I'm guessing you found that in the "What trees do you dislike?" thread. I posted a PDF from the USU extension service that kind of rates trees for Utah, telling which are good, bad, etc and why.

I think spring is the best time for planting trees, but if you're prepared to water, I think you can get away with planting now.

Thanks bpgreen! I think I will go ahead and plant. We will be watering our new sod a lot for the first few weeks. Hopefully the trees won't get too much water from the sprinklers. Yeah i read the article you posted a link to. I'm still trying to get through the really long article. I wish it had pictures like the other one. I need to go and get a soil analysis done. I've been meaning too for years and keep forgetting. Then I'll have a better idea of what I need to add to my soil. My veggies are usually Okay, but I have had iron or some other type of chlorosis with some of my raspberries and a tree I have. The tree is doing better after adding some hi-yield iron and soil acidifier. It still isn't as green as I'd like it to be though. I don't know the name of the tree, but is has been problematic in its current location. It is planted in between my and my neighbors driveway, and I think the cement has leaked some lime into that area.This kind of tree gets really big with large kind of heart shaped leaves and white flowers that turn into long skinny seed pods. If it doesn't improve with our sprinkler system, I will have to get rid of it next year. I've seen some really nice specimens around though, so I know they can be grown here.
Sorry I am sooo long winded.

Tyff

The driveways are definitely not helping that tree. Our soil starts out pretty alkaline, so it doesn't need any help from driveways. I don't think the sprinklers are likely to help it, since it's most likely a deficiency due to the alkalinity (especially if the iron/acidifier helped).

If the tree is big enough, you can drill holes in the trunk and add iron pills (the ones for trees, of course). It's probably too late to do this for this year--those things are supposed to be used right at the beginning of spring.

If it's not too windy, you can spray some water soluble iron on the leaves. Put a little shampoo (as a surfactant) and some water soluble iron in a hose end sprayer and spray the leaves. Just make sure you do it when it's not windy (the iron stains) and when it's not hot or going to be hot for a few days (it'll burn the leaves). spraying the leaves gives an immediate green up, but it's short lived.

You can also get a bulb auger and drill holes around the drip line of the tree, pour soil sulfur int he holes then add some of the soil back in. That will work better than trying to spread soil sulfur on the surface.

In addition to all of the above, top dressing with compost, shredded trees, and any other organic matter you can get should help, but don't put it on more than about 1/4 inch thick unless you want to smother the grass.

spyfferoni,

My guess from your description of the tree is that it is a catalpa. They are a nice tree but not to everyone's taste and can be a little messy. They can be susceptible to iron chlorosis, however they generally do very well in Utah and in most soils.

It probably depends on your situation, but if I were you I would give your tree some time to see if it can pull through. If you want to try to help that process along try iron chelates in the spring (its too late now), or try applying sulfur. My guess is that even without these additional steps it will survive and thrive given time.

The biggest thing you can do to help the tree with the iron chlorosis is watch the watering. Too much water will make the tree cholorotic. Try to water deeply and infrequently.

On your choice of tree, and timing. I think Kentuckey Coffee tree is a great choice if you have looked at it and like it. There are some of these trees around although they are not very common. There are some on BYU campus, and I believe there are some at the U. Look at a mature one to make sure it is what you want.

By the way could you share the nursery that you saw the tree at? I have not seen very many available at nursery's.

Tulip poplars are beautiful trees and you should be able to find them at local nursery's. I even saw some at the local Lowe's last week for $30.

Here is a link that might be useful: catalpa tree

I forgot to mention that I would not plant trees before planting your sod. The sod will require A LOT of water the first month. This would be too much for the trees and could kill the trees you plant.

The best time to plant trees is in the fall or the spring.

I saw the Kentucky Coffee tree at a nursery in Springville right off of the freeway. It is next to Woodstuff, kind of behind Walmart on the frontage road. They only had one Kentucky Coffee tree, the woman I spoke to said they get only a few in every year. I might ask them to order a few trees for me for the fall and see if they'll do that for me, since they are the closest nursery to my home and I have to borrow a truck, or ask a neighbor to help out. I had planned on getting trees before sod, but the weather kind of threw our planning off and the sod is here already. I'll be busy all day tomorrow! I want to get 1-2 peach trees, an apricot, and 1-2 cherry trees also. Maybe a pear tree too. I ordered a couple of catalogs to get an idea of the varieties that I want. I'm assuming I'll want a late blooming hardy type peach tree, but I still have a bit of research to do.

It is the a catalpa tree I have. My kids love to collect the pod and play with them, so they usually get cleaned up pretty quickly. Thanks!

Tyff

If you are still looking for a tulip poplar the Lowe's in American fork had quite a few. They were probably 8 feet tall and half inch caliper trees.

If the spot you want to plant the tulip poplar in will not be continually drenched by the sprinkler watering your sod then you could go ahead and plant one now. You would probably need to baby it through the summer though.

Thanks for the info on the nursery with the Kentucky Coffee Tree.

Tyff,

A lot of people in my part of Utah Valley have lost their apricot fruit for two years in a row because of warm weather prompting blossoms and then a cold snap killing the buds. Apricots are risky here. The tree will live fine, but the fruit gets "nipped in the bud" quite often. I'm not saying you shouldn't get the tree, but I just want to be sure you understand how "iffy" they can be as far as fruit production goes. Perhaps a spot close to the house may have a better microclimate and protect it from late freezes.

Good luck! By they way, I don't think a little temporary overwatering from the new sod will really hurt the trees. If you can reduce the lawn watering after a month to something more normal, they should be fine. But the bigger long-term concern is that trees don't do so well if planted right in the lawn. Trees are happier if they're watered once a week or less, while a lawn may need 2-3 times a week. Also, some trees are sensitive to toxins put out by grass roots. If they are planted in the lawn, be sure to cut a circle about four feet across and put the tree in the middle of the circle with some bark or compost mulch around it. Many trees will do just fine this way, even if they are watered by the lawn sprinklers, but keep a close eye on them for signs of overwatering. I've planted all my trees in borders on the sides of the lawn, so the lawn sprinklers aren't watering them directly. When they were young, they got their water from a drip line, but now that they're bigger, I'm sure they've sent roots out under the lawn.