Love Your Trees
Buying and planting a tree is not like a one-night stand. Rather, it is a long-term relationship with you bearing responsibility for keeping your tree happy and healthy. Well-cared for trees live long and happy lives beautifying your yard each and every day…not to mention the important role that they play in building a natural habitat for wildlife.
So, how do you love your trees? Well, first spend some time with them. Inspect your trees occasionally for signs of fungus, disease, insect infestation, and damage due to rodents, wind, and sun. If you find a problem, come see us, for expert advice in treating the problem. Periodically check to make sure your watering system is intact and that all your trees and shrubs are getting sufficient water. Fertilize them in the spring and fall. Prune them when needed to help them keep their shape. After a snowfall, especially if the snow is wet and heavy, brush snow off of limbs to prevent breakage. This is particularly important for your deciduous trees during early snowfall in the fall, and late snowfall in the spring when leaves may be present.
Inspect Your Trees
Trees can become beset with insect and disease problems just about anytime during the growing season and they can suffer from wind, water loss, and sun issues throughout the year. Thus, it is always a good idea to walk through your yard and inspect your trees (and shrubs) for damage caused by these sources. If you’re not sure if there is a problem or what to do about a problem you might find, drop by and see us, and we’ll help you figure things out. Left: Inspecting young Canadian Red Chokecherry leaves.
Check Your Drip System
If you have a drip system, periodically inspect it for damage or other problems. Sometimes deer step on the tubing, causing it to crack and leak. Sometimes rodents will gnaw away at it and cause leaking. And sometimes the emitters and small spaghetti lines become clogged. Don’t wait until your trees show signs of stress to check your drip system—by that time it may be too late to save the tree!
Fertilize
Make sure to fertilize your trees (and shrubs) twice a year—once in late April (after the ground thaws) to help stimulate root, leaf, and bloom development and then again in mid to late September (as the Aspens begin to turn), to encourage root growth through the fall. Make sure to spread your fertilizer around the entire tree beneath its drip line ( 360 degrees underneath the canopy).
Prune
Pruning serves two important function. The first is to keep the tree looking its best in terms the shape of its canopy and to encourage new growth. In most cases, this kind of pruning should be undertaken in late winter or early spring, but before new growth begins to emerge. The second is to remove unwanted, dead, diseased, and damaged branches and limbs—which can be done any time.
Winter Care
As amazing as it sounds, trees (and shrubs) need attention during the winter months, particularly in terms of watering. Our winters are especially rough on conifers because the wind and sun tend to dry out their needles. Thus you should water your trees (and shrubs) once every 2-3 weeks when the temperature is above 40 degrees. Try to water earlier in the day so that the soil’s surface will not freeze after the sun goes down.
Come See Us!
Please drop by Brady’s West if you have any questions at all about how to take care of your trees or if you have any questions about their health. We are here not only to sell trees (and lots of other things) but, just as importantly, to help you make sure that your trees live long and happy lives in your yard.