Trees That Please Nursery

Follow our three part photo essay on grafted fruit tree planting. Part 3: Top Dress and Mulch! A newly planted tree should be watered approximately once every 3-4 days during the first growing season. This is best done by soaking the tree canopy drip zone using a sprinkler or due to area or budget constraints by filling a temporary water basin. Build the walls of your watering basin above the surrounding soil level about 5"-6" (photo). Watering basin walls should rise above the surrounding soil level. The soil level within the basin walls should be level with the surrounding ground (photo). This will protect the trees trunk from becoming buried over time if the basin should fill in.  After backfilling hole with native soil and making the water basin apply Earth Magic to the soil surface within the basin (photo). Earth Magic (TerraPro)   is a concentrated humus product that contains a broad spectrum of beneficial soil microorganisms, including mycorrhizae fungi, and a high p

Follow our three part photo essay on grafted fruit tree planting. Part 2: Plant Your Tree! Ensure your planting hole is large enough to accommodate the entire root system (photo). Bare-Root Fruit trees should be planted back at the original soil level with the graft exposed well above soil level. A close examination of your tree’s trunk will indicate where the original soil level was. A color difference on the trunk is usually indicative of the original soil level (see photo). For container grown trees, carefully remove the tree's root ball from its container, taking care not to break or damage the root ball.   Minimize touching the roots with bare hands as lotion and acids from your skin can cause damage. Place the tree in the center of the hole on firm ground so the root crown is level with the surrounding soil.   Check that your hole is deep enough for planting by placing a shovel handle level across the hole. The shovel handle level will indicate planting depth on the trun

Follow our three part photo essay on grafted fruit tree planting. Part 1: Dig the hole! Dig a hole that is large enough to accommodate the entire root system. This is generally about 1.5 to 2 times the diameter of the root mass or planting container. Dig a Square hole not a round one (see photo). Tree roots are more likely to get stuck or ‘root bound’ in a round hole. Square holes with their corners allow roots to more easily escape the hole. Holes dug in heavy clay very often have smooth or glazed sides (photo). This is a result of the shovel compressing an already tight clay soil structure. This will occur whether the hole is dug round or square. Soil compaction can make it more difficult for tree roots to escape the hole. Why is it important to encourage roots to escape the planting hole? The simple answer is: anchorage. The further tree roots spread out from the planting hole the better anchored your tree will be. A well anchored tree is less likely to fall over in high winds

Late winter to Early Spring is Bare-Root fruit tree season. What is a Bare-Root Fruit Tree? Bare-Root fruit trees are those which have been harvested while still dormant (leaf-less) and sold without soil around their roots (see photo). There are several advantages to buying bare-root fruit trees. First is price, which is generally lower than container established trees. Second, is the great diversity of available varieties from which to select. Many nurseries offer standard, heirloom, or less common fruit tree varieties as bare-roots. Some nurseries will also do custom grafting of a variety if it is not in stock. Custom grafting not only allows you to select your variety but also allows you to select a suitable rootstock to match your particular soil situation.   Finally, t ransporting and planting your bare-root tree is easier because of reduced weight and root mass, since no soil is attached. All you need to do is keep the roots moist and protected from freezing until planting. Re

Chisos Red Oak ( Quercus gravesii ) is a New Mexico Native Oak that can be fast growing with annual growth of up to 4’ per year ultimately reaching 35' tall and 25' wide (see photo). Like all oaks it has deep roots so can be planted closer to structures than surface-rooted trees like cottonwoods and mulberries. The Chisos Red Oak can be very long-lived, so plant it wisely so generations can enjoy its shade and beauty. In the wild, it is often found on drier hillsides growing in limestone soils (see photo).   It produces brilliant red-maroon fall color that then fades to a chocolate brown color (see photo). Chocolate colored leaves hang on tree through winter, finally falling with the spring winds or when new growth begins. Chisos Red Oak does best in well-drained soils but also tolerates clay soils with low to regular water. This combination of growth characteristics make the Chisos Red Oak ideally suited as a shade and specimen tree. It is hardy to USDA Zone 4. Our conta

Looking for that special flowering ornamental to spotlight or be the centerpiece of your landscape? Flowering Pears can add C olo r and Pi zz azz to your landscape. Flowering Pears produce two spectacular shows annually. In spring, they are literally covered with a profusion of white flower blossoms. In fall, they produce brilliant red-maroon leaf color. In between shows, they have beautiful glossy green leaves. Flowering Pears are not messy trees as they do not produce large edible fruits. They sometimes produce small remnant fruits about the size of marbles. And the show just keeps getting better! Each Year as the canopy size increases, so does the show.   Flowering Pears are not well-suited for xeriscape or rockscape gardens as they require regular water for optimal growth and seasonal color displays. There are several flowering pear varieties available including: Bradford Pear ( Pyrus calleryiana, ‘Bradford’ )             Is a non-fruiting ornamental pear grown for its profuse

Please see the following Power Point No Till and Water , by Mark Scarpitti.

Michael Martin Meléndrez and his wife Kari Meléndrez, own three New Mexico agri-businesses based out of Los Lunas , New Mexico .   Trees That Please - a tree farm and nursery, Soil Secrets LLC a manufacturer of biological soil management products, and Soil Secrets Worldwide LLC - the international division.    Michael prefers to be known as the son of his Father, Sam Melendrez, a well known farmer and retired John Deere implement man from Las Cruces who’s a descendent of Pablo Jose Melendres, the founder of Las Cruces .   Michael is proud to say that his Father is his mentor and hero, who helped him start Trees That Please.   Michael’s goal in starting Soil Secrets was first to discover ways of fixing soil and in particular the soil of his future botanical collection, now known as the arboretum.   He also wanted products that he could use at Trees That Please, which mimicked the process of nature and utilized only ingredients that could meet the benchmark of organic, but also h

Are you tired of giving flowers that wither and die after a few days? Looking for something that lasts longer? Say I Love You with an Ever- or Long-Blooming Flowering Plant! Why not plant a permanent reminder of your love and devotion? Long blooming flowering plants are those which bloom spring through summer until frost. Trees That Please Nursery stocks long blooming roses, shrubs, and trees to meet your size and space requirements. Long-blooming rose varieties include: ‘Carefree Sunshine’                Yellow Flowers ‘Iceberg’                                  White Flowers ‘Hot Cocoa’                             Smokey Orange Flowers ‘Chuckles’                               Pink Flowers ‘Golden Showers’                    Yellow Flowers ‘Tropicana’                              Orange-Pink Flowers ‘Winnipeg Parks’                    Dark Red Flowers ‘Burgundy Iceberg’                 Purple-Red Burgundy Flowers ‘Morden Sunrise’                    Orange-White Flowers Changing to