A well-designed landscape with lush, healthy trees adds curb appeal and value to your property. Regular routine tree maintenance stimulates growth, keeps your trees healthy, and protects them from damage and disease. Seasonal tree maintenance includes inspections, pruning, and treatments that are best administered at particular times of year to prevent insect infestations and disease outbreaks.
As winter ends and spring arrives, your trees will be ready to get back to work. They’ll need a little extra care, though, to get off to a good start. Here are some of the most important seasonal tree maintenance tips to keep in mind for the season ahead.
Late winter and early spring are the best times to prune evergreen shrubs (like holly and yew), spruce, fir, and pine. It’s also the best time to prune most shade trees, like maple, oak, sweetgum, and katsura. However, wait to prune spring-flowering trees, such as dogwood, lilac, tulip poplar, and pear, until after they’ve bloomed.
Spring rains can cause some water-logging, which may be damaging to the roots of young trees. It’s important to check soil moisture regularly and amend it if necessary. Also, this is an excellent time to inspect your trees and shrubs for signs of root rot or fungal diseases.
Summer’s hot temperatures can quickly dehydrate trees, especially if they have recently been planted or if soil is dry and sandy. Watering a few times a week and placing a ring of mulch around the base of each tree is beneficial in keeping it hydrated, but be careful not to pile mulch up against the trunks of your trees. This can encourage fungus.
Autumn is a great time to inspect and remove dead or damaged branches from your trees, especially in areas that are close to homes or power lines. This will help prevent limbs from falling in storms and damaging your property or injuring someone. It’s a good idea to have professional tree services inspect your property during this time of year to ensure that your trees are healthy and safe.
Seasonal tree maintenance minimizes pest infestations that can damage your yard and home. Pests like cigarette beetles, tent caterpillars, grubs, pine bark beetles, and apple scab are more likely to infest your property when trees are unhealthy or stressed by environmental stressors. An arborist can apply dormant oils in winter to smother overwintering pests and prevent them from becoming an issue in the spring.
The most significant benefit of seasonal tree maintenance is that it helps your trees and yard stay safe and beautiful throughout the year. It reduces the risk of a major storm damaging or falling trees and limbs, which can significantly impact the beauty and value of your home or business. In addition, it eliminates the risk of dead limbs that could fall on your roof or electric lines and cause expensive damage. Properly maintained and protected trees can also withstand severe weather elements like wind, hail, snow, ice, and rain better than untreated or poorly-maintained trees, protecting your property from damage and keeping you and your family or employees safe.