Basic Tree Maintenance and Care That Any Homeowner Can Do

Trees cover over 30% of the land surface on Earth. They are both beautiful to look at and also vital components to our continued survival.

Trees are called the lungs of the Earth for several reasons. They help to absorb pollutants through their leaves and filter out contaminants by trapping them. They also produce oxygen through photosynthesis and help to reduce our carbon emissions.

Nothing else on the planet has such a huge impact on cleaning our air as trees do. The only thing that comes close is an air purifier, but even then you should do your research, an example would be to check out this partu air purifier review.

It’s a proven fact that humans, as a species, can’t survive without trees. That’s why tree maintenance is important.

In addition to improving our air quality, trees are also vital for providing shade from the sunlight, giving shelter to animals, and reducing erosion and flooding. Without trees, we would lose an essential source for fuel, medicine, and building materials.

In this article, we’ll take a look at some basic tree maintenance and care that you can do with ease at home.

The Two Basic Steps of Tree Maintenance

While trees are able to survive without our interference in most cases, there are a few diseases that can target them.

If you want to ensure that the trees in your yard remain at peak health, there’s a bit of regular maintenance you need to do to ensure that. If you live in a heavy urban area, there are stressors like asphalt reflecting vast amounts of heat that can damage a tree. This excess heat can burn leaves and evaporate moisture from the soil around the roots.

Without added care to a tree, it’s all too common for one to die. Signs of a dead tree include leaves not growing back and brittle branches that snap off often.

Here are several different maintenance steps you can take to improve and safe-keep the health of your tree:

Mulching

Mulch is any material you spread over the soil as covering. It helps retain moisture in the soil and prevents weeds from popping up everywhere. It will also keep the soil cooler and its aesthetic value is very appealing.

There are several different types of organic mulch you can find:

• Bark
• Compost
• Composted Manure
• Grass Clippings
• Newspaper
• Shredded Leaves
• Straw

In a forest, trees drop their leaves and branches and then those decompose into the soil around the roots and the nutrients are absorbed. In an urban setting, this process is interrupted. Leaves are often raked up and disposed of before it can break down and improve the soil.

This is why mulching around big trees is so common. The mulch improves the conditions for the tree by providing essential nutrients it needs to flourish.

Watering

If you have a tree that was newly planted, then you need to be aware that it’s lost much of its root system from the transplanting process. This leaves the tree vulnerable to drought for the first few years of its life.

Due to this, it is important to water your tree often to help it establish itself in the ground. After all, fewer roots mean less absorption of water from the soil.

After several years, the tree will grow out larger, more robust roots that reach farther out into the surrounding soil. This will let the tree collect enough water on its own.

During summers with prolonged heat and no rain, watering your tree even after it has reached adulthood will remain important. Knowing how much water to provide a big tree can be a bit confusing, so

Here are a few tips:

1. Each week, a tree should get around 10 gallons of water per 1 inch of trunk diameter while it is young. So if you have a tree you planted that is 2 inches in diameter, you’d want to give it about 20 gallons of water per week.
2. You should water a tree for however many years correspond to its trunk diameter. So if you planted a tree that was 2 inches around, you’ll need to water that tree for about 2 years before it’ll be established.
3. When you water your tree, do so at a slow and even pace. You don’t want to simply dump an entire bucket at the base and walk away. The roots won’t have a chance to soak in sufficient water this way.
4. Always take into consideration your environment. If you live in the middle of the city and lots of asphalt surrounds your tree, it will need watering more often. The asphalt amps up how much heat is hitting the tree and causes moisture to evaporate from the leaves and soil.
5. If you’re unsure if your tree needs more or less water, check the soil. Dig a shallow hole and feel the soil with your fingers. If the soil is dry, you need more water. If it’s still damp, it should be good for the day.

Even Trees Need Attention

If you follow all these tips in your routine tree maintenance, you should be left with trees that are vibrant and healthy.

It’s important to care for trees in an age where climate change is an increasing worry. Air pollution also continues to be a huge concern for people’s health. Without trees to help reduce air pollution and create fresh, clean oxygen for us to breathe, it’d only be a matter of time before humans went extinct.

In addition to the many beneficial reasons we should preserve trees, there’s also the aesthetic value. Trees improve upon the appearance of any yard or driveway. They give us shade to rest under in our backyards and help keep our homes cooler during the hot summer months.

Sometimes it’s difficult to attend yardwork by yourself when you have a busy work schedule or a disability. That’s where Augusta Pro Tree in Augusta, GA can step in and help. 

Lawn care is our passion. We can do it all, from stump removals to tree pruning and care. No matter what task we’re hired for, we’re committed to giving expert professional care.

If you need help with tree cutting, trimming, or removing a dead tree, then contact us today.