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Cost Saving Tree Tips

Cost Saving Tree Maintenance Tips

Effective Ways To Cut Down Tree Care Costs

Do you have trees on your land? If so, then you know they need maintenance and care to maintain their health and vitality. However, tree care can be expensive – even prohibitive! Taking care of trees may be expensive, but fortunately, there are ways to save without jeopardizing the trees’ health or compromising their security. So here is some helpful advice and that can allow you to save costs while still receiving the whole range of tree care services you need. 

Hire An Experienced Tree Pro

If you think of tree maintenance, you probably picture an oak tree in your backyard. But you probably should have realized that tree maintenance entails more than simply removing diseased branches and adding compost to the soil. Preventative tree care is crucial for a flourishing yard, yet it is often overlooked. Preventative tree maintenance helps mitigate future difficulties, including insect infestations, storm damage and more.

Hiring a professional tree expert to assist you in caring for your trees properly is a great long-term investment that will pay dividends in the form of reduced tree care expenditures. Professionals have the knowledge, experience, and tools to handle any emerging tree care issue. They can also guide what treatments are essential to maintain tree health. You may save money by hiring an arborist because they can help you find discounts available via various programs and partnerships. They can also help you create a preventive care plan to address problems before they become catastrophic.

Use Organic Products

Trees are essential to every landscape, whether a suburban backyard or a rural farm. Despite their obvious benefits to the surrounding area (beauty, shade, and differentiation), they pose a health risk if not properly maintained. Maintaining the health of even a single tree in your yard can help improve its appearance and value. Tree maintenance may quickly become relatively inexpensive with the correct information and supplies. Thankfully, several methods are available to reduce tree care costs.

Caring for trees involves more than simply keeping them hydrated and fertilized. A lot can be done to safeguard the plants you’ve worked so hard to put into your yard. Cleaning up the area beneath the tree’s leaves and around its trunk is one of the first tasks you should tackle each spring. Insects won’t be able to lay their eggs near the tree’s roots as easily over the summer. Carefully water your trees at the base of the plant rather than the leaves and branches where pests might hide. Other options for pest management include non-toxic insecticides.

Avoid Using Pesticides During Tree Care

To save money on tree care, you should stop using pesticides. It can sound contradictory, but using pesticides will increase your expenses. Pesticides may have unintended consequences, such as the development of insect resistance and the spread of disease. When inhaled or ingested, they may cause health problems for people and animals alike. Consider using neem oil or horticultural oils, which may be found at your neighborhood hardware shop or garden center, as an alternative. Horticultural oils suffocate insects and prevent them from feeding on plants, while neem oil has been demonstrated to repel pests and fungi. Using these methods instead of insecticides can help your trees grow for many years.

Choose A Good Location For Trees

Some trees are as fragile as paper. An alteration to a tree’s normal surroundings, however little, might either delay or prevent the tree from reaching its full potential. Trees need a cool environment, rich soil, and regular watering to thrive and look their best. Don’t plant a tree just wherever; consider how much natural shade it will provide under normal weather conditions. Please don’t put your tree in a spot where it will receive too much sun or none.

Consider the soil in your yard carefully before you plant a tree there. Put down pavers or use a combination of sand and peat moss as a foundation if the soil doesn’t drain properly or has a significant level of clay. You should also prepare a watering system before you plant your tree since this will be crucial to its early success.

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Tree Crowning Tree Pruning Tree Services

If Trees & Shrubs Need Water​

Your Trees & Shrubs Need Water

Signs Your Trees And Shrubs Need Water

The Soil Is Dry At The Tree’s Base

The simplest, most effective way to tell if your trees and shrubs are getting enough water is to test the soil. For established trees, test the root zone. For a new tree, test a soil sample at its base. Using a screwdriver, push it 6 inches into the soil. If it’s hard to do, your trees need water. Dig 6 to 8 inches deep and grab a handful of the soil. The soil should be cool and moist. If it’s soaking wet or muddy, you’re over-watering. Roll it into the ball if the soil is drenched or sandy. If it crumbles, your tree needs more water. Poke the soil ball. If it doesn’t budge, you have clay soil. 

Wilted, Drooping, Discolored, Dry, Curling Leaves

Inspect the leaves for signs of dehydration, such as:

  • Wilting
  • Drooping
  • Turning yellow
  • Showing fall colors prematurely
  • Turning brown on the edges
  • Curling

If your trees show any of all of these signs, they likely need watering. If the soil test indicates that your trees are receiving adequate moisture, have a local arborist or tree care company inspect your tree for pests and disease.

Shrinking Fruit, Leaves, Roots Or Stems

Green leaves, fruits, stems, and roots may shrink if your tree needs watering.

