Mature trees thrive much slower than new trees and are very susceptible to their surroundings. If older trees have any pruning wounds, they regrow wood slower and can get a disease very quickly. It is vital you know how to care for aging trees (if you have one). Tips for Aging Trees Protect the bark. Keep power tools like trimmers and lawnmowers from hitting the tree and destroying its bark. Putting mulch around the tree is a great way to make a buffer zone. It’s vital to avoid damaging the living tissue and water vessels under the bark. Spread mulch. A layer of mulch around the trunk is the best thing you can do for a tree. It will protect the soil surrounding the roots, improving the soil as it rots. Use mulch made of shredded wood or wood chips. The bigger the area covered with mulch, the better. Stay off the roots. When the soil is compacted around the roots, the tree doesn’t get the air and water it needs. To prevent compacting the soil, restrain foot traffic in the area under the branches of a tree. Don’t put anything heavy or park cars on the roots. Don’t hang things from trees. A rope used to attach a tire from a limb can swiftly tear off the bark and destroy the tissue. If the damage doesn’t break the limb, the weight could break it. To hang a hammock, don’t put a rope around a tree. You will destroy a lot less bark if you make a hole and put in a large eye bolt. Water if it’s dry. The majority of the time, a mature tree can survive from a rainfall. But when the weather is dry for many weeks at a time during the growing season, even an aging tree needs watering to stop stress. Water the tree slowly, so the roots can absorb the water. Cut the hose on slowly and put the nozzle on the ground under the tree’s branches. Every 25 minutes move it a couple of feet until you’ve placed water all over the tree’s root zone. Get a professional tree inspection by a York arborist. Getting it examined every few years by an arborist who’s able to spot issues early on and suggests measures to prolong the life of your beloved, aging tree. Sweetgum trees give new meaning to the term lethal beauty--you know what we mean if you’ve ever stepped on one of the round, thorny balls that fall incessantly from these trees every fall and winter. While this hardy, gorgeous tree graces yards across America with luscious, star-shaped and color-changing leaves, the golf ball size prickly spheres it casts off cause enough trouble to throw entire cities into a tizzy. If you’re wondering how to control these little balls of fire, you have a few options; namely removal, replacement, or prevention. Let’s explore each of these options a little more. Removing Sweetgum Tree Balls Some clever manufacturers have figured out a way to capitalize on this the sweetgum tree’s feisty fruit by creating contraptions that scoop them up with ease. Bag-A-Nut, for example, crafted a lawnmower-looking contraption you can push across your lawn to collect the pesky balls. If you don’t want to shell out your cash for a fancy new gadget, a rake does the work just as well. Replanting a Fruitless Sweetgum Tree Many sweetgum tree owners simply don’t have the time or energy to constantly remove the seemingly endless supply of prickly balls. A more permanent solution is to remove the entire sweetgum tree and replace it with a fruitless variety called the roundleaf sweetgum tree. This sister tree is fast-growing and looks identical but does not drop the irritating tree balls. If you like this option, contact a local tree removal company to do the dirty work for you. Preventing Sweetgum Tree Balls The third option is to apply a chemical injection to the sweetgum tree that prevents the tree from growing any fruit at all. The timing needs to be absolutely perfect for these injections, otherwise the fruit will still grow (albeit much smaller). You will need a professional tree specialist to safely and effectively apply this growth hormone to your tree. When done correctly, you can kiss those prickly balls goodbye for the year. If you’re in the York, PA area and have a tree service need big or small, don’t hesitate to call the experts at Tree Service York PA. From sweetgum tree care and beyond, we can deliver the tree care solution you require. Backyard gardeners tend to disagree on what time a garden should be watered. Is it morning, late afternoon, or night? Many gardeners have arguments for each option and have lush, healthy gardens to prove their choice. But the experts at Tree Service York PA agree: There is one--just one--best time to water plants. In the early morning. If you’re a night owl, you probably don’t like the sound of that. Maybe you’ve been taught that it’s best to water in the evening when the sun can’t zap all the water through evaporation. Sadly, someone gave you bad advice. Shame on them. Watering at night can lead to damp leaves, root rot, and powdery mildew on your plants. If you want your plants to thrive, you’ll have to start cranking that hose on a little earlier than you might like, at least for the summer months. Here’s why early morning is the optimal time to water plants:
