice with regards to trees. MODERN ARBORICULTURE

WORLD WIDE PRUNING GUIDE

A NEW TREE BIOLOGY.

Modern Arboriculture would be a great book addressing many types of treatments for trees.

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Jeffrey, if you have any questions regarding the care of your trees, feel free to phone me at 610-864-5251. That's my cell phone number. Remember, treatments such as lawn treatments, can effect your trees health. Trees are tough but they have their limits.

Reply to
symplastless

I know where that is.

Your next renovation job should be the revitalization of your punctuation skills.

Reply to
Pennyaline

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