Whether you live on a small parcel or hundreds of acres, you’ll likely have a much healthier and happier home if you have trees on your lot. However, tree maintenance is critical to ensuring those trees stay up right.
Healthy trees provide a number of positives, including shade in the summer and shielding your home from cold winter winds – meaning lower power bills for your heating and air conditioning. They also help reduce air pollution and can add to the very value of your property. Not to mention the added visual benefits and joys of watching trees act as the harbinger of seasons.
That said, your peace of mind hinges on that word “healthy,” as a sick or dying tree can, depending on its size, pose a downright hazard to your home and property.
Witt that in mind, you need to make tree maintenance as much a part of your lawn/home care as you would cutting the grass and evicting pests.
Tree maintenance requires both diligence and understanding, but it is something that will pay you back many times over. But before you step outside and begin inspecting your trees, take a look at these simple tips to help keep you on the right track.
(If you’ve already got trees planted and are just looking to maintain those, then skip ahead two points.) If you’re looking to plant a tree around your home, then you need to think ahead. How big will the tree be at maturity? Are you looking to plant it somewhere its size or location could be a problem? In other words, if you’re planting an oak tree underneath a power line, you’re setting yourself up for issues. Or, if you want shade, perhaps you should select a larger, deciduous tree, rather than a pine tree. Think about how the tree will look when it reaches maturity and how its position will affect your property.
This is another point for buying/selecting a sapling. Young trees come in three forms, and you need to be selective when choosing a tree for purchase. According to arborday.org, here are the guidelines for selecting the healthiest tree:
Other things to look out for in any purchase include bright, healthy bark, well-distributed branches, good trunk taper, and trunk and limbs free from injury (whether mechanical or insect inflicted).
All trees need water, especially young and newly-planted trees. A general rule to observe is 10 gallons per inch of the trunk’s diameter. Older and larger trees require less water but still need to be watered if Mother Nature is not providing enough rain.
Obviously, trees do not require trimming to live. But your tree will be at its healthiest if you learn how to properly trim away dead branches and leaves to allow room for new growth. You will also want to keep your tree trimmed away from structures, such as your house, to ensure safety. You will want to keep your pruning tools sharpened and use the correct tool for the size of the job (hand shears for smaller limbs, pole trimmer for larger). Trimming and pruning is not just a case of slash away, however, and here are some strong, basic rules to ensure you do not damage the tree.
Never cut away more than one-quarter of a tree’s crown in a season. Encourage symmetry by not pruning branches that angle out at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. across from each other. Do not prune in the fall, as that’s when decay fungus spores are most highly concentrated in the air. And fall cuts take longer to heal.
Mulch helps insulate the ground around the base of the tree, helps maintain moisture near the tree’s root structure, and helps keep other plants from growing – and thus competing for soil nutrients with your tree. Depending on the size of the tree, you’ll need anywhere from 3 to 10 feet of mulch around the base.
No matter how dutifully you manage tree maintenance around your home, there is always a chance that some insect or disease could attack. Be vigilant for spots on leaves, fungi growth or change in structure. Fungal infestations and rot are among the most common ailments for trees, while insects (such as the pine beetle, which occasionally ravages north Georgia trees) can also wreak havoc. There are insecticides and fungicides available for purchase at local hardware stores, though more serious problems could require help from a landscaping professional or arborist.
If your trees look sickly, and the problem is not obviously some sort of insect or disease, perhaps you have soil issues. Trees require specific pH levels in order to thrive, and you can test your soil to see if it is near those requirements. There are both do-it-yourself kits and professional options for soil testing.
Learn the contact information of your local county extension agent. University employees trained to impart their knowledge of agriculture and development, an extension agent can tell you exactly what types of trees will work best in your yard (and the overall locality you live in), when to prune, how much to prune, how much mulch to use, etc.
Make the most of this knowledge. Add trees to your yard, and take care of the ones you already have, and you will have a much healthier, happier yard and home.