Mulch your trees, but not too much. Make sure you water them, but how much is enough? Pruning isn’t the same as trimming. Dormant seasons, fertilizer, tree damage—knowing how to care for your trees can be a real challenge. But having beautiful blooming trees in the spring and healthy shade in the summer shouldn’t be difficult. Here are three tips to help you have the trees of your dreams, growing healthy and strong year after year.
- Find an Arborist – Although there are a lot of tree care tasks you can take on yourself, knowledge is invaluable when it comes to tree care. Each type of tree has different needs, growing seasons, and challenges. A skilled arborist can not only help you with the bigger tree care tasks like pruning, but can also educate you on how to look after your trees between tree care visits.
- Learn About Pruning Seasons – When you complete tree care tasks is often as important as what you do. While you might want to jump in and start pruning as soon as you notice dead or damaged branches, cutting tree limbs during the growing season leaves your trees open to disease and pest damage. Waiting for the right season is key in tree care, and the best time to complete pruning is during the dormant season, usually in early winter, after the first hard freeze.
- Don’t Neglect Dormant Trees – Tree care doesn’t stop just because the growing season does. Mulching your trees in the fall, pruning in the early winter, and watering your evergreens before the first hard freeze so they have the strength to keep growing are all ways you can continue with tree care even when months will pass before you see the first signs of spring.
Tree care doesn’t have to be complicated. But by carefully learning what your trees need most and consistently giving them regular attention, you can ensure your trees have long, healthy lives.