Topping Your Trees And The Damage It Can Cause

Trees grow; there is no doubt about it. And with all of their growth comes at times, interference with overhead lines or potential breakage. Despite this possibilities, topping or cutting off the top of your tree is extremely harmful to it. This doesn't mean there aren't alternatives. If your tree needs to be trimmed back, there are pruning techniques that can be adopted and used.

So what is topping, you might ask? Topping is when one cuts tree branches or lateral branches indiscriminately. The most common reason given for topping is to reduce the size of a tree. But topping stresses a tree and can cause it to die. This happens due to the fact that when people top their trees, it often removes 50 to 100 percent of the leaf-bearing crown of a tree. Knowing leaves are the way a tree produces food, removing these important leaves can temporarily starve your tree. When one makes severe cuts to a tree, such as in topping, it forces the tree into survival. The tree then activates latent buds, forcing the rapid growth of multiple shoots below each cut. The tree then will put out a new crop of leaves as soon as possible. If a tree does not have the stored energy reserves to do so, it will be seriously weakened and may die.

When a tree weakens, it is also stressed. This can lead to vulnerability to insects and disease. The tree may lack sufficient energy to chemically defend the wounds against invasion, and some insects are actually attracted to the chemical signals trees release. Topping a tree also causes decay. Trees are designed to close wounds, if the tree is healthy and the cut isn't too big. But cuts made along a limb between lateral branches may not be able to close. This allows decay organisms a free path to move down through the branches.

If this isn't enough, topping can also exposes trees to high levels of light and heat, resulting in what is called sunburn. Sunburned trees can lead to cankers, bark splitting, and death of some branches.

When a tree is topped, the tree will also produce multiple shoots below each topping cut.
The new shoots grow quickly, as much as 20 feet in one year, in some species. If this sounds good, the problem is that these shoots are weak and prone to breaking, especially during storms.

Last, if the tree survives, it will require pruning again within a few years. This can be costly. And if the tree dies and has to be removed, this can be even more costly.
To properly take care of your tree's height, ask a professional about proper pruning techniques. If pruning involves working above the ground or using power equipment, it may be best to hire a professional arborist. An arborist can prune your tree properly to help improve its health and the safety of the trees surroundings. An arborist also has all the proper tools, equipment and crew to do the job. While it may sound cheaper to prune your own mature trees, in the long run, it may be a better investment just to hire a professional.

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

Growing Fruit Trees Organically

If you are worried about finding fruit that hasn't been sprayed with chemicals or treated, that is, organic fruit - then there is no better way to find this than through growing your own.

While your organic fruit may not be as beautiful and glossy as the fruit you buy in the store, you know with every bite what you are getting. Growing fruit trees doesn't have to be complicated and it certainly doesn't require a lot of room. You can grow fruit in a tiny backyard or even in a small garden. Depending on the size of your yard and area where you may even want to plant a dwarf, semi dwarf tree.

The beauty of fruit trees is that they also are ornamental. Nothing beats the beautiful blossoms of spring that appear on fruit trees. If that isn't enough, apple trees are great for climbing and providing shade.

For your organic fruit tree to produce fruit, it must be pollinated. Some trees are self-pollinating while others need to be planted in pairs. Some trees require three trees in order to be pollinated. Ask your local nursery if self-pollinating trees are available, otherwise, let the bees do all of the work! If you are planting just apples, try putting in a crabapple tree, something many plant purely for pollination sake.

When it comes to where you should plant your tree, if you have a large piece of property to grow your fruit tree on, take into consideration the landscape. Nearby slopes may cause frost pockets, which will adversely affect your fruit. Wind may also stunt the growth of your fruit trees and the altitude of your garden may be better suited for certain fruits or strains. You can ask your local nursery about what types of fruit grow the best in your climate.

