How to Keep Your Trees Healthy: 4 Tips for New Homeowners

If you’re a new homeowner, you know that trees can be both a blessing and a hassle. On one hand, trees can provide shade on hot summer days and add aesthetic beauty to your property. But on the other hand, they require work and maintenance to stay healthy and safe! Don’t worry – we’ve got the tips to help you keep your trees in top shape and make sure they last for years to come. Let’s take a look at some easy ways to keep your trees healthy!

Professional Tree Care Services

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For ordinary tree maintenance, such as fertilization, pruning, cabling and bracing, pest control, and soil treatments, it’s best to do what an arborist does. Professional arborists are qualified to inspect trees to diagnose any diseases or weaknesses that may suggest a removal. They can be used for any job related to maintaining tree health and aesthetics. Depending on the service you’re seeking, these services range from one-time services to regular maintenance programs for long-term care of your trees.

They can help you select the best plant species for your climate and property size. They can evaluate problems like slug infestations or diseases like ash dieback or Dutch elm disease and recommend appropriate solutions. Additionally, they can evaluate structure issues such as poor branching angle and recommend corrective pruning services that will improve the health of your tree while still preserving its natural beauty.

It’s important to ensure they’re licensed in your state or province; most states require arborists to have a specific amount of education in order to become certified professionals. Also make sure they hold the necessary insurance coverage in case an accident occurs while their team is working on site at your property; most reputable companies will easily provide proof of insurance upon request. Lastly, look into their track record by reading online reviews from previous customers — be wary if you see multiple negative reviews about missed appointments or unexpectedly high costs without any explanation or response from the company! Overall if you’ve done your research and selected a reputable provider then it’s likely you’ll reap the long-term benefits of having healthy trees at home that are constantly cared for throughout the year!

Pruning

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Pruning is one of the most important activities to help keep your trees healthy. Pruning helps to remove dead, weak, or crossing branches, as well as maintain or encourage the desired shape and size of a tree’s canopy. Certain pruning techniques will differ depending on the specific species and age of your tree. It is important to remember that pruning too much can damage your trees by reducing their ability to absorb nutrients and water, heightening the risk of pests and diseases, and weakening its structural integrity.

The best time of year to prune depends on the particular needs of the tree being pruned. In general, deciduous trees — which have leaves that fall off in autumn — should generally be pruned during their dormant season when no leaves are present in order to better see where you need to make cuts. Coniferous trees – which include evergreens like pine and spruce – should be pruned immediately after they finish shedding needles in early spring when they’re less brittle.

It’s important to select proper tools for any sort of pruning job; gasoline powered chain saws are not necessary for small jobs around a home landscape but instead use manual shears or specialized hand-held saws that trim branches dissected by knots or crossed limbs. When using ladders for larger jobs, always practice safety measures such as lassoing off limbs prior to cutting them off with a handsaw to ensure safety from falling debris; a rope is suggested for medium-to-large ladders when accessing high limb drops without someone else there on the ground catching debris.

When done correctly and at the appropriate times during its life cycle, properly modified tree branches can greatly improve overall tree health while maintaining their aesthetics; this results in fewer dangers from dead/broken limbs due accidents caused by winds or heavy weight blanketed branches coming down unexpectedly on family or other homeowners in close vicinity.

Watering

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Studies have shown that newly planted ones require more water than established trees, so after planting, you should water your tree generously to ensure that it takes root and is fully hydrated. Remember, when the temperature rises suddenly or unexpectedly, newly planted trees need additional water to prevent them from drying out.

In general, they should receive 1” of water per week during the growing season. However, this amount can vary depending on factors such as region and soil type; so ask your local nursery for specifics about your particular environment and species before determining a watering schedule. If you are unsure how much water your tree needs, you can check for signs of overwatering or underwatering—sudden leaf yellowing—and adjust accordingly.

When you water them, use a slow trickle of water at its base for about two hours for each inch of trunk diameter (measure four feet off the ground). This method allows enough time for the moisture to penetrate deeply into the soil. Watering with too much force may cause foliage damage or even sudden root damage by washing away nutrient material around the roots. Avoid using garden hoses with a spray attachment as this robs oxygen from the soil and can lead to root suffocation in extreme cases.

Pest and Disease Control

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Because they have such complicated root systems, they can be prone to different types of pests and diseases. Common problems include bark beetles, aphids, powdery mildew, verticillium wilt, and sooty mold. Regularly monitoring them for signs of pest problems or diseases is the best way to ensure their health.

To prevent pest and disease issues in your trees, practice general horticultural hygiene by removing dead leaves and branches from around the base of it. Additionally, providing adequate water and nutrients to promote strong plants is important. If you are adding fertilizers or pesticides to your plants, make sure you follow directions on how much and when should be applied so as not to damage or injure the tree with too much product or at the wrong time of year. When dealing with pest problems it’s best to implement a management plan that includes cultural options like purchasing non-host plants such as home ornamentals that can act as buffers for pests in order to divert them away from your fruit trees; biological control agents like beneficial insects that help control certain pests; and chemical control agents such as selective herbicides – these products should only be a last resort when all else fails.