Maintaining the health of trees in your yard needs patience and effort. A tree without proper care may lead to poor health and diseases. Sometimes the trees are attacked by the pests and die within a few years. It is essential to protect your trees firm from the pest attacks and diseases.
Regular care and maintenance can help you to maintain the health of the trees and also protect them from pest attacks and diseases. However, you need to spare some time and effort to take care of the trees in your yard and maintain their health. This post shares some tips to maintain healthy trees in your yard.
1. Planting the right trees
Tree care starts with choosing the right tree for plantation. A specific tree cannot survive in every location. For example, an Apple tree can survive only in the places that receive snowfall, not near the equator.
The life of any tree depends on the location and environment in which it is planted and the care it gets in the first three to five years. Therefore it is essential to plant the trees that can thrive in the environment you live in. You can consult an arborist before selecting a variety of trees for your garden.
2. Planting the trees
There are three types of trees – Bare root trees, container trees, and balled or burlapped trees. All these types of trees require different techniques for planting. Usually, the homeowners don’t know the correct technique to plant a tree. It is best to consult a professional gardener or an arborist to plant the trees in your yard. Panting the trees correctly ensures the right growth and health for years ahead.
3. Inspecting the soil
It is essential to examine the soil at least once a year to check its fertility. Inspecting the soil enables you to know which fertilizer is required to maintain its health for the growth of trees and plants. You can call a landscape professional to visit your garden and check the health of the soil. The professional may recommend the fertilizers to improve soil health which also improves the health of plants and trees in your yard.
4. Watering the trees
Watering is essential for plant and tree growth, but it is necessary to know the amount of water they need. Less or more watering can lead to poor growth and diseases. Trees need deep watering while the plants can survive with the sprinkling of water like lawn irrigation. The roots of trees are much deeper than the plants and require deep watering. You can water the trees by a hose for 20 to 30 minutes if it has not rained recently. Keep the hose near the base of the tree for at least 20 minutes on low pressure.
5. Mulching
Mulching is the process of covering the area around the stem with tree bark and wood chips. Build a layer of mulch of 2 to 4 inches thick. Mulch protects the roots from grass, weeds, and lawn equipment. Moreover, it holds the moisture in the soil and maintains its temperature. In simple words, mulching protects the roots from external temperature and climatic conditions. It allows the water and air to reach the roots and maintains the moisture and temperature in every season.
6. Fertilizers
Fertilizing is essential to maintaining the fertility of soil and plant health. It is necessary to use the fertilizer after six months of planting a tree. Mix the fertilizer in the soil up to the drip line of a tree but at least one foot away from the stem of a tree. However, you need to use the correct type of fertilizer according to the trees and health of your soil.
7. Pruning
Pruning is another essential process for the health of trees. As a tree grows its branches spread in the unwanted areas, and some branches become dead. It is necessary to prune the dead branches for proper growth and to maintain tree health. Some trees require light pruning which others require heavy pruning. But you need to know the right time for pruning a tree.
8. Pests and diseases
Trees may get infected with pests and diseases due to any reason. Usually, the tree owners never come to know about the reason for pests and tree diseases. You can check whether a tree is infected with pests or disease by looking at the stem and trees. Dying branches and shedding leaves continuously are the signs of disease. The pest infections are usually visible on the stem and leaves of trees.
9. Treatment of diseases
The three diseases can be treated if detected at an early stage by consulting an arborist. However, in case the infection has spread to the entire tree from roots to leaves, it is sure to die. It is best to call a landscape professional to visit your yard every four months to diagnose the health of plants and trees. Any potential disease or pest infection can be detected at an early stage and treated to save your trees.
10. Removing a tree
Sometimes it is essential to remove a tree if it is infected with pests or diseases; otherwise, it may affect other plants and trees in the yard. Some homeowners need to free some space due to which then decides to remove a tree. Tree owners should never cut or remove a tree themselves as the process involve a lot of risks, especially in case of an infected tree.
Call the professionals like tree removal to cut and remove the tree form your yard. The professional tree removalists have all the necessary tools, skills, and experience to remove a tree safely from a place.
Final Words
The points given above are the best tips to maintain tree health. Taking care of the trees from the beginning while planting and consulting an arborist to visit your yard every three or four months can help you to maintain not only trees but also the health of other plants and soil in your yard. Remember the health of your plants, shrubs, and trees depend on soil health.
Krishan Jangir