Top 5 Seasonal Tree Care Tips: Ensuring Healthy Growth Year-Round
Posted on: 25 August 2024
Trees are a beautiful addition to any landscape. They naturally heal us, keep our air clean and look gorgeous when maintained properly. To keep your trees healthy, and thriving, it’s important to adjust your tree care sentiments according to the changing seasons.
In this post, we’ll cover the top 5 seasonal tree care tips; keeping your trees vibrant and well maintained, all year round!
Spring Pruning for Shape and Health
Spring is the season of renewal. This makes it the perfect time to focus on pruning! The warming weather causes our trees to slip out of dormancy and grow quickly, when compared to any other season. Pruning during this time encourages shapely and healthy growth. This increases the overall appearance of the tree, making it look gorgeous!=
When pruning, it’s essential to be mindful of the tree’s natural shape. It’s a good point to remove no more than 10-20% of the tree’s foliage. This helps to prevent stressing the tree. A proper pruning job will improve air circulation within the canopy of the tree, reducing risks of disease.
Summer Watering and Mulching
Summer, obviously being the hottest month, causes high temperatures and lack of rainfall. This can stress the tree, so it’s best to ensure you’re watering your tree an adequate amount. Deep watering is highly effective when compared to shallow watering, as it encourages the tree’s routes to grow deeper into the soil, solidifying the tree in its position and making it more drought resistant.
Water your tree deeply at least once a week, especially during dry periods. The general recommendation heard from professionals is 10-15 gallons of water per inch of trunch diameter. For example, if your tree has a trunk diameter of 3 inches, you’d aim to provide about 30-45 gallons of water in total for each week.
Autumn Fertilisation to Boost Nutrients
Autumn is a volatile time for your tree. It’s a rush to store nutrients in preparation for the upcoming winter. To help your tree flourish, apply a slow-release fertiliser in late autumn. This should provide the essentials your tree will need and will prepare it adequately.
Choose a fertiliser that is specifically formulated for trees. A balance of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium will cover most of the bases the tree needs. Please avoid over fertilising, however! This could cause excessive growth that the tree may not be able to sustain.
Winter Protection
Winter is particularly harsh on trees. It’s especially difficult to keep a young or newly planted tree resilient through this season. Cold temperatures, ice and the occasional UK snow can cause significant damage if your trees aren’t properly protected. Tree guards or burlap wraps do really well to help protect your trees. They help the bark prevent from cracking due to freezing and thawing cycles.
For the evergreen trees, that keep their foliage year round, it’s worth considering using anti-desiccant sprays. These sprays give the leaves a protective coat to reduce moisture loss and stop cold burns. Another step to consider is applying a thick layer of mulch around the base of your tree, in particular, the younger ones. This will act as insulation for the roots, keeping them warmer during the colder periods.
Year Round Monitoring for Pests and Diseases
While each season brings its own risks and tasks, there’s one thing that stays constant throughout the entire year. This task is regular monitoring! Trees can be susceptible to a variety of pests and diseases that could cause damage to the tree. As with all diseases, for all organisms, early detection is key for swift and effective treatment. The sooner you catch it, the less chance it has of spreading and becoming more severe.
Throughout the year, it’s smart to take the time to inspect your tree for any sign of trouble. Take a gander for any discoloured leaves, unusual growths or signs of insect activity. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, it’s best to consult a tree care professional.
Truly, the real thing that will keep your trees in pristine shape is looking after them well and paying attention to them. Treat them well, and they’ll shine in their beauty for time to come. That being said, sometimes it’s not possible for us to personally take the best care of our trees. Sometimes we don’t have the time, energy, the tools; whatever. That’s where we come in. We’re more than happy to come out and help, anytime!
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