Seasonal Tree Care

Spring Tree Care

Some early blooming trees of the prunus species are beginning to bloom and soon many others will follow. This is a special time in the garden, with many chores to be done, but one chore that should be avoided is pruning your trees. Tree pruning should be done in the winter months during full dormancy or later on, after the trees have finished flowering.

Things you can do in the spring are:

• Remove any remaining decorative lighting if it won't affect the blooms and buds. Leaving lights on the tree risks girdling the tree.
• Clean up around the tree removing branches, twigs or leaves that remain and then mulch the area around the base of the tree, but not against the trunk. Mulch against the trunk holds moisture and heat, which can help promote diseases such as canker.
• Check the trunk and branches for damage before the leaves appear. Rabbits and dear can cause damage that may kill the tree. Protective mesh can help to protect against this type of damage.

If you see something that doesn't look quite right, but are unsure as to what it is or what the cause is, contact a local Certified Arborist who can assist you.

Summer Tree Care

Trees are a critical and integral part of our environment, and at this time of year they need our help.

With hot dry weather upon us, it is important to remember to water your tree(s), especially young ones, such as newly planted ones. These should be watered at or near the base, making sure to wet the entire root ball.  Water as often as needed, perhaps as often as twice a week during the first growing season.  As the tree(s) grow, expand the watering to ensure adequate water is reaching the whole root zone.

Established trees should not be watered at the trunk. Water the area from the drip line outward. The drip line is the vertical line down from the edge of the leaves. The small absorbing roots are in this area. Depending on the size of the tree, the watering zone should be twice as wide as the tree canopy.

How the water is applied is also important. Spray irrigation is good for turf but not much good for trees. Sprinklers, bubblers or hand held wands that can get water deep into the soil is much more efficient. The deeper the water is absorbed in to the soil the better as this helps establish a good healthy root system that can withstand drought and a good anchoring system as well.

Don't forget the boulevard trees on your street too. If you have a boulevard tree that is not on an automatic system, please help out your neighbourhood by watering these trees as well.