January
Alder - If your Alder is under 6 years old, follow the advice given for trees in general at the beginning of this newsletter.
February
Alder - Food for Thought - If you plant Alder in the back forty and don’t take care of it, it will turn into a spreading thicket of stems that are difficult to walk though. In some cases, this can be a benefit if you are trying to keep the neighbor’s kids from cutting through your property on the way to school.
March
Alder - Because the Alder has roots that produce its own nitrogen, you don’t need to ever fertilize this tree.
Alder Flowers in early spring are yellowish brown pendulous catkins. The flowers turn into large 1 inch long, egg shaped fruits that look a whole lot like a small pine cone. Unfortunately, these flowers produce a large amount of bright yellow pollen which will cause a reaction in people with allergy problems; (for more information see Tom Ogren’s Allergy-Free Gardening available at Amazon.com)
April
Alder – Plant Alders, as with all shade trees in the spring or fall, though fall is probably the best time. For planting details see yardener.com; key words "Planting A Tree". Alders prefer to be planted in full sun, though they will tolerate partial shade.
If you happen to spot silky tent-like structures appearing up in the limbs of this tree, you are seeing the appearance of tent caterpillars. Go to Alder problem solving section of Yardener’s Helper for all the details you need to handle tent caterpillars.
May
Alder - If your Alder is under 6 years old, follow the advice given for trees in general at the beginning of this newsletter.
June
Alder - If your Alder is under 6 years old, follow the advice given for trees in general at the beginning of this newsletter.
July
Alder - Water deeply during any drought periods at least every two weeks.
August
Alder - Plant Alders, as with all shade trees in the spring or fall, though fall is probably the best time. For planting details see yardener.com; key words "Planting A Tree". Alders prefer to be planted in full sun, though they will tolerate partial shade.
Did you know that the brown cone-like fruits of the various Alder trees are often used in flower arrangements. Save some this fall for some winter decorating.
September
Alder - This tree has no fall color as do the maples and oaks, but in a way it is valuable in the fall’s display because its leaves stay bright green late into the fall. They can be very pretty in amongst the yellows and reds of fall. Because the Alder has roots that produce its own nitrogen, you don’t need to ever fertilize this tree.
October
Alder - Keep an eye for goldfinches going after the seeds of the Alder tree. These “cones” will stay up on the tree throughout the fall and most of the winter giving the tree some winter value while their neighbors are just standing there naked.
November
Alder - If your Alder is under 6 years old, follow the advice given for trees in general at the beginning of this newsletter.
December
Alder – Winter is the best time to prune this tree. It needs little pruning other than removing dead branches. This tree can be pruned to having either a single trunk or a multi-trunked form. For a single trunk remove the lower limbs. For larger trees leave any pruning above 15 feet to a professional arborist.
