Growing Grass Under the Princeton American Elms

Ever since there has been grass growing around and under trees in our yards it has been a job to keep the grass green, thick and lush under the canopy of these trees. Shade trees do their job well and sometimes to well. Some shade trees have high feeding roots that suck the moisture away from the grass and basically compete with the grass for water and nutrients. Like all American Elms the Princeton American Elm has deep feeding roots that go deep into the ground which secures the tree very well and does not have a lot of top feeding roots as do most other shade trees have.

8" Caliper Princeton in

Fescue Lawn..NICE!!!

The tree will always win this battle and the grass dries up and has nothing to feed on. Allot of these shade trees are also small headed and don’t shade as well as the more upright mature Princeton American Elms do.

Several studies have been done by the US Forestry Service that have concluded that American Elms are soil improving trees because the leaf drop adds a lot of potassium and calcium back into the soil thus improving it. The leaves also breakdown and decompose more rapidly than most other shade trees do.

I recommend taking a mulching mower and running over and grind up the leaf litter and let the grass come up thru the litter. This will help the soil around the tree by adding back vital nutrients and moisture that the grass and tree both need. But you will need to continue with the fertilizer program and watch the PH for the grass. The Princeton’s are much less adversely affected by a low or high PH, so I would adjust it to suit your grass needs.

Another point to be made is that the large mature tree canopy is very tall and upright with long graceful limbs that lets filtered sun light fall to the ground that the grass has to have. With the fact that the Princeton American Elm will give you years of shade, grass will grow under the tree if taken care of and the leaf litter adds nutrients back into the soil while not competing for as much moisture as other shade trees makes the Princeton American Elm the perfect shade tree. It simply does all of the good things listed above and then some. Oh yea, did I mention it sequesters carbon faster and produces more oxygen than just about all the native trees do in all of North America. I will cover that later in another report.

Scott Bowen, Grower, Sharp Top Trees

Ohio City Schools - One Lonely Elm!

Mr. Bookhardt,

I am the grounds Supervisor for Columbus City Schools and I mentioned that we have a mature American Elm at one of our facilities. You asked me to send you some pictures with a little information.

The tree is at our Fort Hayes Career Center. Fort Hayes started as an arsenal in the mid 1860. It was an active military base through the Vietnam years. In the 1970's Columbus City Schools took control of the 50 acres and its buildings and created a career center. Sections of the site are currently being renovated and one new building has just been completed.

The American Elm is located near the "General House", which now serves as an administrative building. The tree is in relatively good condition and is approximately 39" DBH. We had another similar size tree on the campus that died suddenly 2-3 years ago. This is the only American Elm that I know of in our school system. Our system consist of 150 sites and approximately 1400 acres.

Sorry the winter pictures are not that good but I hope you find the information interesting.
Sincerely,
Frank Dengg
Landscape and Grounds Supervisor
Columbus City Schools

Frank, Thanks for the story and the pictures. I hope we can work together and get some more Princeton Elms into the mix there at the City Schools. Thanks Again!

Temporarily Lost But Not Forgotten

Hi Jared...here's my first and only elm tale.

Searching for unusual trees is my hobby. Very early spring 2007 I came across a pallet(about 20 fifteen gall.) of Princeton American Elms sitting outside a local Home Depot. Unable to resist I excitedly purchased three(two for me and the other for a fellow plant geek friend). I still remember planting them in pouring rain and mud but I couldn't resist getting them in the ground a.s.a.p. As a garden designer I'm always in need of and searching for more plants. This brought me back to Home Depot later that summer. Much to my dismay I noticed those same elms had been moved to a corner of the parking lot and left to bake in the 90 degree sunshine on blacktop. These poor trees were surrounded by other plant material all of which had obviously been neglected. It seemed that nothing had been watered for days. A hand-made sign indicated that all plants in this area were 75% off. Most of the smaller shrubs and perennials were dead but to my surprise the elms were very much alive. There were seven left and I "rescued" them all certain I could find them good homes. I'm happy to report they're doing quite well today.My above mentioned friend and I each added one to our landscape and others have found spots in some of my clients yards. Not only are they thriving and growing quite fast but I must mention that these trees require little to no maintenance. I'm not sure what the moral of this story is but I can wholeheartedly recommend the Princeton American Elm to both plant geeks and regular folk alike!........Bernard Gross/Garden Partners

Thanks Bernard, I was very interested when you told me this story and also very excited that those Princeton American Elms where able to be saved. You do have a kind heart my friend!

