Just like anything else, when trees age, they show their weakness. Tree problems like disease, dead branches, and pests are prevalent and widespread but can be troublesome to the trees they affect.
When it comes to your trees, you have two choices — wait until problems arise, or prevent problems from happening in the first place.
When it comes to our opinion, we’d much rather keep our trees healthy and take preventative measures, rather than dealing with the issues that arise as trees age.
Let’s talk about some of the best ways to prevent issues with your trees before they happen.
Find the right tree
One of the best ways to ensure that your tree doesn’t encounter issues is to buy a healthy tree in the first place!
Ensure your tree is healthy by looking for the following in each kind of tree:
- Bare roots: many small, moist roots
- B&B tree: firm soil, trunk that is tied securely
- Potted tree: ensure the roots are not bound in the pot, roots tightly connected to soil
If you’re buying a tree that’s already matured, you’ll want to be sure that the tree has youthful, colourful looking bark, and has small branches that are evenly dispersed around the tree trunk.
Plant your tree correctly
The next part of keeping your tree healthy is planting it correctly.
No matter what kind of tree you’re planting, be sure that the hole is exponentially larger than the ball of roots. A substantial space will ensure that the roots have room to grow and spread.
You should also create a water basin around the area where you’ve planted the tree to ensure that the tree stays moist at all times.
Cover in mulch to encourage consistent moisture.
Water your tree correctly
It’s important to water your tree immediately after you plant it and to pay particular attention to how you water your tree for the first two years. These early years are when your tree is establishing its roots, and it’s essential to foster strong and healthy growth.
You want your soil to be moist, but not soggy. You can usually be sure that your soil is wet enough after 30 seconds under the hose.
Prune your tree
Knowing when to prune your tree is critical to keeping it healthy.
To promote extreme growth in the spring, you should prune your trees in the winter — after the coldest days have passed.
If you’d like to stop the growth of dying branches or shape your tree, it is best to prune the desired branches in the summer.
The worst time to prune is in the fall since fungi spread during this time. In addition to the slow healing of tree cuts in the fall, pruning in the fall could result in a diseased tree.
Are you in need of tree services?
If you need tree lopping, removal, pruning, or stump grinding, Treeworx can help. We work seven days a week to make sure your trees are in the best shape possible. Contact us at 0400 249 099, or fill out an enquiry form online.