Radial Cracks In The Trunk Of The Tree

Shrinking due to dehydration can cause radial cracks in the tree trunk.

Yellowing And Early Dropping Of Leaves

Leaves of ash, linden, hickory and black locust trees will yellow and drop when they do not get enough water.

Bent Or Drooping Needles

Coniferous trees like pine, spruce, and fir show signs of dehydration in the needles. Bent or drooping needles is the first sign. Eventually, the needles fade, turn brown or remain green but permanently bent. If you identify any of these issues in your trees and shrubs, they need watering. 

How To Water Your Trees And Shrubs

The best way to water your trees is by setting your hose (without a nozzle) to a drizzle, placing it at the base or between the roots in the above-ground root zone, and leaving it there 2 to 3 hours. Move it to a new location and leave it there for 2 to 3 hours. Repeat this 2 more times. The City of Seattle recommends giving your tree about 5 gallons of water per inch of tree trunk diameter. Young trees require more frequent watering than mature trees and cannot withstand drought or heavy rain as well as established trees can. For help caring for your young trees, talk to a tree care service near you.

How To Fix An Over-Watered Tree Or Shrub

Excess watering can cause root rot, harmful fungi development and long-term stress for your tree.

  1. Stop watering. Don’t water your tree for a week or longer. Before you get out your garden hose, do the screwdriver test. If the soil is still moist, leave it for another week or two.
  2. Fix the soil. If you have clay soil, mix compost into the soil to help it drain better.
  3. Inspect for drainage issues. After it rains, check for water pooling around your tree and identify where it’s coming from. Is the water flowing downhill and collecting at the base of your tree? Does your drain spout empty too close to your tree?

If any of those issues are causing water to pool around your tree’s base, do what you can to remedy the problem. If you cannot fix the issue, you may need to move your tree or shrub to a better location.

A tree care specialist near you can help you determine whether the pooling issue can be fixed and offer recommendations for the best way to help your tree. If removing and transplanting your trees or shrubs is the best option, they can provide that tree service for you.

Mulching To Prevent Over-Watering And Dehydration

Mulch is your tree’s best friend. Applying a 2 to 3 inch layer of organic mulch around the base of your tree can absorb excess moisture to prevent root rot and protect the soil from drying out during drought.

Another Way To Tell If Your Trees Are Getting Enough Water

Another way to tell if your trees are getting enough water is to install a rain gauge on your property where it won’t be sheltered. Mature trees need 1 inch of water every week. If you’re not getting enough natural precipitation, you need to supplement by watering your trees.

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Tree Crowning Tree Pruning Tree Services

When Trimming Your Trees​

When Trimming Your Trees

A single tree is provides enough oxygen for four people. So planting them in a highly urbanized city is beneficial for its residents. Trees are the perfect solution to increase privacy and provide a visually appealing garden layout. However, just like other plants, trees need care and maintenance. Specifically, trimming them is essential for healthy growth and to avoid accidents from falling branches. So, if you’re a tree owner, here are some things to remember when trimming your trees:

Tree owners often neglect the state of their tree. Unknowingly, diseases and pest infestations already penetrate the tree trunk. If ignored, they can be a hazard and cause property damages and accidents. Trimming trees is one solution to keep them healthy. To spot tree diseases look for:

  • Vertical cracks and seams on the trunk
  • Discoloration and deformation of leaves
  • Seeping fluid from the trunk or branches
  • Peeling/broken bark
  • Reduced foliage
  • Presence of termites
  • Changes on the soil around the tree
  • Remove dead tree parts
  • Avoid improper trim cuts
  • Trim trees at the right time

It is best to call for emergency arborists for a full tree checkup and they might provide solutions right away.

You cannot trim a tree with just scissors. Tree trimming requires cutting off branches, twigs and leaves. Thus, you need the right tools and equipment, such as shears, pruners and loppers, to finish the task. Moreover, it is vital to have a ladder for climbing and safety gears for protection.

Also, note that low quality and dirty tools can bring diseases on trees. They can be bearers of infectious fungi and bacteria. Meanwhile, improper cutting from unpolished and low-quality tools results in rough marks and wounds that attract tree diseases.

Local councils don’t permit irresponsible cutting of trees or their parts. So, depending on the kind of work, you need to get necessary permits. Different cities have different regulations. 

Trimming trees is not only limited to their foliage. It also involves cutting unwanted and dead branches and twigs. Fungi and bacteria are attracted to them. Moreover, they can potentially fall in your property and cause harm to you, your family, or passersby.

