Hi Shuss - I haven't seen you on the forum before, welcome!

Huh - shouldn't cost too much for someone to cut it up and take it away - I could be waaayyy off, but $50 is what I'd pay, max. Now your wall... that's another story! Sorry to hear of your loss.

Staking really doesn't do much in terms of protecting the tree - it's only there to help it stay upright, not as an anchor. And even then, it shouldn't be staked so tight that it cannot move in the wind - that movement is what strenghthens the trunk.

So what should of you done differently? It really depends on how long you've had it. If it's a new tree, planting it early in the season and deep watering in order to get it established is your best bet - lots of people (and lots of landscapers) have no problem with planting trees in May- September. You *can* do it, but this can be an outcome - the tree simply hasn't formed the roots necessary to hold it in the ground. This also happens to some trees planted in a lawn situation, where they are only getting water from the sprinkers that the grass lives on.

If you've had this tree for a couple of years or so, I'd say you really want to take a look at your watering practices; it wasn't rooted well which means that either it wasn't getting water near the edge of its "dripline" (the imaginary circle in the soil that ends right about at the edge of the canopy) that enables the roots to spread, or it wasn't getting watered deeply enough, often enough to make it form deep enough roots to anchor it. For more watering info, you can take a look at our FAQs (on the main "Gardening in AZ" page) as well as keep your eyes open for the "Watering by the Numbers" booklet - lots of different nurseries (Like Summerwinds, etc.) carry it for free. Someone also posted the website to order it from, but I'm not sure what or where that is.

Anywho, without any more information, those are my guesses. Hope this is helpful, don't hesitate to ask for clarification. Hope we hear from you a lot!

Welcome to the AZG forum! I came close to loosing one of my year old trees. Depending on what type of tree you decide to re-plant (and P.C.'s advice is on the money) you might want to consider some selective pruning of the canopy to open the tree up a little and reduce the sail area that catches the wind. I usually do this on the first humid day signaling the start of monsoon. You don't want to over-prune and leave the tree open to scorching, but removing some of the smaller side growth along the branches lets the wind through.The increase in humidity helps the trees cope. Allowing the branches to bend without the extra weight will help them get stronger like the trunk.

pagancat and jkochan, thanks for the advice. Yes, I am kinda new here. I had a valve station problem few months ago that I posted here and recd immense help. Now, about the tree. My landscaping guy quoted 200 which i managed to bring down to 150. He argues that he would have to pay money at the dumpster too. Its atleast 3hr job if you ask me.

Now I am dealing with fixing the hole in the wall. I am a first time homeowner and have absolutely no clue when it comes to hiring contractors to do a job. All I have is Yellow pages :) If you know of anyone who can fix a cinder block wall, please send the number to me. The hole is about 5 feet wide and 6 ft tall. WOnder how much it would cost. Fortunately most of the blocks are still intact. Any thoughts?

I am curious if there are forums for such topics.
Anyways, thanks in advance to all you AZ gardeners.

You might want to check with the block suppliers. They know everybody in the bussiness and can give you a reference. Tell them it's a small job and they may be able to hook you up. They can probably also tell you what a fair rate would be. You could also check in the new developments and see if they want some side work. Pool contractors and always pulling down walls for backyard access and may have someone they could refer.

... and the same folks might be willing to haul the wood away, as well. No one in your neighborhood has a fire place?

You can probably find someone who would like to take your wood for free and use it. That way you won't have to pay the money and it won't end up in a landfill! Double bonus!

Post on lists like Craig's List (the Phoenix site) and Freecycle. I don't think you'll have to wait very long to get rid of your wood.