Trees remain healthy when they get enough sunlight, water, nutrients, care. And so, caring for the tree begins the moment you actually buy and plant it. The tree you choose for a certain location, the way it is planted, the quality of the mulch, the considerations taken into account all constitute the basis of a healthy growth – or not.
Assuming that you have done all that, you are likely looking for tree maintenance ways now to continue to show some extra care to your oak, redcedar, maple, or willow. Let’s focus on the main tree care methods.
Tree pruning
Pruning trees several times throughout the year is good for the tree and your peace of mind. This task mainly involves the removal of dead branches and loose limbs. Not only does the tree look neater but gets the burden of the dead limbs off its shoulders too.
Tree pruning also involves thinning some branches, especially when they intersect or there’s dense foliage, eliminating sudden breakage due to the extra weight and removing the redundant.
Tree pruning companies often raise the tree’s canopy, which often stands in your way when you are trying to walk under the tree or mow the lawn. Or, they can do the exact opposite. Meaning, reduce the tree’s crown – hence, height, so that they won’t be any balance problems, which may become considerations during storms.
Pruning is one of the best ways to take care of trees since it gives you the chance to make it neater, safer, and also check for abnormalities that may signal a disease. But you need to remember that it’s not easy to do, especially due to the tree’s height, but also because not all trees are the same or need all the same pruning methods.
Tree trimming
Occasional tree trimming will not only boost the tree’s health but also its elegance. Trees need trimming just like we need haircuts. The tree trimming service is often confused with pruning, due to the similar tasks. But the intention of trimming is to cut short the long and unruly branches, making the tree look wonderful but also preventing property damage, especially when the branches spread in a chaotic, asymmetrical manner and often approach the home structure.
Tree watering
Not all trees need the same watering. And some get enough just from the rain. Since overwatering is equally bad as not watering, it’s best to consult with your local tree service company. If this is a new tree, it may need about ten gallons of water/inch of the diameter of the trunk. With older trees, you may not need to bother so much but it still depends on the tree and the local climate, and so a question to your local arborists will be a good start.
Tree fertilizing
To remain healthy and continue to grow, mature trees in controlled environments, like urban areas, need to be fertilized once a year. Overall, they need to get sufficient nutrients, which is found in the soil. Once again, not all trees need the same amount of nutrients, while limited and too much nutrients will both be bad. So, you need to check your soil, its quality, and its nutrients before you decide how much fertilizer is enough for your trees.
Tree aerating
While trees need fertilizers to grow and remain strong, they must also be able to absorb the soil nutrients. And this is where tree aerating comes in. With aeration, you create pores and thus, give roots enough breathing space, while helping the tree to better absorb the soil nutrients and water.
Inspect trees
If you do all the above, chances are high that a tree disease or pest-infestation will be detected at an early stage and so, it will most likely be treated. Since early diagnosis is vital for the avoidance of forced tree cutting, it won’t hurt inspecting the branches, the trunk, the leaves once in a while. Any cracks, leaf discolorations, holes, premature defoliation and anything out of the ordinary is a sign of a problem. The sooner it is treated the better. And that’s one more way to care for the tree; treat the small to prevent the major problem.