Believe it or not, there is a lot to consider when it comes to planting trees.  On this week's #treechat, we're discussing what home and property owners should consider during the tree selection process to ensure you put the right tree in the right spot! 

The live chat begins at 1/15/13 at 11AM via Twitter with Corona as this week's host.  Join @Coronatools and other industry experts each week at 11AM PST via Twitter for #treechat. Discussing all things related to trees and tree care since 2010!

Topic highlights covered include;

Considering Size & Growing Space - mature tree size, room needed for planting, avoiding hazards, root run, the neighbors, and much more. 

Growing in the Zone - Sun exposure requirements, planting for heating/ cooling efficiency in your home and proper watering. 

Maximizing Your Space - how to grow trees in even the smallest of spaces

Missed the live session? You can access the #treechat Storify 24/7 with all the information we discussed.  If you have a question about what was covered or something else related this topic, just post your comment and we'll get an answer for you.

Last month I did a post about a fun project I did with my daughter during her last week of 2nd grade.  It was so much fun (and educational) that Corona decided it might make for a fun giveaway to our friends and followers throughout our social networks.  It’s a great project that anyone can do, costs you virtually nothing, helps the environment and it might just win you a $200 personalized shopping spree on coronatoolsusa.com!

What is a GroBot

A GroBot, is made up of at least 90% recycled materials; bottles, cans, wood, paper, plastic…you name it.  If it can be recycled, you can use it to build your GroBot.  When completed they should be 24” or less, have at least one container to support a plant, and able to stand on its own.  And most importantly, a GroBot requires some creativity so let you imagination run wild on this one.  

Rules for Building Your GroBot

Begin by raiding your recycle bin and cranking up your imagination.  You’ll be surprised how even the simplest recyclables can make a cool GroBot.  Use things like nuts and bolts, hot melt glue, string, etc. to hold everything together.  As long as it meets the definition of a GroBot mentioned above, you are good to go to enter it in the GroBot giveaway.

Entering Your GroBot in the Giveaway on Pinterest

Once you have your GroBot put together, it’s time to share your inner-creativeness and share it with the world.  Just click the button below for the details whether you are on Pinterest or not.



GroBot Giveaway Details

• You can enter one or more GroBot on the Pinterest board between 7/17 through 8/15/12.
• The entry with the most repins and comments on 8/16 will win the $200 personalized shopping spree on coronatoolsusa.com.
• The $200 includes shipping costs to any continental US address, AK & HI

But don’t put off building your GroBot!  The sooner you post your entry, the more likely you are to get more people to pin or comment on your post and the more likely you are to win!  Feel free to enjoy the project with your kids and teach them a little about recycling along the way (they won’t know they are learning…) or do it yourself just to test your creativity and ingenuity.

Most importantly, it gives you the opportunity to think about how many items we use and recycle each day and our impact on the Earth’s environment. Let’s all find a way to reuse some of the trash we produce and together we can all make a difference, one small GroBot at a time.

As a father, one of my favorite things to do is teach my two young kids about gardening.  It’s always a challenge to make it fun and interesting for them but one Monday night I was on Brenda Haas’ #gardenchat with her host, @Growums.  And by the luck of the draw, I won a complete Growums kit, designed to get kids introduced to gardening.

I love that it comes with everything you need to grow a complete meal (ours was a pizza kit) and it’s made just for kids.  Both my kids got into the great characters and videos they have when you register it on the Growums website.  The kit tells you how to get your seeds started, watering, planting and fertilizing in a way that kids relate to.  The planter box is easy to put together and it even tells you when it needs water. Best of all, my kids still go outside, check it out, check the water and are excited to watch them grow. Well done Growums!

As a parent, we all want our kids to live long, healthy lives and anything that gets children interesting in growing fresh food (and hopefully eating them) makes me feel like I’m getting them off to a good start.

How Does Your Father Inspire Your Gardening Giveaway

So with Father’s Day just around the corner, we want to hear your story of how your father, or even your grandfather, helps inspire others to grow fresh healthy foods.  Starting today, you can send us your story and picture of Dad and share how he influences your passion for gardening.  Doesn’t need to be a novel, just a thank you for what he teaches you, words of wisdom he imparts, a memory from your childhood that stuck with you over the years…etc.  You get the idea…! 

On 6/13, Corona will select 3 posts and celebrate them on our Facebook page.  Corona Tools fans will comment or like them to cast their vote for the post they think celebrates a father’s inspiration to gardening.  Then on Father’s Day, we’ll award the post with the most comments and likes with $100 shopping spree on coronatoolsusa.com.  And of course, since he’s inspired you, we’ll give you a matching gift.  The other 2 shares selected, will each get a set of or new ComfortGEL snips and pruners or our e-Grip Garden Hand Tools with Corona tote.

