A Heart of Green:

Blue Jaguar Eco-Kiva

"There are three things

even the mightiest that have ever been

and shall ever be,

impure air, impure water, and impure food."

- Zenda Avesta, c. 3000 BC

How to Plant A Tree

Tree Planting Instructions 

  by Michael Martin Melendrez,

Owner of Trees That Please and Soil Secrets Worldwide LLC. 

This paper describes what I’ve learned is the most successful technique for planting trees.  It  took me 30 years of trial and error and planting hundreds of thousands of trees in landscapes to  say with confidence, this technique works.  As a nurseryman, tree farmer and scientist, I’ve  learned a lot and killed many trees using other techniques.  This paper will hopefully help you  succeed most of the time, rather than by accident every once in awhile.    Remove and discard grass and weeds from the planting site. The hole should be 1 foot wider  then the diameter of the root ball and no deeper.  Dig the hole square rather then round as roots  cannot follow the sides of a square hole as easy as a round.   Pour several quarts of 3 percent grade Hydrogen peroxide on the sides and bottom of the hole  until saturated. You will see the soil bubble and fizz, which softens the soil and allows the new  roots to   penetrate the sides of the hole.   Carefully remove the tree's root ball from its container, taking care not to break or damage the  root ball.  Take care to not touch the roots with bare hands as lotion and acids from your skin  can cause damage.  Return undamaged 5 gallon or larger containers to the nursery so they  may be recycled  Place the tree in the center of the hole on firm ground so the root crown (where the trunk meets the roots) is level with the surrounding ground level.  Backfill the hole with the soil you removed (original soil). Discard any grass and weeds from the  soil. Do not add soil amendments, do not add Root Stimulators of any kind and do not add  fertilizers into the backfill.  Try to use pulverized soil like that of a gopher mound. Do not pack  the soil in; instead use water to settle the soil into the voids of the hole.   I repeat, do not place any kind of fertilizer tablets into the backfill. Do not use any kind of Root  Stimulator or fertilizer of inorganic origin with newly planted trees.  I do, however, endorse that you  apply Earth Magic ® (TerraPro  outside of New Mexico), a Soil Conditioner rich in Humic  substances plus Protein Crumblies both surface applied only.   Remove the nursery stake, if your tree came tied to one. If your tree is sturdy enough to hold  itself upright, do not restake.  Trees trunks will develop faster if they can bend in the wind.  Water thoroughly right after planting to soak the planting area and settle the soil.  Water with a  sprinkler and judge the amount by measuring 3 to 4 inches of water into coffee cans.  The zone  that needs to be watered is the same area the tree needs to expand its root system out to in the  first growing season, which is approximately a 20 to 30 foot radius of the trunk.  Do not depend  on Drip Irrigation to water trees as it will not create a large enough wet spot in the ground to  grow a tree at its potential rate of growth, size or longevity, unless you have an exceptional drip  system.   Do not create a water basin around your newly planted tree, or water by allowing a hose to  dribble or soak next to the trunk.  That will not water the entire root zone of the tree!  Spread mulch or wood chips about 4 to 6 inches deep over the entire future root zone area,  leaving a bare 4-inch to 6 inch area directly around the trunk.    Protect your trees from dogs, cats and other animals.

   Trees That Please Nursery & Tree Farm  3084 Hwy 47, Los Lunas, NM 87031  email: treesthatplease@comcast.net  (505) 866-5027

Bolivia is set to pass the world's first laws granting all nature equal rights to humans. The Law of Mother Earth, now agreed by politicians and grassroots social groups, redefines the country's rich mineral deposits as "blessings" and is expected to lead to radical new conservation and social measures to reduce pollution and control industry.

The country, which has been pilloried by the US and Britain in the UN climate talks for demanding steep carbon emission cuts, will establish 11 new rights for nature. They include: the right to life and to exist; the right to continue vital cycles and processes free from human alteration; the right to pure water and clean air; the right to balance; the right not to be polluted; and the right to not have cellular structure modified or genetically altered.

Controversially, it will also enshrine the right of nature "to not be affected by mega-infrastructure and development projects that affect the balance of ecosystems and the local inhabitant communities".

"It makes world history. Earth is the mother of all", said Vice-President Alvaro García Linera. "It establishes a new relationship between man and nature, the harmony of which must be preserved as a guarantee of its regeneration."