Desert Messenger

10 www.DesertMessenger.com March 15, 2023 DesertMessengerNews Gardening with Dennis NOTICE to Advertisers: Please check your ad(s). Errors/corrections must be submitted before deadline, to be published in the next available edition of the Desert Messenger. DEADLINES are printed - in multiple locations - in EVERY issue of the Desert Messenger! For rates and deadlines visit www.DesertMessenger.com Desert Messenger News offers FREE Classifi ed Ads! Here's the small print: Items for sale under $500. Private Party Only. 1 per month. Yard/Garage/Craft Sales, Wanted, Give-a-ways, Free, Lost & Found, etc. (non-commercial) For more information, contact Rain at 928-916-4235 or Email: Editor@DesertMessenger.com The public is encouraged to attennd the monthly Quartzsite Town Man- ager's Meetings, which will be held at 1:00pm on the Wednesday im- mediately following the FIRST Town Council Meeting of every month. Bring your questions and con- cerns. The meetings are held at the Quartzsite Library Meeting room, 465 N. Plymouth Ave. For more in- formation contact Town Hall 928- 927-4333. Town Manager meetings T��� ����� ������� �� D����� M�������� SHOWCASING TREES THROUGH PRUNING By Alex Taft One of the hallmarks of Dennis Wilskey's work with trees is that you never knew that he pruned anything, but you noticed the tree, whereas before, you didn't. An ex- ample of that gift is when he decided to clean up one of the washes in the town park, so it could become an in- viting place to explore and walk. He started by cleaning up debris, prun- ing the trees along the wash and un- covering a large pack rat nest that stood about four feet high. The re- sult of his pruning is that you could walk under the trees like you can in the northeastern or northwestern woods and truly enjoy the natural environment. The comment from many was, "I had no idea it was there!" Dennis uncovered it. As I was once again reviewing Dennis's notes, I found a list of do's and don'ts that clearly spells out the best ways to prune. Reasons to prune: Hazard Control & Safety such as thorns or obstruction Tree Health such as broken or dis- eased branches or branch crossed over others Looks/Aesthetics such as following the natural design of the tree Factors to Consider: Any pruning wounds a plant. You can kill a plant with too much prun- ing Eliminating too many branches consumes plant energy; the leaves produce food When the pruning is complete, it should not show. Arborists believe pruning should only be for the purpose of correct- ing defects. DO NOT: Remove lower small branches because they help the tree develop stability Trim a tree its fi rst year Top trees/ Lion-tail trees/ Prune at the wrong time Prune more than 25% of the tree per year, unless you are removing diseased or damaged branches Cut at more than a 45degree angle/ leave stubs/ or make fl ush cuts Use the wrong tool or paint over the cut Make the least number of cuts pos- sible to acquire your goal. To repeat: pruning should not show. The tree should just look great. Tools he recommended are bypass pruner, bypass lopper or razor tooth saw. Pruning at the wrong time means pruning when it will stress the tree the most. The best times to prune are spring and fall. In the summer, trees are stressed already because of the extreme heat. Pruning at that time will really cause a tree to struggle. Along Plymouth Ave. by Coyote St. before you reach Town Hall is a wash that traverses the walking trail. This is an overgrown wash. Dennis decided to work on it and the result was stunning. With a minimum of tree pruning and clearing out the debris, that overgrown wash was transformed into a park setting. I lost track of the number of residents and visitors who commented on the area and how beautiful it looked. Not one of the trees that Dennis pruned were ones we either planted or watered. They grew there natu- rally because of the wash. Dennis's vision made the park area visible and he brought the appreciation of trees in their natural habitat of des- ert grace to life. You can do this in your yard too! Note: for those who did not know Dennis, he was a part-time employ- ee of the town parks department, a Master Gardener since 1985 and instructor for the Master Gardener Class. He passed away in 2018. Quarzsite Town Council will hold 3 budget worksessions at which time department heads, the fi nance di- rector and town manager will pro- vide projections for the current fi s- cal year's budget and the coming year's proposed operating budget. All work sessions will be held in the Community Center, 295 E. Chan- dler St. All meetings are open to the public to attend. The dates for the budget work shops are Monday, March 20th (General Plan; Strategic Plan), Wednesday, March 22nd (Departments), and Thursday, March 23rd (Depart- ments). All meetings begin at 9 am and will run for most of the day. For more information contact Town Hall at 928-927-4333 or visit the website www.QuartzsiteAz.org Council plans 2023-24 Budget meetings

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