Landscaping like trees often prove vital to a property’s appearance and value. That said, these natural structures must be properly maintained. This article explores the reasons appropriate tree care is critical, in addition to several maintenance tips home and property owners can employ to achieve said aim.
Importance Of Tree Care
If trees are not subject to adequate upkeep, they can precipitate several potentially significant and expensive problems such as:
Unsafe Conditions
Improperly maintained trees can prove dangerous. Tree limbs or entire structures could tumble down following major wind or weather events.
Such events could result in major property damage. However, said occurrences could also place the safety of those residing in or frequenting properties in question at risk.
Diminished Visual Appeal
Few things prove more visually-unappealing than poorly-nurtured trees. Wild or unkempt growth can be a significant eyesore.
That said, such disarray can have an appreciably negative impact upon a property’s value. Optimal landscaping is amongst the first attributes prospective buyers often employ to formulate initial opinions regarding homes for sale. Poor landscaping often yields a bad first impression.
Specific Maintenance Tips
Luckily, however, the preceding problems can usually be avoided provided residential and commercial property owners adhere to the following tips:
Plant Wisely
Many properties come with growing trees. That said, when land proprietors have the choice to plant shrubbery, arborists caution said individuals to plant wisely. Landscaping industry experts maintain that a specific species should be chosen only after considering the tree’s intended purpose and the surrounding environment.
Mulch
Mulch, a collection of composted materials like sawdust, grass clippings, bark, wood chips, and animal waste should be placed in the soil surrounding the tree.
Administration of this substance has several pertinent purposes such as insulating the tree’s roots from temperature extremes, preventing weed growth, ensuring the roots retain water, and providing protection from lawnmower blades and other landscaping tools. Experts suggest that mulching should be performed once a year.
Pruning
All trees should be subject to pruning on a relatively frequent basis. Pruning means trimming associated branches. This process is undertaken for several critical reasons.
First, trimming increases the safety of the roadways, properties, and sidewalks lined by trees. Proper maintenance prevents overgrowth. Overgrowth places undue strain on a tree and could threaten its structural stability. Such issues can grow more concerning during weather phenomena involving heavy winds and icy precipitation.
Additionally, pruning proves crucial to preserving a tree’s aesthetic quality. Arborists opine that large trees should be pruned at least every three to five years. However, younger trees should be trimmed every two to three years.
Water
As is the case for most life forms, water is paramount to a tree’s health and survival.
Environmentalists maintain that this process should be performed at least once per week and penetrate anywhere from a foot to a foot-and-a-half below the surrounding soil’s surface. During particularly dry durations, watering frequency might need to be increased.
Refrain From Topping
Topping is a mistake that inexperienced property owners or hobbyist landscapers might make. Such action occurs when a tree’s branches are eliminated but their stubs remain. This practice is common amongst non-qualified tree doctors. People try to save money off the cost of tree trimming or removal by getting a gardener or handyman to o the job. This can lead to more costly issues in the future.
In many instances, said endeavor is performed to prevent branches from interfering with power lines, buildings, and street lights. Landscaping experts caution companies, local environmental management agencies, and any other entity possessing the authority to organize tree augmentation or removal consult with professional arborists prior to taking such decisive action.
Consult With Professionals
Home or property owners are encouraged to consult with tree maintenance professionals with relative frequency. These industry insiders can weed out and resolve small problems before they become more time-consuming and costly to repair.
