go buckeyes !

Tips for Planting Ohio’s State Tree

By Teresa Woodard

Perhaps you’ve admired its shiny brown nuts, recognized its five-fingered leaf on the Ohio State University football helmets or grown nostalgic to its ties to our state’s heritage. Whatever’s the attraction, fall is an ideal time for planting the great state’s tree -- the Ohio buckeye.

Mike Ecker, director of horticulture at Dawes Arboretum, offered valuable advice for successfully planting and growing buckeye trees in the back yard. He oversees the care of 123 buckeye trees and their relatives, at this 1,710-acre arboretum in Newark.

“Buckeyes are one of the few trees native to Ohio that has palmately compound leaves,” Ecker said. He explained the Ohio buckeye’s leaves, which open in early spring, have five leaflets four to six inches in length, attached at a common point. Other key characteristics are its large, papery winter buds, yellow spring blooms and shiny mahogany-colored nuts, which as its namesake indicate, resemble the eye of a buck deer.

According to Ecker, buckeye trees are found in nearly every Ohio county and prefer shaded, moist bottomlands. Grown in the sun, Ecker said buckeyes grow more like trees, but in the shade they grow more like large shrubs. He said the tree is best suited for larger yards rather than smaller residential lots.

Planting a Buckeye tree
Ecker said buckeye trees may be purchased in containers or root balls. When shopping, he recommended looking for trees with healthy leaves or plump buds, an attractive shape, a single trunk and roots that are not too tightly compacted. (Ecker suggested removing the tree from its container to check the roots if possible). A root and ball should have been dug in the spring if planting in the fall; otherwise, newly dug or transplanted trees should be planted only in the spring.

Once a site is selected, Ecker said to begin by removing twine or labels that could girdle the branches as they grow. Next, dig a hole no deeper than the original plant depth and preferably an inch higher than the original planted level. For the root ball, cut away or at least pull back the burlap then spread the roots in the base of the hole. For the container, remove the plastic, untangle the roots, cut tightly bound roots if necessary and spread the roots in the base of the hole. Using the original soil dug from the hole, fill around the tree to the level slightly lower than its initial planted level. Ecker prefers not amending the soil, rather using the soil in which the tree will grow. Ecker also advises growers to not fertilize the newly planted tree. The final steps include mulching the base with an organic material such as composted wood chips or leaves and watering thoroughly. Watering should continue weekly until mid-November if rainfall is less than a half-inch. To best water a tree, Ecker recommends laying a hose by the tree and allowing the water to trickle out to deeply soak the ground and the tree’s roots.

Planting a Buckeye Seed
For those who want to plant a buckeye tree from seed – possibly one brought home from a football game, Ecker recommends collecting buckeye nuts from the ground soon after they fall and removing the husks. The nuts usually ripen by September and fall from trees until early October. Ecker said you have to be quick to beat the squirrels and should not let the nuts dry out.

He said to start by placing the nuts in damp peat moss in a plastic bag and storing them in the refrigerator for four months. Once the seed nuts have sprouted a white root, they can be planted directly in the ground or in pots to transplant later. When planted in the ground, the seedling should be encircled with chicken wire to protect it from hungry rodents.

Leaf scorch and leaf blotch are the most common diseases to the Ohio buckeye. While the leaves may brown or drop prematurely in late summer or early fall, the diseases cause no permanent damage. Ecker said several of the arboretum’s buckeyes experience leaf blotch annually but their foliage returns in the spring.

A member of the horse-chestnut (Aesculus genus) family, the Ohio buckeye has several relatives to also consider in landscaping.

• The yellow buckeye is more ornamental with attractive yellow flowers and foliage not so prone to leaf blotch.
• The red buckeye is slow to grow and displays bright red flowers that attract hummingbirds.
• The bottlebrush buckeye is an 8-foot to 12-foot shrub with white flower spikes in late June and yellow foliage in the fall.

Ohio sources for buckeye trees include Earthscapes (513/683-0144 or www.nativetrees.net) in Loveland, Deeter Nurseries, Inc. (973/836-5127) in Englewood and Oakland Nursery (614/268-3511 or www.oaklandnursery.com) in Columbus.

Take advantage of the fall season’s cooler weather, discounted tree prices and football craze to plant an Ohio buckeye. The state’s rich buckeye legacy will thrive for years to come.

Teresa Woodard is a freelance writer from Franklin County.

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