A culture of care and respect for trees

Transporting trees is not just about loading them in a trailer or a pickup truck and off you go. You are dealing with sentient beings which need care at every step of the way. Like people, they need to acclimatise and are subject to the stresses of a changing atmosphere and the effects of wind, for example. On a long trip in hot weather they might even need a spray of water to keep them cool. The weight of their root mass in transit can also cause damage if they are not handled with care.

The workers at Reitz Tree Care are part of the culture of care and respect, learning the skills of nurturing trees and other plants and developing an attitude which goes beyond simply seeing that the plant survives. They have learned to respect and enjoy the ornamental value of the trees as well.

Charles' tips on care of the star apple tree

A star apple tree in a planter at Keurboomstrand near Plettenberg Bay.

 The star apple species grows into a medium-sized tree of up to 15 m tall. It is single-stemmed and forms a dense canopy. The bark is greyish-brown, and smooth to slightly wrinkled. The young growth is covered in yellowish hairs with a velvety texture.

   The creamy-white flowers are bell-shaped and pendulous, and occur between November and March. The male and female flowers are borne on separate plants and fruits are up to 25 mm in diameter, pumpkin-shaped, with a dense covering of velvety hairs. 

   The clear, jelly-like pulp holds between 3 and 8 shiny brown, slender 10 mm long seeds, each with a single prominent dark spot.
   This species is common in coastal scrub, on coastal sandy flats and along the edges of forests. It is found along a wide coastal belt from the Western Cape eastwards and northwards through the Eastern Cape and along the KwaZulu-Natal coast, in Swaziland, along the Lebombo Mountains and the Soutpansberg, and further north to Mozambique. It prefers moist regions with a high rainfall.

General reference Wikipedia

Charles’ tips on care of this tree

• This tree’s beauty is often disguised as “a bushy mess” and falls victim to bush or plot clearing, while in fact this tree can be transplanted to a convenient spot on the erf rather than desroyed. 
• It needs time to grow but is rewarding with its gorgeous velvet-coloured fruit which is loved by birds and primates. This tree is mostly multi-stemmed outside the forest and full of character once carefully pruned. 
• It grows in regular sandy loam topsoil and needs little care apart from mulching with old leaf litter.
• I have found a group of these in a bush-like clump infested with cochineal which results in dense sooty mould layers. There are various ways to handle this infestation, if it is deemed necessary to treat them at all!

Charles' tips on caring for the false olive tree

This tree is almost endemic to South Africa and has a wide distribution. It grows up to 10m tall in warm moist areas, but usually only 4 to 5 metres in the garden, a greyish green, with a somewhat drooping crown. 
   The leaves are willow-like, with a dark green, hairless upper surface and a whitish underside. The flowers are tiny, creamy white and borne in dense sprays usually at the ends of branches. The flowers have a honey scent and appear from spring to summer.
   This fast growing tree is an excellent, quick screen plant which grows up to 800mm a year. It is evergreen, frost-hardy and drought-resistant, and has masses of flowers. The flowers attract insects and therefore insect-feeding birds into the garden. 

General reference: Trees SA

Charles’ tips for care of this tree:

• Rapid growth of this tree can cause “top-heavy” situations, especially in sand, causing it to topple over with its relatively unstable root system. This can be avoded by careful pruning and crown reduction.
• Keep a layer of mulch over feeding roots.
• Leaves are often mottled by short green caterpillars which attract robins, batis and apalises to feed.
• New lime green growth contrasts beautifully with older dark green leaves.
• This tree enjoys good dense topsoil and doesn’t mind strong sea-wind conditions.
• Although drought-resistant, avoid planting in sandy locations without food or water, causing a pale, moribund appearance.
• When pruning: This tree has hard, slippery bark, making access a challenge. Secateurs are needed for deadwood. Angular branches can be aesthetically accentuated.