It doesn’t matter what the tree’s age, size or shape is. Every single type of tree requires maintenance and care so that it can look at their sharpest and tallest. It also improves the value of a house when you have a tree in the backyard.

Apart from reducing pollution, there are several benefits that you and your loved ones can reap from a tree that is healthy. On the other hand, an unhealthy tree can make your life hard since it’ll require higher maintenance costs and also affect curb appeal.

In this article, we look at crucial tips that will help you maintain the tree that is in your backyard.

1. Trimming

Trees also have the need to be trimmed in order to stay both healthy as well as clean. Although you can hire a specialist to do this, it is better to do this task by yourself since you’ll know how a tree should look like in the confines of your property. You also need to trim regularly so that all the branches that are dead are removed. This is done in order to let new branches to grow. Trimming also extends to leaves as well. You also need to mind if the tree is getting in the way of your house since heavy storms or even strong winds can cause severe damage.

2. Soil

Your tree may not be looking at its best because of the fact that it isn’t getting enough nutrition. This is because the soil gets most of its nourishment from the earth and if the soil isn’t good enough, it can affect the tree for the worse. This problem usually occurs when a tree has been replanted or replaced. When checking the soil, make sure that it has adequate pH and mineral levels.

3. Mulch

Although mulching the area around the tree can increase the appeal, it serves a much more essential purpose than to make everything look pretty. Mulching can help in the retention of water as well as providing the tree with a constant temperature without rapid changes. Each tree will have its own requirement of mulch that is needed, but on average, the base needs to be somewhere between 4 to 9 inches.

4. Pests

No matter how healthy a tree can be, you always need to protect it from pests and diseases. This is the reason why you need to keep track of your trees as there are signs which can indicate that your tree isn’t healthy. These signs include spotty leaves, structural changes to the tree itself or even the growth of fungus.

What You Should Do

1. Pruning

Trees are required to be pruned from time to time and how you must prune and at what time is dependent on the trees themselves. But the most important thing that you must remember is that you mustn’t ever prune in fall as this is the time when trees are encouraged to grow more naturally by the weather. You should also know that fall is also the time when diseases are spread more than any other season.

2. Killing Pests

You should be able to tell when a tree is sick just by looking at it since there are tell-tale signs. Hence, make sure to be on the lookout for these signs because doing so might help the tree for good and you’ll also be saving a lot of money. If you have a pest problem, make sure to get rid of them as soon as possible. You should also know if an outbreak has been spread in your area.

3. Water

There’s no doubt that you must water trees just like any other plant as they need to be watered near the base of the tree.

What You Should Not Do

4. Excessive Pruning

A typical mistake that people do is that they prune the trees in every single season. This can prove extremely harmful for the tree and hence, you should prune sometime around the beginning of spring. This is when most of the tree’s pruning should be done as it can promote positive growth as well as offer it the optimum amount of time to grow as well. But be careful since you do not want to make cuts that are big as it can injure the tree.

5. Planting them very close

Since the system of roots of a tree is extensive, you shouldn’t plant them close to each other. This is because a tree placed next to another tree can hamper the growth of roots of both trees and hence, there’s a higher chance of them falling. They also might not grow to their full extent without proper roots since the roots can be as big as five times as that of the diameter of the crown.

6. Cleaning all by yourself

If a tree that is enormous needs to be removed from your property, it is best to hire arborists that are certified to do this job as many hurt themselves when they do this task by themselves.

Tree trimming should only be done during certain periods of time, and this is something that property owners, on average, do not know about. Although it might be hard for one to see why a tree needs to be pruned, it is still an important process that helps with the appearance as well as the health of the tree.

Let us look at the types of tree trimming.

Standard Pruning:

In this type of pruning, a lot of cutting is involved that is extremely heavy. This is mainly done so that the structure of the tree is improved.

Fine Pruning:

In this type of pruning, the tree’s appearance of the tree is enhanced through the cutting and trimming of limbs.

Crown Reduction Pruning:

Crown reduction pruning is done when there are branches that are dead and need to be removed. It is also done when the branches come in the way of power lines or if they suffer from damages that are inflicted by storms.

Hazard Trimming: This is done mostly to increase the safety of people that walk around the trees. Branches of the length of an inch or two are removed in this type of trimming.

When should you trim?

There may be occasions where you notice a branch that is dead or damaged. In such cases, you need to ensure that the branch is removed as soon as possible. But when it comes to regular pruning, you need to consider the following seasons.

Summer trimming

Branches that need to grow slowly and to a size that you have decided can pruned during the summer. Doing so will also allow more food to be spend on the roots of the tree which, in turn, will make the tree very strong. You can also prune branches that are defective or drooping due to the presence of heavy leaves. Correction of limbs is also done during the summer.

You must keep in mind that trees must not be pruned at all during fall since this can lead to deadly fungi and disease spreading. Pruning during this period will affect the areas of the tree that have been cut very recently.

Winter Trimming

Pruning, for the most part, is recommended for winter because it encourages the growth of branches that are new in the spring. Hence, wait for the time of winter where it is the coldest, and when this period has passed, you can prune the tree however you like.