A healthy and flourishing tree is a beautiful sight to see! However, if trees are not well cared for, they can quickly rot and decay. Leaving these issues unattended for too long can cause disastrous consequences! For example, my dad’s neighbour spent years telling us he would get the enormous rotting tree looming over our back garden cut down, but he never got around to it… then, one day, there was a big storm and down came the tree, leaving a huge mess to clean up and an insurance claim to file!
If your tree is looking unsafe in any way, it may be time to call in a local expert in tree removal Newcastle and avoid any nasty accidents! Ideally, however, we want to avoid this situation entirely by keeping our trees as healthy as possible and identifying any problems before they become more significant issues! Therefore, this article will look at some simple steps we can take to keep our trees in top condition.
Choose A Good Location
One of the first things you can do to keep a tree healthy is to plant it in a good location.
Try to choose a spot in your garden that is big enough for the tree you are trying to grow and receives a good amount of sunlight.
Trees that are already planted in the ground are not easy to move, especially if they are big. Planting trees in pots is a great way to make it easy to transport your trees to better locations whenever you need to! By planting trees in containers, you can even take them indoors to keep them healthy during the cooler months.
It is essential to be especially careful if you have underground utility lines or power cables near your home, as the branches or roots of your tree can interfere with these and cause a severe safety hazard.
If your tree is in a bad location and you are not able to move it, you can always call an expert in tree removal Port Stephens.
Proper Pruning
Pruning means getting rid of any dead, damaged or diseased wood from your tree. Trimming your tree regularly is a great way to keep it growing strong and healthy. Getting rid of any dying branches keeps your tree in good shape and reduces the risk of these dead branches falling and causing any accidents. However, if your tree is newly planted, don’t prune it for at least the first year!
When your tree is ready for pruning, choosing the right time to prune it is important. Autumn is the worst time to prune your tree, as trees will heal much slower and are more at risk from fungi in the air. This fungus can cause decay and rot.
Most trees are dormant in winter, so this is the best time to prune them. It also encourages growth in springtime!
In addition, your tree may need another prune if there have been storms recently.
Pruning is no easy task, and there are a lot of factors to consider when doing it. In addition, improper pruning techniques can cause lasting damage to your tree, so make sure you do your research!
If you are unsure about what is the right way to prune a tree, it is probably best to leave it to a professional Newcastle arborist.
Food and Water
Much like a beloved pet, trees need food and water! Trees need regular watering and food in the form of fertiliser. Balance is needed, as too much or too little of these things can cause damage to your precious trees!
When a tree is newly planted, it should be watered daily for the first two weeks. After that, most mature trees only need watering once a week. However, all trees are different, and depending on your local weather and climate, the watering frequency will vary! Make sure to do some research on the variety of trees you have before you decide on a watering schedule.
When watering, aim for the roots of the tree. Watering the trunk or leaves will make your tree more susceptible to rot and disease.
As mentioned above, healthy trees need food! Fertiliser acts as food for your tree. All plants need minerals and nutrients to survive, but these necessary ingredients can be difficult for plants to access in home gardens. Fertiliser gives them a boost of these much-needed nutrients to grow healthy and strong!
Try using a slow-release fertiliser, as this will help to slowly and regularly provide your tree with the nutrients it needs.
Health Checkups
Finally, if you want to protect your tree and keep it healthy, you can give it a regular check-up! Just like going to the doctors regularly to ensure our bodies are healthy, trees need check-ups to ensure they are not harbouring any nasty diseases.
These check-ups are usually called Tree Assessments. These assessments can be done to identify any diseases or rot in the tree's branches, trunk, leaves or root system. A hazard assessment can also be done to see if your tree poses any serious safety hazards.
You can check your tree yourself, but it can be very difficult to identify problems unless you are a specialist. So, for a thorough tree check-up, it is always good to call in some local Newcastle tree removal professionals. They have the knowledge and experience to spot issues that we might overlook! Then, they can give helpful advice on how to save the tree or recommend tree removal if that is necessary.
Happy Tree, Happy Garden
When your trees are happy and healthy, it adds to the beauty of your whole garden! So don’t forget to choose a good location for your tree, feed and water it regularly, have it pruned properly and give it a check-up at least once a year.
I hope that this article has been helpful to you and that your tree grows strong and stays healthy for many years to come!