Boy, what an amazing meeting we had this past Saturday. Andrew Schiavone and Jeff Micka of Bartlett Tree Service gave us a jam-packed, info-filled survey of tree care from correct planting (not too high and especially not too low); through best irrigation practices (watering newly planted trees right at the root ball so the water doesn’t run around it and pool underneath; then making sure to expand the watering radius as the tree grows); and pruning (the rule of thirds, the hormonal importance of the branch collar) while making fascinating detours through the underground world of roots and soil plus the cultural sources of most insect problems and disease. (not to ignore a recommended treatment for scale!)
Even those of us who have been growing fruit for years learned a lot. They highly recommended soil samplers to give us an accurate idea of our soil’s structure and moisture; and provided business cards and soil sample bags for anyone who wants to get their soil analyzed by their lab in North Carolina, especially for suspected root rots (this would be about $50). And of course, they are available for consultations and remedial work in your orchards. They can be reached via
BARTLETT TREE EXPERTS
2369 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90034
phone (310) 454-2033
email aschiavone@Bartlett.com
For those of you who couldn’t make it to Culver City, I apologize for the poor quality of the Zoom. Our dedicated and selfless facilities chair was home sick as was our Zoom host; while our fearless and innovative program chair had Master Gardener duties to fulfill. This left your humble ottoman trying to juggle all their duties while simultaneously setting up the tripod and attempting to video with low bandwidth. If we are going to continue to Zoom live meetings, we need someone to take over the video job. As it happens, the next two meetings will solely be via Zoom because our speakers are from out of the area. May’s field trip, however, will also be a hybrid. After that, if we cannot find anyone to take on the Zooming responsibilities, we will have to return to live meetings only. Barring another surge, it is so much more fun and informative to come to meetings than sit home in your jammies. Plus, we had cookies!
