Your Trees’ Basic Needs

The number one need is water. If you have just planted a tree in your yard, the first thing it needs is to be watered. Hose the base area and then dig a little trench in the topsoil around the base. Leave your hose just trickle a bit in the trench for awhile so it can get a good soaking first time in its new spot. Newly planted trees should be watered at the time of planting and every day for the first week. Then during the first growing season, they should be watered at least once a week in the absence of rain and more often during the height of the summer. However, be careful not to over water them. This will result in oxygen deprivation and they can die if over watered.

As a general rule, regular deep soakings are better than frequent light wettings. To encourage the roots to grow and the tree to be strong, the moisture from watering should reach a depth of 12 to 18 inches below the soil surface growth. If you are not sure if you should water or not, you can just dig down about 6 to 8 inches at the edge of the planting hole. If you feel powdery or crumbly dirt, water the tree. If you can squeeze the soil into a ball, the tree has enough moisture.

There also is available a soil additive that manages the water around the root structure. This additive contains super absorbent gel polymer crystals that absorb hundreds of times their weight in water. When the tree is watered, these crystals absorb the moisture and release it again for the roots to use when the surrounding soil becomes drier.

Trees and shrubs face a number of stresses that lead to a decreased lifespan. Providing consistent and adequate water to the root systems will go help to decrease tree stress and promote growth.

Next, the trees need mulch. To conserve moisture, promoting water and air penetration, the soil surrounding newly planted trees can be covered with mulch consisting of material such as bark, wood chips or pine needles. Because pine needles have a high acidity content, they should not be used around certain plants. Mulch depth should be between 3 to 4 inches. Only porous landscape fabric should be used to cover the area surrounding a tree since it freely allows water and air penetration. Plastic sheeting will prevent this from happening. If you want to stop weeds from growing on a path way, use the plastic sheeting there before spreading down your choice of path covering.

And the last basic need is fertilizer. It can be beneficial to get your soil analyzed to see how much macronutrients are in it already, such as Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K), pH, and micronutrients. If there is a noticeable imbalance, fertilizing when planting can help out. The majority of plants suffer root loss and stress when they travel from ideal nursery growing conditions to the final planting in your yard. So it is best to add some fertilizer at the time of planting to ease the transplant shock. Treat your trees with mycorrhizal fungi and fertilizers with the right formulation for the type of tree you are planting. A biostimulant can boost root development and aid in the general health of the tree.

Water, mulch, and fertilize your trees. These are your trees’ basic needs. With the proper tree care your trees will live a long and healthy life.

About the Author: Andrew Johnson is the owner of Central Texas Tree Care, a leading Austin Texas tree service provider in Central Texas (Travis County and surrounding areas). Central Texas Tree Care offers services such as pruning and removals, cabling and bracing as well as arborist reports, diagnostics, pest management and fertilization. For more information please visit http://www.centraltexastreecare.com.

Planting New Trees in Your Yard

A terrific way to enhance the beauty of your property is as easy as planting a few trees. In the summer they can provide shade and in the winter they can provide protection from the wind. They can be an effective way to reduce the noise if you live near a road or be used to give you more privacy if you are in a neighborhood where the houses are close to each other. And, of course, planting trees will increase the real estate value of your property at the same time. Selecting the right tree is important because it will be such a visible part of your landscape. With some advanced planning the best choice for your landscape can be made and easily maintained so that it has a healthy life span. The decision for what bushes to plant is a little easier and usually involves less money. Keep in mind that replacing a tree is far more difficult than replanting most shrubs.

Trees can be purchased from nurseries and garden centers and are divided into three types. When a tree has its roots contained within a ball of soil surrounded by burlap, the type is simply called balled and burlapped. If it is sold in the container in which it has grown, it is called container-grown. The next form is not very common. It is when the tree is sold with the roots exposed which is called bare rooted. Once you have purchased your trees you need to decide whether you can plant them yourself or if you need to hire a tree service expert to do the job.

All of these types of trees require a hole to be dug. And it can not be just any old hole. A common mistake is to dig the hole too deep and too narrow. If the hold is too deep the roots will not get enough oxygen stunting a healthy growth process. If you don’t dig out a sufficient area wide enough the root structure will have trouble expanding outward into the ground helping to anchor it. As far as the depth of the hole is concerned, trees should be transplanted into the soil the same depth as the form in which they were originally grown. The width of the hole should be at least 3 times the diameter of the root ball or container or the spread of the roots (if the tree comes bare-rooted). This will provide the tree with enough worked earth for its root structure to establish itself. Remember when digging the hold to avoid something called ‘glazing’. This happens when the sides and the bottom of the hole have become too smooth or too tightly packed forming a barrier through which water has trouble passing. All you need to do it rough up the soil. Take a fork and run it along the sides and bottom. This will make it easier for the roots to stretch out and grow. It is a good idea to raise the bottom of the hole at the center a bit to force the water to trickle out to the surrounding area rather than forming a stagnant puddle just at the bottom of the planting zone.

Climate determines the best time to plant. Newly planted trees do best when exposed to moderate temperatures and some rainfall after they have been put in their spot. Needing time to root and acclimatize before the onset of summer’s intense heat and dryness or the freezing temperatures of winter, spring and early fall are the best times to plant. Spring is preferred over fall in the north. And in the south, planting can take place through the winter months.

About the Author: Andrew Johnson is the owner of Central Texas Tree Care, a leading Austin Texas tree service provider in Central Texas (Travis County and surrounding areas). Central Texas Tree Care offers services such as pruning and removals, cabling and bracing as well as arborist reports, diagnostics, pest management and fertilization. For more information please visit http://www.centraltexastreecare.com.