To remove dead limbs and twigs safely, cut them not more than 6mm from the bud to prevent dieback. However, large branches need more than one cut. For the first cut, make a partial cut on the bottom part, a few millimeters away from the branch origin. Then, make a second cut on top, few millimeters away from the first cut. After that, the branch will freely fall.

Trimming too close to the trunk or branch produces a flush cut. It destroys the trees natural defense mechanisms that lead to wound compartmentalization and callus formation.

On the other hand, trimming too far from a branch can leave a dead part on the tree. It invites disease organisms and becomes a passageway to enter the trunk, affecting the tree as a whole. Eventually, it could lead to decay or death of the tree.

The trimming volume for trees depends on their age. Young trees can lose 25% of their overall foliage. Meanwhile, mature trees can only withstand 15% of their foliage removed. As young trees have more energy and strength for recovery, that is not the case for old ones.

Trimming more than 15% of a mature tree’s foliage will lessen food and nutrient production within its system. Moreover, if mature trees get sick, losing their foliage may eventually lead to their death.

For more efficient growth, trimming trees at the right time is crucial. In particular, evergreen trees that don’t drop their leaves during autumn need shaving during their dormant season.

The perfect time for tree trimming is late winter/early spring:

In case trimming produces wounds, some recommend applying a dressing to them. They claim that it prevents decay, speeds up healing and enhances the appearance of the cut. But in reality, they hinder healing and invite rot organisms and pest infestations. So from now on, it is best to avoid putting dressing on tree wounds.

After trimming, remember to clean tree debris and green waste right away. These can become tripping hazards and cause accidents. Furthermore, leaving them for several days in the backyard can invite pests and rodents. These are threats to human health and the community’s sanitation system.

Let’s be honest. Most home owners don’t know the right procedures for tree trimming. Most of the time, they create more harm than good. Thus, getting in touch with expert arborists is crucial to maintain and keep your backyard trees healthy. From trivial methods of foliage trimming to extensive tasks such as chopping large and heavy branches, they have the right tools and equipment.

Categories
Land Clearing

Removing Old Stumps

Removing Dangerous Stumps

Unwanted tree stumps are eyesores. Not only do they destroy the aesthetic beauty of your lawn but keeping them around also poses some risks for you, your family, your garden, and even your home. If you’re still wondering whether to keep that stubborn stump around, here are good reasons why it’s important to consider stump grinding.

 

They increase the risk of fall or trip accidents

 

Tree stumps increase the risk of trip or fall accidents to members of your family. This is especially true if you have young kids who love to run around and play in your yard, or if you have elders with poor eyesight that might not see the stump that’s blocking their way. Tree stumps can cause them to trip or fall which can lead to costly and time-consuming recovery time for your loved ones.

 

They become home to pests

 

Dead and hollow stumps enter a very slow decaying process which allows them to become home to pests such as carpenter ants and termites. Once infected, these pests may creep up to your garden and cause disease to your other garden plants.

 

Even worse, wooden parts of your house may get structural damage from these wood-loving pests. The real problem with these pests is that it takes a while before you realize the amount of damage they can incur. Before you know it, you’ve lost a good part of your flooring from termites and you are due an expensive repair and remodel.

 

They decrease maneuverability in your lawn

 

Wherever they may be located, tree stumps make it difficult to maneuver in your lawn. The stump and its roots can damage your lawnmower when you accidentally move over the tree stump. Aside from lawnmowers, they can also get in the way of your other gardening or lawn activities.

 

They can cause structural damage

 

Depending on your stump’s condition, it may decay or continue to grow even without the rest of the tree. The stump’s roots may grow deeper and, depending on their location, may damage your property at a deeper level. They can cause breakage in your water pipes which may contaminate your home’s water supply.

 

Worse, they can also damage your house’s foundation. If you have a live tree stump that’s near the edges of your house, its roots could possibly grow around your foundation and destabilize it. Not only would this lead to very costly repairs, but it can negatively affect the safety of your home.

 

They can destroy your garden

 

When tree stumps are decaying, they invite fungi and pests that can damage your garden. On the one hand, if the tree stump is alive, it will leech off of the nutrition from your soil that could have gone to your other plants.

 

This will make your garden plants grow weaker and frailer which may lead to them not flowering or fruiting properly. This can also cause your plants to wither away as they lose the competition for nutrients. In this case, a tree stump removal can save your other garden plants.

 

They decrease the aesthetics of your property

 

A simple tree stump whether decaying or not simply eats too much space and makes your lawn look unsightly. The space you give that stump could have been used for another garden bed or some outdoor table or instalments for recreation and relaxation. Stumps will also get in the way of any renovation projects you might be thinking of doing. It’s better to get rid of tree stumps ASAP.