NickfromWI
Addicted to ArboristSite
I wouldn't be suprised if you find a good tree at the original nursery.
I planted a birch for my mom a couple years ago for mother's day. My stepdad and I drove to a few nurseries, and none had TREES! We started checking Kmart, home depot, etc.
Most of the trees I saw were pretty much junk in the trunk! That's before you even looked at the roots. We eventually found one at ShopKo (like kmart) that had good roots. My stepdad didn't quite understand at the time why I was picking the tree based on what you couldn't even see, but I think he get's it now. The tree is doing fine after 2 winters! (I should get a pic, huh?)
Point: Just look more. Go for that "diamond in the rough" mentality. Go there for a day. Mike I think suggested start with the canopy as the first guideline. Find a good one and dig at the roots until you find a defect. It usually only takes a minute to find it. Then move on. Eventually, you'll find yourself at one tree that seems darn good. Take it home.
love
nick
I planted a birch for my mom a couple years ago for mother's day. My stepdad and I drove to a few nurseries, and none had TREES! We started checking Kmart, home depot, etc.
Most of the trees I saw were pretty much junk in the trunk! That's before you even looked at the roots. We eventually found one at ShopKo (like kmart) that had good roots. My stepdad didn't quite understand at the time why I was picking the tree based on what you couldn't even see, but I think he get's it now. The tree is doing fine after 2 winters! (I should get a pic, huh?)
Point: Just look more. Go for that "diamond in the rough" mentality. Go there for a day. Mike I think suggested start with the canopy as the first guideline. Find a good one and dig at the roots until you find a defect. It usually only takes a minute to find it. Then move on. Eventually, you'll find yourself at one tree that seems darn good. Take it home.
love
nick