Check out the next story or information on the elm comming soon!!!

Mail Order Princeton American Elms Now Available

With the growing demand Nationally for the Princeton American Elm, we here at Sharp Top Trees have now released two new sizes available for you, the homeowner. These are 7'+ Bare Root liners (See picture) and also the 3'-4' quarters (See picture) All are now available online!! You can order directly from our web site at: http://www.sharptoptree.com/princeton_am_elm.htm

Field of Bare Root Princeton American Elm's Ready to Ship Now until Spring Leaf out!!!

Here is Scott with a handful of freshly dug Princeton Elms Bare Root. These will need to be staked for the first year of life. Of course with your order, you would get planting, fertilization instructions and much more to help get your Elm off and growing to a great start!


The "Quarts" will be available year-round as they will still have soil. The bare root liners are only available this Winter and early Spring.

Also, you will notice the cleaned root system of the trees (See below). These trees are stored in the sawdust holding area while on irrigation to keep the roots moist until you open them up and plant them in your landscape.



If you need more information or ordering information, please feel free to contact me at (877) 387-1945 or at jared@sharptoptree.com

I look forward to sending you your New Princeton American elms!


Below is a picture of the 3' to 4' "Quarts" that can be mailed out year-round - even in full leaf! Shipping is usually 2 to 3 days in the USA!!

10 Gal Princeton American Elms Now Available!

Great news! Sharp Top Trees is now offering a 10 gallon squat containers of the Princeton American Elm. A 10 gallon squat pot is the same diameter as a standard 15 gallon, but not as deep. This will be a tree that is 9'-10' tall and have a caliper from 1" to 1.15". These are one year behind in growing from the standard 15 gallon trees. They also weigh less than the standard 15 gallon, weighing around 65 lbs. instead of the 80lbs of the 15 gallon type. These are Nicely Branched and you can see from the below photo that they are a very beautiful tree.

Garden Centers and Homeowners alike will find that these trees are appealing from a size, weight and cost standpoint. Feel free to call me and get your discounted cost today.

10 Gal Princeton American Elm & Block of 10 Gallon ready for Sale!

Planting is the same as the 15 gallon, but the hole would not have to be as deep. Remember, many people dig the holes too deep and this causes the plant to sink-in over time if it is not already too deep in the ground. The Princeton Elm is very forgiving of this, but if you dig a hole too deep, then backfill the hole and firm the bottom of the hole to make sure the plant does not sink over time. The roots will find their way into the new surounding soil.

Another important aspect to remember about the NEW 10 gallon Princeton American Elm is to keep it staked for the first year. This will ensure a straight tree until it can stand on its own.

If you are interested in getting the 10 gallon Princeton American Elm, please contact me today at (866) 387-1945 or at jared@sharptoptree.com.

Princeton American Elms from Around the Country!

I have been receiving photos of the Princeton American Elm from homeowners all over the US! I expect more as the Winter and Spring arrive and as more people take additional photos. Some of the fall color on the Elms has not been as good this year due to drought conditions. The American Elm tends to drop its leaves in drought conditions or have a short window of fall color. Enjoy some of the photos and I look forward to seeing some of your photos and stories as well.

One key to remember with the Princeton American Em is that it is a deep rooted tree, not a shallow rooted tree. This helps with many of the North Grasses like Fescue and Bluegrass. These grasses do not need a shallow rooted tree taking its available water and nutrients from them like Maples and Birch would. The "vase shape" of the Princeton American Elm lets light come to the grass without low branching that would otherwise cause shadows. Because of this feature and with its deep roots, water and nutrients are available for your grass.

Scott Bublitz From the Chicago Area
with his Princeton American Elm &
nice fescue lawn. Scott was able to
see some nice Fall color this year!

Many families have told me how important it is for them to have a tree in their yard that is not wide until it gets older. They want to maximize their yards, but also provide shade for their home. This was important with Bob and his Princeton American Elm, which is now 7" in just 5 years of growth.



Additionally, families are asking where can purchasethe Princeton American Elm. We have been working with many Garden Centers all over the US and have had great success in connecting homeowners and Garden Centers in their communities. We have a list of distributors on the blog here and also on our web site http://www.sharptoptree.com/. You can call or email me and I will let you know of recent shipments or about future shipments to your area. We are expanding the distributors with each week and hope to have one or more in each state and hopefully in a city/town near you. If you know of any good Garden Centers to contact, then also let me know and I will contact them as well.



