the BEACON Newspaper, Indiana beacon8-18web | Page 23

SE August 2018 FROM THE Zoller UBLISHER beaconsports THE BEACON @live.com By STEM stars Celeste Genesis: Pathways to Calvitto Success (GPS) is pleased to announce two STEMstars for the month of May- Mrs. Krista Konradi and Mrs. Amanda Farmer, who are Kindergarten teachers at St. Louis Catholic School in Batesville. To nominate a STEMstar, please visit www.genesisp2s.org.. ing on a d nity ndent By John Hawley Purdue Extension Educator [email protected] Tips and Tricks for Trees in the Home Landscape I recently attended training for educators wanting to learn more about tree care, and I left with many tips to share with the average homeowner. I’ll share these tips with you in this month’s article and of- fer some resources to explore on your own. A common misconcep- tion is that trees can only be planted and pruned at one time of the year or another. In general, this is false. Pruning and planting can take place virtually anytime the ground is not frozen. Although there are obvious reasons for pruning early in the season, doing so during the growing season or even during winter may be neces- sary to improve tree health, aesthetics or address issues with right-of-ways and po- tential property threats. Tree planting and care is a vital tool for any homeowner. Indiana was once comprised almost entirely of forests, so doing your part to plant native (or well adapted) trees is noble. However, there are many ways that tree plant- ing and care can lead to more damages than benefits. Avoid planting non-native trees and be mindful of the space you have to do so. If you are planting a black cherry tree, you probably need more than just a few feet of green space between the sidewalks to al- low that tree to grow. Mulching is another tool in the gardener’s tool shed that can be helpful for moisture retention, weed reduction, and aesthetics. However, there are many incorrect ways to do this. One of the most common mistakes with mulching is to create a “mulch volcano.” It may look nice to some, but mulching high around the base of a tree’s trunk ca