Trees are a fantastic addition to almost any environment, and provide an enormous number of benefits, both to humans and the environment. But a great tree requires a significant investment of time, effort and money, and you want to ensure that you’re looking after your investment as well as possible. Tree care is vitally important to ensure tree health and safety, and to maintain the aesthetic appeal of your landscape. If you’ve never considered the ins and outs of tree care before, you’re not alone – but it might be time you did. Read on to discover four steps to take for excellent tree care – and four things you need to avoid.
Four steps to excellent tree care
Start from the ground up
Trees grow in the ground, and it makes sense that the better you prepare the soil, the better your tree will grow. Compaction is a common soil problem that can cause declining trees, as it prevents water from filtering through the soil and obstructs the growth and vigour of trees and shrubs. So, before you plant that tree, improve the health and condition of the soil first and you will eliminate many of the problems before you begin.
Heritage Tree Care offers a state-of-the-art soil decompaction service that will aerate compacted soil while simultaneously injecting nutrients and fertiliser deep into the ground; and it’s the easiest way to deal with the problems caused by soil compaction.
Prepare before you plant
There’s more to planting a tree than just digging a hole and putting the tree in the ground. In fact, there’s a lot more to it.
You need to know what kind of hole the tree requires, how to prepare the hole correctly for optimum plant development and ascertain the correct planting depth. When planting, you need to consider the plant species, the location, sun/shade tolerance, PH desirability and planting depth. As well, follow-up care is essential to ensuring your tree has all the necessities for long-term, healthy growth.
Your newly planted tree is a lifelong investment, and how well it grows will depend on the type of tree, it’s location and how well you carry out the planting process. Prepare to plant properly and you’ll reap the rewards of a flourishing tree for years to come.
The tree care specialists at Heritage Tree Care can help you plant your trees in an optimal manner, giving them the best possible chance of a healthy start.
Keep it trimmed
To keep trees tidy, safe and looking good, they often need to be trimmed. Otherwise, they may grow untidy, too large, or obstruct windows, buildings, access or views. Tree trimming correctly is important to reduce the risk of weather damage and falling branches and ensure trees enhance the surrounding landscape rather than obstructing it. As well, developmental trimming is often used on young trees to improve the tree’s integrity, create correct structural configuration and develop good branch distribution. Make sure you trim your trees when necessary to reduce risks as the tree gets older and bigger.
Tree trimming requires the correct equipment in order to be done properly, so it’s usually better to get your trees trimmed by professionals.
Address problems before it’s too late
Trees can unfortunately develop problems over time, both with their external structure and their roots. It’s vital to diagnose the problem and treat it before it’s too late. Issues like root decay, fungal infections, borers and pests need to be treated quickly, otherwise the tree will slowly decline and ultimately die. Early diagnosis of problems is the best preventative – but is easier said than done if you don’t know a lot about the biology of trees. The best option is to consult a qualified arborist to inspect and assess your trees and recommend a course of treatment to bring your trees back to full health. Regularly inspect your trees for signs of stress so that you can get problems treated early, as they will take longer to respond to treatment if left for too long.
We use scientifically advanced tree care strategies for identifying problems and restoring tree health, such as air spades and root plate injections, that are highly effective.
Four things to avoid
Incorrect pruning
Pruning, when done incorrectly or without due care, can cause irreparable damage to a tree. Branches shouldn’t be removed, especially from mature trees, without a very good reason, as making pruning cuts actually wounds the tree even when done correctly. Believe it or not, pruning actually alters the way in which a tree behaves, uses water, stores food reserves and defends itself against attack. If not conducted properly, tree pruning can cause stress and decline, and even death in some cases – not something you want to cause!
So, don’t rush in to prune trees without an understanding of what type of pruning should be conducted, and how a tree will respond to that pruning. Consult a professional tree care service to ensure the process is done correctly and doesn’t damage the tree.
Failing to prune when trees are young
Trees should be pruned differently throughout their various stages of life. Pruning mature trees can sometimes be problematic, as, rather like older people, they are not as quick to recover from being wounded. It’s far better for tree health and longevity to prune them properly while they are young, as young trees have more dynamic growth and respond to pruning wounds quite differently from older trees. If trees are managed correctly when they’re young, very little pruning will be required as they get older.
Not considering safety aspects
There’s no denying it, tree care can be risky. It involves heights, sharp equipment and having to be in unstable positions. Safety considerations should be paramount when conducting any type of tree care. In most cases, specialist equipment is required to do it properly – so if you don’t have access to this, it’s best to leave it to the professionals.
Failing to use a professional
Yes, we’ve been saying it all along, but failing to use a professional is one of the biggest mistakes you can make if you want to care for your valuable trees properly. Trees, particularly in the urban environment, require regular care and maintenance to maintain their health, safety and aesthetic appeal. It can be easy to dismiss the need for proper tree care, but it’s vitally important to maintain good tree health and enhance the aesthetic and economic value of your landscape. Tree care needs specialist knowledge and equipment, so it’s best done by professional arborists such as those you’ll find at Heritage Tree Care. Discover our tree care services today (conveniently located in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Redlands, Ipswich, Logan and Toowoomba) and let us do the hard work of looking after your trees properly.