Bob's nice 7" Caliper Princeton
American Elm - Notice the nice
Grass growing to the trunk of
Tree.


Below is a shipment of 10 trees we sent to Blue Hill Maine. Wow, is that a cool place or what? It is a nice little Garden Center with a LOT of character.



Althea (Owner of Mainscape Garden Center) in Blue Hill Maine took some nice trees this Fall. See her Princeton here, just off the truck and waiting to be sold. Many of the Garden Centers are taking trees with pre-bookings from customers. This has been especially popular with the homeowners and Garden Center owners as they have not had to carry a lot of inventory and also because the homeowner is getting the tree they asked for by caliper and height. They are not just picking up what has been leftover or hanging around the yard.


As the weather cools in the East coast and Mid-Atlantic region, the planting of trees will slow down. These areas are already looking toward Spring.


Cities like Chattanooga, TN and Great Barrington, MA have are a couple of "hot" areas for Garden Center Sales for the Princeton American Elm. We are so grateful to all those Centers who have taken the Princeton.


Check out our Florida Princeton American Elm (below) in Tallahassee. Even in the Sunshine state, the Princeton American elm is thriving! With Zones 2b to 9, this is one of the widest ranging shade trees out there. Kent planted this Princeton in his front yard last October. We are looking forward to more pictures from Kent on his Sunshine Princeton American Elm.











This is a nice 4" Princeton American elm in fall color near the Campus of GA Tech University in
Atlanta.




We are looking for more photos and stories from around the country on your Princeton American Elms. I look forward to hearing them. Please send us your photos and we will put them on the blog for all to see. Thanks and talk to you soon!



Here is a picture of a 5.5" Princeton American Elm planted as a memorial tree for a local family as requested by the diseased family member. This is becoming more and more prevelant as people are looking for a historic tree that fits the deep rooting, upright "vase shape" of the Princeton American Elm.
In addition, clients are also looking for something of historical value, such as the Princeton Elm. It has been around as a native and found in the wilds in the 1900's.

Bare Root Liners This Winter Finally Available!!!!

We here at Sharp Top Trees are very excited to finally offer Bare Root Liners to the industry and homeowners alike this Winter. After many years of learning the technique of propagation, applying this to our field and container stock, we are now ready to release the smallest of the Princeton American Elms as Bare Root Liners.


This is our Bare Root Liner Field of Princeton American Elms. With 10's of Thousands growing
as we speak.

This is no easy program. With birds and rats and rabbits constantly pecking or chewing holes in the irrigation lines, our staff works daily to replace and repair vital water lines to keep the nutrients flowing to our trees so that they may continue to grow vigorously.

The trees are typically 3/4" in caliper and 8'+ in height. These are called "Lightly Branched" Bare Root Liners. We will also have a limited number of 1" caliper of the same. These are typically dug in the Winter when they are completely dormant. Here in Georgia, sometime in mid-January is the ideal time.

We are also currently working with UPS on the shipping of our trees in special boxes and withprotective wrapping to keep the trees moist, but without being susceptible to the formation of disease.

Climate Control Information: Once dug, the Bare Root liners will have a shelf life of four months or so until before they must be planted. A cool dry climate is the key for this longevity to remain in place until the tree is planted.

Planting Care: Many Nursery and Homeowners will take the Bare Root liners and plant them in the field or into pots. These will have a substantial root system ready for both. Staking of the trees will be crucial, as the large leathery leaves in Spring will act like sails and tentx to keep the plant swaying in the wind. In the container, field or at your house, these will need to be staked to 8' as suggested.

Below is a picture of the Bare Root Princeton American Elm growing in its row along with its fellow clones. They are all perfect clones of each other, taken from cuttings over two years ago.

Once planted, these Princeton American Elms will reachtwo-inch calipers within the next growing season or season and a half. Much of it will depend on the growing season in your area, but it is not uncommon for the Princeton to grow 1" caliper and 3' to 6' per year.

As our growing cycle continues, we hope to have a continual supply of the Bare Root liners available each and Winter and Spring. Many of our liners go into the field to produce larger Princeton American Elms along with larger container elms. Feel free to call or email us for more questions about the Princeton American Elm and why it is a great elm for your Nursery, Garden Center, City or Home.

Plant a tree as they say, but just make sure it is a Princeton American Elm!