Tips for Tree and Shrub Care
Just like your lawn, trees need care and feeding to thrive. If planted in the lawn, the tree will benefit from the same fertilizer you apply to the grass.
If your tree care involves the use of a lawn fertilizer that contains herbicides for broadleaf weeds, this additive can damage or even kill trees.
Tree spikes and injection feeding are other methods for fertilizing a tree.
When planting a young tree, leave a Mulch ring three to ten feet in diameter (depending on tree size) around the base of the tree.
Grass that grows too close can actually be harmful to young trees.
Mulch helps to insulate the soil, retain moisture, keep out weeds, prevent soil compaction and reduce lawn mower damage.
Pruning Your Trees With Proper Tree Care
If you have a tree you want to control, you can prune the branches effectively to help shape them to fit a shape that better suits your lawn's needs:
Cutting back main branches to stubs or “topping” trees is actually self-defeating because the limbs generally grow back higher than before and are ugly, bushy and weak.
Topping also weakens the health of a tree because it opens the tree to insects and disease and drastically reduces its ability to make food.
Proper pruning is a part of effective tree care and can help trees thrive. For a beneficial change, pruning should be gradual in order to protect the health of the tree.
Never remove more than one quarter of the tree’s crown in a single season.
Winter is the best time to prune trees and rose bushes. If you prune before they bud, it encourages new growth and fruit production.
Don’t be afraid to thin the branches – the plant will ultimately produce better quality blooms or fruit, rather than a multitude of weaker blooms.
Improving Your Yard and Landscape
Love your lawn but also want trees? Plant a shade-tolerant grass and mow high – a longer blade gives grass the ability to trap light and survive.
For even more light, prune your trees.
With an established lawn, choose species of trees that cast filtered shade to prevent future problems.
Tree care does not only beautify your yard and increase your property value, but also help you save energy. The cooling properties created by their shade can help lower your air conditioning needs.
The lawn and landscape experts at Your Local Lawn Doctor understand how your area's environmental conditions can influence tree and shrub growth, and they use that knowledge to provide Tree and Shrub Care tips and services that help protect, fertilize and maintain the trees and Foundation Plants in your yard.