North Bay Woman

24 NORTH BAY WOMAN F A L L | W I N T E R 2 0 2 1 But, for those who want to trans- plant their trees to the garden, he advises using "a starter fertilizer such as SureStart to get it going and, if it looks like it is in any shock from being inside too long, a product called SU- PERthrive fertilizer will help revive it." Other people prefer to offer their trees as donations to neighbors, a lo- cal dog park, or a garden group that needs a nice raffle prize. For many years, Travis Woodard, general manager of Fulton's Urban Tree Farm Nursery has participated in the Gifting A Tree Project, which is on a hiatus this year due to the drought. "The project started in Lake County but has expanded to Sonoma County with all of the fires," he says. "People will buy a living Christmas tree and then donate it once they are done us- ing it. People will also buy ornamental or fruiting trees, or gift cards, and donate it to the project as well." Among the trees Urban Tree Farm Nursery offers are many sizes of spruce, redwood, fir, cedar, pines and cypress that can be brought inside for the holidays. He recommends that customers put the tree on a tray, or larger container, at home to protect their floors from damage and to wa- ter the tree with ice cubes. Once the decorations come down, he suggests these tips for successful transplanting. n After Christmas Day, or whatever the relevant holiday is, return the tree to the outdoors. Keep it moist and out of direct sunlight. It will need time to acclimate outside before being planted. n Pre-dig the hole. It should be twice as wide and not quite as deep as the root ball size. Amend the soil with 30% compost. n Remove the burlap around the trunk and root ball. n Water the tree well if there is no rain to help the roots grow and the tree is established. You can then enjoy it for years to come. n Resources n Lake County Gifting a Tree Project, 707-972-2084, facebook.com/Lake countygiftingatreeproject n SummerWinds Nursery, 1430 S. Novato Blvd., Novato, 415-878-0493, summerwinds.net n Urban Tree Farm Nursery, 3010 Fulton Road, Fulton, 707-544-4175, urbantreefarm.com n West End Nursery, 1938 Fifth Ave., San Rafael, 415-454-4175, westendnursery.com Holiday decor at West End Nursery. – Photo courtesy of West End Nursery (707)-708-7800 Santa Rosa, CA 95401 266 Coddingtown Center (415)-924-2500 Corte Madera, CA 94925 47 Tamal Vista Blvd, Suite G ORDER ONLINE! WE DELIVER! Local San Rafael Grown 100% woman owned business.

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