New Tools for Pruning Your Trees

It is best to acquire the best tools you can afford. The better tool will get the job done more adequately requiring less effort on your part. To ensure your tools keep doing their job, keep them in good condition, clean and stored in a dry shed.

Of course, it is important to clean your tools in order to keep them in good condition so they last longer. But more importantly, your tools also should be kept clean to help prevent tree diseases from spreading by using tools that are infected. For precaution, it is a good idea to disinfect your pruning tools after each tree you prune. To disinfect your tools, a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water can be applied. Then follow this by cleaning your tools with soapy water and thoroughly drying them afterwards. Always make sure to they are dry before putting them away to detour rust from developing. Finally, if you're not skilled in the use of tools like chain saws, especially, always put safety first and hire an expert in the tree trimming service.

Recently, a number of useful, innovative pruning tools have come on the market for the homeowner. Here are a few listing their advantages: Rope Saws make it much easier, more convenient, and safer to cut high tree limbs. You simply toss the weight over the selected limb, pull down on the ropes while you keep standing on the ground enabling you to reach the area that needs pruning without climbing or using a ladder. The blade will automatically adjust itself to cut edge down and the sawing action is faster than conventional saws because the blade cuts three sides of the branch at once. The Pole Pruner and Lopper is a versatile pole pruner that you can attach to any standard-thread extension pole. This combination of a 14-inch pruning saw along with a 1-inch lopper is an excellent way to get to higher areas. You can use this extension tool for either cutting technique depending on the width of the branch being pruned. The Folding Pruner can be attached to any universal extension pole for the tasks which involve a long reach. Conveniently, this pruning saw folds up while not in use for safety reasons. It is lightweight yet robust. Lastly on this list of new tools is the Portable Buck Saw that is extremely lightweight and collapsible too, making it a perfect gift for the homeowner, gardener and camper. Each of the tools mentioned above will serve their purpose well.

Remember to use restraint when pruning your newly planted trees. Prune only to remove damaged, broken, or diseased branches. A good rule of thumb is to prune as little as possible. Before tackling any big pruning job on your own, please refer to Central Texas Tree Care for advice, instruction, and helpful tips from the experts.


About the Author: Andrew Johnson is the owner of Central Texas Tree Care, a leading Austin Texas tree service provider in Central Texas (Travis County and surrounding areas). Central Texas Tree Care offers services such as pruning and removals, cabling and bracing as well as arborist reports, diagnostics, pest management and fertilization. For more information please visit http://www.centraltexastreecare.com.

Do any of your trees need pruning?

There are many reasons to prune a tree. It is best to remove diseased branches to stop the growth of the disease and to remove the not-too-attractive parts of the tree. Or say a damaging storm has left branches partly broken off and dangling; the tree will be much happier with these branches taken off. Perhaps a tree needs the crown trimmed permitting better air circulation so that healthy new growth will start to appear. A tree also needs pruning when lower branches are obstructing the way, a view or the growth of lower shrubs. Maybe you would like to train the tree to grow in a certain direction for design purposes, then pruning could be a consideration. And there is always the reason of reducing the tree’s height because it has just grown too tall.

It is best to prune during the dormant season in late fall or winter. However, dead branches can and should be removed at any time. Pruning during the dormant period minimizes sap loss and subsequently, any stress to the tree. Because fungus infection and/or insect infestation are also in dormancy during this time, pruning a tree then minimizes the risk of their damage invading the tree. Also, in the case of deciduous trees, pruning when the leaves are off will allow you to design your cutting with the overall structural shape of the tree.

Once you decide which trees need pruning, next determine whether or not you can do it yourself or need to hire the experts. If the tree is tall and involves large branches especially near the top, then there should be no question. Never compromise personal safety in pruning a tree. Large tree pruning may require climbing, heavy saws, or even chain saws. The trained, knowledgeable, and experienced professionals know how to handle these jobs the best.

Among the pruning jobs that you can do yourself, remember in all cases, to protect the stem or trunk wood of the tree while pruning off the unwanted branches. Tree branches grow from stems at nodes and pruning always takes place on the branch side of a stem-branch node. Branches and stems are separated by a lip of tissue called a stem collar. The stem collar grows out from the stem at the base of the branch. All pruning cuts should be made on the branch side of this stem collar. This will help protect the stem and any other branches growing from it making the healing after the prune more effective. Do not paint the cuts with compounds that prevent air from accessing where the pruning took place, thereby slowing the healing process.

To prevent tearing of the bark and stem wood, particularly in the case of larger branches, use the following procedure:
First, make a small wedge shaped cut on the underside of the branch just on the branch side of the stem collar to let the break happen at that point and prevent a tear from running along the bark and stem tissue.
Then, starting at the top of the branch, farther along the branch, cut all the way through the branch leaving a stub end.
Finally, make a third cut parallel to and only on the branch side of the stem collar to reduce the length of the stub as much as possible.

Newly-planted trees should not be pruned until they feel settled in their new growing spot. Prune only if there happens to be any damaged or broken branches. Do not prune the top of the tree as this could alter the structure of the tree excessively, according to which tree species it is, and may hamper necessary carbohydrate production. For further information about which tree species will be affected by this particular pruning or if you have any other pruning questions, consult the professionals at Central Texas Tree Care.

About the Author: Andrew Johnson is the owner of Central Texas Tree Care, a leading Austin Texas tree service provider in Central Texas (Travis County and surrounding areas). Central Texas Tree Care offers services such as pruning and removals, cabling and bracing as well as arborist reports, diagnostics, pest management and fertilization. For more information please visit http://www.centraltexastreecare.com.