How To Keep Your Trees Healthy
Webster, New York's heavily humid summer and cold rough winters pose threats to many trees living in this drastic urban ecosystem. Keeping them thriving year after year can stem from adequate maintenance, simple tree care, and quality tree trimming. One thing that's for sure, the season is the main deciding factor regarding the appropriate techniques to keep trees healthy. We take a deeper look into important steps during each season that promote your urban greenery to blossom year after year! If you would rather a professional tree service handle your tree care, don't hesitate to reach out to one of our team members today!
Spring
Early spring is the time to check over your trees. Urban trees should be closely inspected for dead sprouts, signs of disease, pest infestation, and or fungal mats and spores. As the new shoots are growing out you can usually spot the signs that a limb is dead when new leaves or blossoms aren't growing on that particular branch. This is a good sign that the branch needs to be removed in order to promote healthy growth of the tree.
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Providing appropriate nutrients through fertilization can also promote healthy growth throughout the season. However it's important to know what the soil is currently lacking in order to create a thriving environment. Many trees that live on urban property need chemical or organic fertilizer because the majority of natural leaf and organic matter decay is removed from yards, as well as they are heavily compacted making it difficult for nutrients to permeate the soil.
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Laying down some fresh mulch is another spring time advantage. When filled in correctly approximately 1-4 inches deep, leaving a few inches clear around the base of the tree, and preferably 3-6 feet wide, promotes healthy growth especially in young trees. A solid yet not overdone mulching can be one of the most important steps to keeping your trees healthy year round.
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However without a doubt every tree needs to be adequately watered in order to grow to its full potential, but it's necessary to wait until the ground has thawed completely. Deeply watering trees near driveways and pathways that have been deiced during the winter will help wash away salt or excessive chemicals. Young trees appreciate frequent watering ensuring they don't get dried out even during the cool weather. Mature trees also value being deeply watered once or twice a week depending on weather conditions, typically you're looking to have the first 6-9 inches of the top soil to stay cool and damp. Refrain from lightly watering especially young trees as this prevents the roots from growing down deep.
Summer
Summer time tree care will focus on ensuring proper hydration. Continue monitoring your trees water level often, again checking for cool moist soil approximately 6-9 inches into the top soil. To figure out your watering schedule and cycle, you can start by taking a trowel and removing a test section about 6-9 inches deep under the tree in the root zone. If the section removed is cool and moist, you know there's enough water for the tree. If it's dry in that area, then bring your hose to the tree leaving the end in the root zone of the tree. Just crack the valve and let it trickle for an hour or two and recheck the test area, if it needs more to be damp then continue watering and checking regularly to figure out how long to water during periods of no rain. Recheck the dampness of the soil once or twice weekly to figure out how often to water.
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Most pruning shouldn't be done during the summer unless it's to clean up dead or damaged branches to promote good health. Always consult an arborist before trimming branches, many diseases and pests will attack the exposed area of the tree after it's been cut.
Which also makes it important continue to keep an eye out for disease or termite infestation throughout the summer.
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Keep up on fertilization that's necessary for healthy soil as well.
Fall
Fall tree care is all about preparation. Your main goal for the fall is to prepare your woody plants for the upcoming winter battle. You can reduce the amount of watering as the cool temperatures don't promote as much transpiration and evaporation. However don't stop watering all together paying attention to droughts. One or two deep waterings before the frost is known to assist in the winter especially for evergreen type plants.
When the leaves fall and trees start to go dormant, it becomes easier to see if you have any broken or damaged limbs. These damaged limbs will be the only trimming you should do during the fall, as the trees won't be growing back to heal quickly until the spring.
If the deer population is a problem in your neighborhood, protecting against deer rub or scraping can be an important fall step. Installing corrugated tubing or protective wrap around the trunk of your tree will help combat against the bucks antlers and scraping. Certainly remember to remove the wrap after the mating season is over to allow the tree to breathe.
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Autumn is also a great time to plant new trees and bushes. Planting in the fall gives an extra bit of water and nutrients before the winter which promotes healthy growth in the spring.
Winter
Winter maintenance is centered around protecting and inspecting. Protecting from the high winds and heavy snowfall, as well as inspecting and planning for trimming and pruning. Many different species need to be trimmed at specific times but most commonly very late winter or early spring is the most opportune time for trimming.
Some evergreens, delicate trees, or woody plants close to areas that you plan to salt for ice removal, benefit from being wrapped or bundled during the winter. You can loosely wrap in burlap or thermal wraps to help stop deer from eating them, prevent sunscald, cracking, or wind damage.
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Removing snow after a fresh snow storm can help prevent branches from breaking. It's important to note however to not try and remove ice from trees as you will more than likely do more damage removing than if you let nature take its course. Removing light fluffy snow can be done by gently pushing the snow upward and off branches or with a soft broom.
Be sure to remove protective wrapping in the spring and wash off any debris or chemicals soon as the ground thaws for a fresh spring reset. Always feel free to contact our team if you have any questions on how to properly care for your trees, no matter the season!
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