3 Tips For Keeping Your Trees Healthy This Spring
While trees that have already established themselves might seem like they're self sufficient, most landscaping experts agree that most healthy trees don't just get that way on their own. There are a lot of trees that are fairly low maintenance, but that doesn't mean that you can put in no effort and just expect them to thrive. It is always a good idea to make sure that you stay on top of the various types of seasonal tree care as this is, without a doubt, one of the best ways to ensure that your trees are able to remain healthy and to make sure that your home's landscape has the care it needs to remain well protected at all time.
To help you in this endeavor, our team of Fairfax landscaping and lawn care professionals here at Earthworks have taken the time to put together this short list of three simple steps you can take this spring to make sure that your trees get the care they need to help them get a great head start this growing season. And you can always call us for professional tree services, from pruning and trimming to watering, fertilizing, and Spring-time care.
Clean Up
One of the best things you can do for your trees when the growing season comes around is to make sure that you take the time to clean up around them, including the removal of any holiday lighting that might have been wrapped around their trunks and forgotten about. Leaving these wrapped around trunks or branches can actually risk stunting the growth of your trees.
After taking the time to remove any of these things from around your trees, you will want to make sure to rake and gather up any debris that might have collected around the base of the trees, including small twigs, fallen fruits, and the like. Not cleaning up debris can put your trees at risk of contracting certain fungal diseases that may have hibernated on them over the course of the winter.
Mulch
Taking the time to add a layer of mulch around the base of your trees is a great way to help your soil retain moisture and to suppress the growth of weeds during the springtime months. This is especially important to do around the bases of any younger trees that haven't been in the ground for at least 10 years. However, older trees can also benefit from a layer of mulch. When mulching around the bases of your trees, you want to aim for a pile that's around 3 inches thick, and make sure that it isn't piled up against the trunk of your tree, as the mulch can retain moisture and heat, giving certain diseases an easy point of access to infecting your trees.
Water Your Trees
Once the cold weather has finally passed, it's time to start tackling watering chores. It is important to make sure that you wait for your soil to fully thaw if you've had a particularly cold winter before you start watering, otherwise the soil isn't going to be able to absorb anything. It is particularly important to ensure that you thoroughly water any areas where you may have applied de-icing materials over the course of the winter, as this will help to remove any lingering salt-laden materials from the soil and get them away from your trees roots. Even if the weather is still a little bit cool, it is a good idea not to let your trees dry out. You might even want to water them several times if the weather is particularly warm or if your yard's soil is somewhat sandy. In addition, once you start running your sprinkler system, you want to be on the lookout for any puddling around your trees and adjust your sprinklers accordingly.