If you absolutely cannot water in the early morning, you have a few options. You can set up a smart garden with a timer-controlled watering system. With this method, you can set the timer to water whenever you’d like and for as long as you want. It’s hands-free gardening! For a less time and labor intensive investment, water in the late afternoon. This is the second best time to water plants, according to expert arborists. No matter what time you choose to water; Happy planting, happy watering, and may the growth be ever in your favor. Whoops! That perfect spot to plant your tree turned out to be not so ideal after all. Whether you placed your tree in an area that’s no longer compatible with your landscaping, or you’re moving and want to take an important tree with you, sometimes it’s necessary to uproot your saplings. Use these tips from the expert arborists at Tree Service York PA to learn how to transplant a tree successfully. Consider These Factors Before Transplanting:
How to Transplant a Tree? So now you’ve done all the preliminary work, investigated the likes and dislikes of your particular tree species, and set your sights on a brand new location for your tree to live out the rest of its days. Now let’s jump to the nitty-gritty of how to actually transplant your tree from one plot of ground to another. 1. Prepare the Roots For Transport Up to a few days before removal, wet the root area daily to soften the ground. 2. Estimate Root Ball Size For every inch of the trunk’s diameter, estimate roughly 12 inches of root length. When you begin to dig, you can adjust accordingly. 3. Prepare the New Location Dig a trench roughly two feet deep and double the width of your estimated root ball size. Don’t dig too deep--you tree should be planted at the same soil level it was. Make sure to moisten the new hole in preparation for its new inhabitant. 4. Time to Dig First, loosely tie the branches together if necessary. This will help keep them out of your way but will also protect them from breaking during transport. Using a spade, dig a perimeter around the tree using your estimated root ball size as a gauge. Then, with the face of the spade angled away from the roots, carefully dig deeply around the circle. When you hit stray roots, cut them clean. After you’ve cut down around the root ball, carefully dig underneath. 5. Wrap the Root Ball Lift or tip the tree from under the roots and carefully wrap the entire root ball, dirt and all, into a tarp or piece of burlap. Fasten with rope. 6. Transplant Immediately Re-plant your tree as soon as possible and water thoroughly to help prevent transplant shock. Now, treat your tree as you did when you first planted it. Water it diligently and check on it periodically for signs of shock. After a few growing seasons, your tree should be re-established and happily settled in its new location. Most young trees are hardy and tolerate relocation quite well. However, if you notice any signs of transplant shock, a tree specialist can diagnose the problem and help you get your tree back on track. If you live in the York, PA area, give Tree Service York PA a call. Tree care is our passion: From emergency tree care to storm tree removal and everything in between, we do it all. We can agree that many of the best childhood memories involve a swing. It doesn’t matter whether it was a metal and chain swing from the school yard or a tire swing dangling from a favorite oak tree--the feelings were the same: Freedom. Joy. A sense of excitement that anything was possible. Now that we’re older, we’d like to re-create those same feelings of wonder for our own kids by fixing up the perfect backyard tree swing. But then our parent brain kicks in: Which tree’s branches are sturdy and safe enough to trust? Which kinds of trees can withstand the beating that a child’s tree swing will induce? Tree Service York PA knows all about trees--tree care is our passion and expertise. Use our handy guide to determine which tree in your yard is best suited for a tree swing. Type of Tree: The tree you pick should be a well established, sturdy hardwood tree with horizontal branches. If you have an old oak tree, consider yourself lucky. Oaks might as well have been created for swings. In addition to their thick leaf covering to provide shade, most oak trees feature wide, strong trunks and sturdy horizontal growing branches. You should shoot for a limb diameter of over ten inches for the best swing experience. Condition of Tree: Inspect any tree you consider to make sure it is healthy and free of rot or disease. Carefully look over the trunk and especially the branches. Do not use branches that are split, infested with bugs, or have a thin connection to the trunk. If the limb is dying, do not use it! Placement of Swing: Make sure that the branches are long enough to place the swing with at least a 4-5’ clearance from the trunk. You could have the perfect tree, but if the swing does not have enough room to sway through its full arc, you’ll be looking at skinned legs and sad kids instead of fun summer memories. Once you’ve picked your perfect tree, attach a tire or rope and board swing and let the fun begin! Who knows, after watching the excitement in your child’s face as they soar to the highest heights, you might want to jump on, too. And no one can stop you. We love trees--so much so that we’ve built an entire company around tree care. If you live near York, PA, and have questions about tree trimming and removal, we’ve got answers. Call us at 717-216-4888. |