If you have trees on your property, they provide shade, add curb appeal, and enhance the beauty of your yard. However, if you don’t properly care for your trees, they can become diseased and overgrown and affect the value of your home. This guide provides tips to help you better care for the trees on your property.
Care for Your Trees with Regular Trimming
One of the most important ways to take care of trees is to trim branches and limbs. Keep an eye on the growth of your trees throughout the warm months because this is when branches will grow longer and heavier. Prune any branches that grow close to your garage, roof, storage shed, siding, or parking area. Manage the shape of your trees and control growth with regular trimming.
Pruning is Essential for Tree Health
Check the health of the trees on your property. As living plants, trees are vulnerable to disease, so it’s important to watch for signs that something is negatively affecting them. If you see a limb that’s dead or dying, that branch should be removed to prevent the disease from spreading to the rest of the tree.
Similarly, an insect infestation can also be cut from the tree before the pests spread to the trunk. If disease or pests infest the trunk, it may be too late to save the tree and it should be removed.
Check the Soil to Care for Your Trees
The condition of the soil around your trees will affect their health. A tree’s roots draw nutrients from the soil that it needs to stay strong and healthy. The soil should feel soft and crumble easily in your hand, but a tree care specialist can confirm the health of the soil. In some cases, you may need to use a slow-release fertilizer to boost the soil’s nutrients.
Protect Young Trees with Mulch
To take care of younger trees in your yard, clear grass and weeds within a three-foot radius of the trunk. Use tree bark or wood chips, and be sure the mulch is layered at least two to three inches thick. This helps trap moisture in the soil. The moisture carries essential nutrients to the roots of the tree, so it will get what it needs to thrive. Weeds that are allowed to grow in the area will compete for water and soil nutrients. However, the mulch will act as a barrier to prevent weed growth.
Watering Your Trees
Trees rely on water to remain healthy and vibrant. But over-watering the soil around the trees can be damaging. As a rule of thumb, the soil around each tree should be moist, but not saturated or soggy.
You can tell if a tree needs to be watered by checking the soil at a depth of about two inches near the roots. If the soil is still damp at that depth, the tree doesn’t need additional watering. However, if the soil is dry, this is an indication that it is time to water.
If you’re unsure about properly caring for your trees, an arborist can help you. Tree care experts will provide tips that are specific to the trees you have on your property. Knowledge about your trees will help you keep them healthy and beautiful throughout the years that you own your home.
JW Goad Home Inspections offers inspections to customers in Clarksville and the surrounding areas of Tennessee. Contact us to request our services.