Next you need to prepare your soil. Going fully organic, prepare your soil only with organic compost. Many people take a soil test prior to planting their trees. Your local County Extension Center can instruct you in collecting the soil sample, help you interpret the results, and provide valuable information about the soil in your county. Results from the soil test will determine the soil amendments necessary to correct nutrient deficiencies and adjust soil pH. The amendments should be worked into the soil to a depth of 12 to 18 inches where the tree will root, not just the planting hole. For example, apple trees will tolerate a wide range of soils as long as water and nutrients are not limiting and soil pH is adequate. Avoid heavy, poorly drained soils and low spots, since many trees cannot survive if water remains standing in the root zone.

Second, buying a healthy tree is important. When shopping for your tree, examine it for disease or wilting. Pick the strongest and the best. If you are planting a bare root, it may take years before your tree bares fruit, but the trees are much more affordable to purchase.

Keeping your organic fruit trees healthy throughout their life span is also important. Some plant a variety of local native grasses and plants around their trees to avoid most harmful pests. Planting lavender bushes and other flowers near your fruit trees will encourage bees, which are necessary for pollinating your trees. The more insects there are in your garden, the healthier your fruit. There are always more beneficial insects than harmful ones. For example, one ladybug can eat 25 aphids every day! There is also beneficial bacteria and fungi that bad insects and diseases don't like to be around, and this helps the tree or shrub naturally grow to its full capability and health.

Growing organic fruit just requires a little bit of knowledge and effort, but in the end, you can have the fruit you pay high prices for at the store, for little to nothing.

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

Growing Your Own Fruit

With the economy as it is, maybe you have thought about growing your own food, including putting in your own fruit trees. Growing your own fruit is fun, but there are a few things to know about the process.

First, you need to decide what type of fruit you want. To get your tree to pollinate may require planting two fruit trees, ideally fifteen to twenty feet of each other. The two fruit trees do not need to be the same. For example you can plant Macintosh apples and Galas. If you buy a tree that is labeled to be self-pollinating, it is still better to veer on the safe side by planting more than one variety. Also, you will want to plant your trees in either the spring or fall. And remember, if you are planting seedlings, it could take a few years before it starts to produce fruit.

To give your fruit tree a healthy start, dig your hole about 18" in depth and with a pitchfork, fork the bottom and sides of the hole to loosen the soil. Now place some compost at the bottom of the hole and then shovel a little dirt back into the hole. Now you can set your tree in the hole with the root ball on top of the mound you have now created. Spread roots evenly in all directions. Now fill your hole with soil and press the ground down gently with your foot. Check that the tree is vertical. Be sure to 'overfill' the hole so the soil is an inch or two above ground level. The soil will compress when watered, and settle to ground level.

It may be necessary to stake your tree, this will help keep it stable during windstorms. Tie your tree to the stake with a rubber tie or piece of cloth. The tie should be loose so as not to girdle the tree. You also want to allow plenty of room for the trunk to grow and thicken. Now water your tree thoroughly and pack the soil again. You can now apply shredded bark mulch or pine needles to the circle around the tree to discourage weed growth and help the soil remain a consistent temperature.

As you wait for your fruit tree to grow and mature you can give it some extra help by maintaining much around the base of the tree, fertilize it with any lawn fertilizer
in the spring and in the fall, and protect its tender, emerging branches from deer, mice and other wildlife.

In the spring of the second year, your tree may produce some flowers, which, if left on would develop into fruit. It is better to pinch these flowers off and let the tree have another full year to develop its root system.

Once you are ready to let your tree bear fruit, when the fruit gets to be about the size of your thumbnail, you may want to thin it out some. If you let your fruit grow to closely together it will not get as big in size as you may like. Unless freezing spring temperatures reduces the number of viable fruit blossoms, your fruit trees will set more fruit than they can grow to optimum size. These overabundant number of fruitlets will compete for limited plant resources—this is why you will want to thin.

Individuals who grow fruit for a hobby say they experiment with numbers of fruit removed and thinning timings. A “rule of thumb" is to space peaches six inches apart and apples six to eight inches apart, leaving only one apple per spur. Since an apple tree can develop an alternate bearing habit (a heavy crop of small fruit one year followed by no or few fruit the next), it is important to thin within a month after bloom. With experience, you will learn to balance crop load to tree growth.

Growing fruit trees is not only a fun challenge but in the end, is, well, quite fruitful.

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