How To Care For Aging Trees

9/26/2018

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.