Share your dad’s story with us and we’ll help you both celebrate this very special Father’s Day!   And for those dads who garden with us in spirit, it certainly doesn’t diminish the contributions they've made in our lives.  Keep the tools and think of him when you use them or share them with someone you know who may be new to gardening.  Happy Father's Day and happy story telling everyone!

Crimes Against Treemanity

You know you’ve seen it…a thriving healthy tree one day, then a trunk with no branches the next.  Or that tree that someone planted year ago, whose owner forgot, IT WILL GROW…!  Sometimes it’s poor planning, poor maintenance, limited knowledge of what trees need, and in some cases, a blatant disregard for a tree's health.  What we’re talking about are crimes against treemanity!

This week on #treechat, we discussed and had a photo share about some of the awful things homeowners and some landscape “professionals” do to trees.  Many homeowners think a tree just gets planted and their done.  While the un-professional contractor, who knows little about tree care, takes out their chainsaw and just starts butchering trees.

Our goal is to bring awareness to the many crimes against treemanity we see throughout our neighborhoods and cities and to help others learn what they can to prevent these mistakes in their landscapes.  Our arborist community, who participates weekly on #treechat, shared some great tips on how to help prevent these horrible crimes against nature;

Remove bracing cables and poles – after the first 2-3 years a tree is established and no longer needs the added support.

Plan before you plant – when planting your trees, think about the space and will it accommodate your tree when mature.  Is it next to the house or will it grow into the electrical lines…?

Resist volcano mulching – more is not always better, especially not piled up around the base of the trunk which can lead to diseases or tree loss.

Proper pruning – the operative word, PROPER!  It invigorates a tree's health, maintains it shape and balance between a trees canopies and roots.

And #1 takeaway...

Hire a certified arborist – not only do they care about a tree’s health but they will properly maintain it.  It’s easy to locate one from organizations such as TCIA, located in your area.  Just ask yourself, would you prefer a plumber or a physician to provide you with your personal health services?   You get the idea...

You can check out all the great tips and photo shares on our Storify “Crimes Against Treemanity”

Corona Wants to Help

Corona is doing its part to help stamp out the bad things that happen to trees every day.  We’re giving one lucky treehugger a set of Corona tools Including a professional pair of loppers, hand pruners, and folding saw valued at approx $150 the most shared photo.

Throughout the month of May (5/31), you can share your Crimes Against Treemanity pictures on any of the #treechat networks;

On Twitter: mention @Coronatools & use the #treechat, post your photo on our Facebook or Google+ page, or pin it on the Crimes Against Treemanity photo board on Pinterest!

Share your post and picture with family and friends and let people know why it’s a “crime” and we'll award the Corona pruning tools to the share that generates the most buzz and awareness.  We’ll announce the winner on 6/1/2012 and along the way, create greater awareness so others will take the time and provide proper care to their trees!

During last week’s #gardenchat on Twitter, Bren, a.k.a @BG_garden had tweeted a comment to Corona Tools that helped inspire this post. She indicated that her father passed away 10 years ago but that she has his hoe and still uses it in his garden which makes her feel like he is always in the garden with her. I tweeted back to Bren that ironically I was working on a post about that very subject.

Two weeks ago while in the office, I was speaking to Corona’s resident historian, Doug Barrie, who had mentioned that his father’s tools had been passed down to him and he had no idea his father owned Corona tools. And in a recent meeting with Annie Haven, a.k.a @GreenSoil, she shared with me that she still has her father’s Corona tools he used in their orange groves in Southern California back in the day. So it seemed fitting to recognize on Father’s day, the garden legacy each of us are instilling in our children and grandchildren.

Father’s Day is one day out of the year were we take time to show our fathers how much we appreciate them. For some of us though, Father’s Day is a day to reflect on the legacy they’ve left behind. Such as their passion for gardening they instilled in us. My passion for gardening stems from growing up just outside Portland, OR, where each year my parents planted a vegetable garden. It was a tradition they got from their parents growing up in Pittsburgh, PA. To this day, growing fresh tomatoes and eating them off the vine takes me back to my childhood, both in my parent’s garden as well as my grandparent’s.

While our fathers and grandfathers may no longer be here, or the vegetables and plants they grew, many of the garden tools they used to tend to their gardens live on in ours. I wish I had my parent’s garden tools that I could pass on to my kids however when my parents moved from Portland to Orange County, CA, they left the tools behind as their concrete “patio” was no longer conducive to gardening.

So as a father of two young kids, I hope to carry on the tradition of teaching the joy and benefits of growing their own food. My kids are now old enough to appreciate gardening and I feel fortunate to have some space to plant. They love using Dad’s Corona tools and since Corona’s are built to last a lifetime, I have no doubt my kids will be handing them down to our grandchildren to use in their gardens. On behalf of Corona Tools, Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there who teach and pass along the tradition of gardening to the next generation of gardeners.

Vintage photo circa 1940 Papap, Grandma and Dad