Trees face many hazards on a daily basis, but your care shouldn't be one of them. However, your routine care and handling of trees in your yard, especially young trees, can be the biggest threat that they face. Here's a look at some of the basics that you should know when it comes to taking care of the trees in your yard. Understanding these tips may help you to avoid some potentially serious issues, and even a dead tree.
Careful Pruning
No matter how old your tree is, too much pruning can be problematic. If you have young trees, it's even more of a concern. Avoid pruning the tree during its growth season if you can help it. Instead, trim back growth in the fall when it's going into dormancy. Never cut back more than about a quarter of the canopy or a third of the living branches, though – too much pruning will kill the tree completely.
Attentive Watering
If you're planting young trees in your yard, it's essential that you make sure you get enough water to the roots without over watering it. This early life stage is vital to most trees and is also when trees are the most vulnerable to damage. Make sure to understand exactly how much water your tree needs before you plant it so that you can get it right. The general watering standard dictates that it's best to provide brief watering several times daily so that the water absorbs deeply, encouraging strong root growth. For most trees, keeping the soil moist, but not saturated, on a regular basis is sufficient. Ask your landscaper about the trees you chose to know for sure how much water they need.
Insufficient watering will leave your tree with small leaves, fragile branches and brown spots on yellowish leaf growth. Too much water is just as harmful. Flooding a tree's roots will cause the tree to grow far too fast, so the branches will be spindly and weak. This fast growth also leaves your tree vulnerable to disease. In severe cases of over watering, you'll have to have the tree removed from your land to protect other growth from potentially infectious tree diseases.
Mindful Activity
Most trees can stand up to typical activity and foot traffic on the lawn. In most cases, things like kids playing or typical gatherings won't disrupt the root growth. Excessive traffic in your yard or heavy equipment on the grass could potentially damage the roots, though.
If too much weight on the grass leads to compacted roots, the trees won't be able to absorb water the way that they are supposed to. This can stunt the growth of the root's infrastructure and prevent the tree from thriving. Keep vehicles off your yard in the areas where trees are growing to avoid these concerns.
Selective Salting
The rock salt used on the roads, in driveways and along sidewalks can be damaging to your trees. Skip the use of rock salt and snow melt on your property so that you don't risk having any salt dissolve in the snow and reach the water table. Added salt in the soil will create an imbalance in the soil's vital nutrients, which could disrupt the tree's proper growth. If possible, create a ground barrier along the roadway to keep salt from the main roads from melting into the snow on your property. The more proactive you are about this, the better it is for your trees.
As you can see, there are many things to consider when it comes to caring for the trees on your property. With so many simple steps that are easy to overlook, it's no surprise that many homeowners accidentally damage the trees they've invested in. With the tips presented here, you can be better prepared to care for the trees on your property. Equally important, though, is being willing to call a tree care service or tree removal expert to help you deal with something that is beyond your skill level. You can visit http://www.prtree.com to learn more.
