Trees - Ash
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  (December) I just returned from mid Michigan on Lake Huron where I saw a beautiful Mountain Ash Tree full of red berries. I brought some of the berries home and am keeping them in the freezer. Is there a chance I can grow one from these berries?

  There is a chance you could get the seed to germinate, but the mountain ash tree doesn't do well in our climate. Everyone who sees them in full berry wants one, but there is a reason you don't see them in Arkansas. When the mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia) is grown in warm climates, it has so many disease and insect problems that it makes it difficult to grow. If you still want to chance it, the seeds need 2 to 3 months of a cool moist storage period in the refrigerator in moist soil before you pot it up for growth.

  In April of 1994 we purchased a Marshall Seedless ash tree, which was about five feet tall. Its branches were wrapped, so I did not notice how long they were. We didn’t want to trim them, as the shock of planting was enough. The first year it grew three to four feet. Again we didn’t trim. Now this year the branches are very long with about three branches coming from one main branch. The trunk is about 9 inches around and ten feet tall. With all these branches and full of leaves, I feel it is top heavy and I worry that it will break off. We do have it staked. Can we trim its branches so it will get fuller inside? How far in can we make the cut?

  Pruning trees while they are young is the recommended practice. Prune off any low hanging branches at the trunk, being sure to leave the recommended branch collar. Never make flush cuts at the trunk of the tree, or it will lead to permanent wounds on the trunk. Tree paints are not necessary, clean cuts are. Thinning excess branches to the main trunk can also be done. Look at the overall structure of the tree, and make sure that you leave a balanced amount of branches. Pruning off excess twigginess can be done, but remember that usually you will have two or three new sprouts in the spring when new growth begins.

  I am enclosing two samples of a green oak and a red bud tree. Neither of them is doing much growing, but they both send off bunches of these seeds. Can you tell me what is happening? (Leslie)

  First off, the green oak is actually a green ash. If they are producing lots of seeds, more energy is going into blooms and seed production than into growing. Fertilize them in the spring as new growth begins, and again six to eight weeks later. Keep them well watered. This should encourage new growth, unless the trees are planted in solid rock, which limits root growth, which in turns limits top-growth.

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