TREES
There are a lot of tired old trees here at La Ranchita: many Tingley Elms (the scourge of Albuquerque) and Cottonwoods, one sickly Ash, one sickly Cedar, one fairly hearty Mulberry, a dead Catalpa, and of course the Fruit Trees. I've learned a lot about trees lately. From Corva Rose: Tree Goddess and Eric the Tree God. Many thanks to the Tree Gods who've been visiting and sharing information with me. Did you know, for example that tree roots grow flat and wide, (as in the top illustration)? 
3 times the diameter of the dripline, actually. wow. that's wide! so when you water your trees water WAY out there, it does little good to water near the trunk. one of the tired old Tingley Elm is right next to where we will be building the Studio. It's a particularly poor specimen, cruddy to the max. we've always thought we might take it out eventually but when Eric the Tree God was here he informed me that it will cost 2 to 3 times as much to remove it once a building is in the way. makes sense. so, we'll remove it now while there's still time and space to do it Cheaply. Cheaply? Ha! but Cheaper.
It will probably be done on Monday. Bye bye you tired old tree. Also foundation building and trenching does terrible things to a tree's roots. chop, chop. if a tree is already compromised it's likely to be super-screwed by the time you've hacked into it's roots. Just some of the common sense that's been knocked into me by the Tree Gods.
There are a lot of tired old trees here at La Ranchita: many Tingley Elms (the scourge of Albuquerque) and Cottonwoods, one sickly Ash, one sickly Cedar, one fairly hearty Mulberry, a dead Catalpa, and of course the Fruit Trees. I've learned a lot about trees lately. From Corva Rose: Tree Goddess and Eric the Tree God. Many thanks to the Tree Gods who've been visiting and sharing information with me. Did you know, for example that tree roots grow flat and wide, (as in the top illustration)? 3 times the diameter of the dripline, actually. wow. that's wide! so when you water your trees water WAY out there, it does little good to water near the trunk. one of the tired old Tingley Elm is right next to where we will be building the Studio. It's a particularly poor specimen, cruddy to the max. we've always thought we might take it out eventually but when Eric the Tree God was here he informed me that it will cost 2 to 3 times as much to remove it once a building is in the way. makes sense. so, we'll remove it now while there's still time and space to do it Cheaply. Cheaply? Ha! but Cheaper. It will probably be done on Monday. Bye bye you tired old tree. Also foundation building and trenching does terrible things to a tree's roots. chop, chop. if a tree is already compromised it's likely to be super-screwed by the time you've hacked into it's roots. Just some of the common sense that's been knocked into me by the Tree Gods.