Whether you’re planning to have some trees in your yard, or you already have some, it’s important to maintain them now and then. Planting trees have lots of benefits like helping reduce pollution, adding some shade, and reducing energy cost.
Aside from that, you can never deny that trees can also bring beautiful and calming scenery to your property. Unfortunately, these they can’t continue to provide people with what they need if they’re not maintained properly. You might need to ask for help from an arborist if things get worse.
However, you can also do things on your own to make these trees as healthy as possible. If you want to know the basics of tree maintenance, then you should check the list below!
1. Pruning
Want to strengthen your trees, and make them look more structured? You should try pruning them when needed. However, if you’re not familiar with the concept of pruning, you can also ask for help from your local arborist.
Pruning is the process of thinning and trimming your trees to keep them in good shape. It’ll also remove diseases and injuring from its branches. If you prune your them regularly, you won’t have to worry about the damages from falling branches, and the spreading of diseases from a tree to another.
Did you know that you can still use the branches you cut from trees as mulch? However, it’s only applicable for tree branches that don’t have diseases. That’s why you should make sure that your mulch won’t damage other trees.
2. Mulching
Speaking of mulching, it’s the process of making your trees and plants absorb nutrients from pieces of leaves and branches that are no longer part of a plant. Naturally, if leaves fall from trees, they stay on the ground, then the soil and plants would take the nutrients from them.
As mentioned before you can include the branches of trees you collected from pruning as long as they don’t have any disease. In addition, the mulch you made may result in different outcomes depending on the materials you use.
Aside from giving nutrients, mulch also regulates the temperature of the soil, prevents flooding, and maintains the moisture of the soil.
3. Watering
Trees, like humans, need water to survive. They need it especially during the first weeks after being planted to avoid drying up. Once they survive this first stage, they probably grew new roots that will help them survive in the future.
When a tree grows, it will be able to collect the water supply that they need, unless your area has warm and dry weather. You can consult an arborist when it comes to the amount of water your trees need. They’ll guide you on how often and how much you should water your trees.
4. Managing pests and diseases
Dealing with pests and diseases is common with trees, especially the young ones. In addition, most of these pests come from grasses that surround the trees. That’s why you should keep your trees grass-free, and just put some mulch instead.
You should also monitor your trees if there are any other changes in the colour of their leaves, and trunks. If you noticed something you’re not familiar with, you can contact an arborist and schedule a check-up.
Alternatively, you can buy some pesticides that will address your needs in case you know what you’re dealing with. If not, professional help would be your best option.
5. Testing the soil regularly
Have you done everything to make your trees as healthy as possible, but there’s still something wrong? Well, there might be something wrong with the soil.
You should have the pH level of your solid tested regularly so that you can make other necessary steps. If you know how to do it, you can just buy a soil testing kit, but you can also hire professionals to do it for you.
If you’re not used to doing it yourself, you should just hire someone to analyse it for you. That way, you can easily ask them what do to next.
6. Protect the roots and trunk
The most exposed parts of your trees are the trunk and roots. And if they’re not protected, trees can easily die. When protecting the roots, make sure that they are no cars that’ll drive by, and other heavy things getting in the way of the roots.
As for the trunk, make sure that there are no posters with nails or staplers, and avoid bumping to it using different equipment. The younger your trees, the more delicate they are so make sure they won’t get damaged.
Now that you know how to take care of your trees, you should always put them into practise. Moreover, always remember that calling for an arborist and other professional help is never a bad idea. Don’t forget to let us know your routine when it comes to tree maintenance by leaving a comment below!
