Looking to spruce up your yard this spring? Here are five spring tree care tips to make your yard the most beautiful in the neighborhood.
Spring time is the perfect time to start your tree care chores. Spring, which starts at around March 20th in the State of Utah, is characterized by high winds, snow flurries and sunshine, and rainbows. This means we’ll soon see melting snow and warmer temperatures.
During this time, trees begin to blossom and is the best time to prepare your garden to thrive to full potential before the summer heat strikes. You can choose to plant new trees, mulch around trees, re-home plants in the containers, or use fertilizers to set them off for full blossoming, but it is also an ideal time for tree trimming and pruning.
Use these five tree care tips to prepare your trees for a beautiful and healthy summer:
Tree Care Tips
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Tree Pruning, Tree Trimming and Tree Removal
The best time to prune trees is before they can start to bud and blossom. Pruning not only makes your trees healthier but also makes them blossom better later, and they become more appealing to the eye. Pruning involves removing dead or diseased branches, for instance, those with fungus growth. You also should target removing trees growing at an undesired or dangerous angle by cutting or trimming. Ensure to also rake out any debris and dead leaves accumulating from last fall.
Aspen Trees
Aspen trees become very weedy after two seasons of growing and can spread to invade many areas. With a small yard, you want to control the spread of suckers by cutting them off as they sprout.
Mostly, branches are pruned in winter or early in spring when the tree is dormant and before buds can swell and new leaves can emerge. This type of tree is also affected by fungus and therefore make sure to look out for diseased limbs and foliage and prune them out. This can save a dying aspen tree and stop infestation which can decay branches. A dying tree can also be eliminated by applying herbicide on its root and cutting it later after drying up.
Maple trees
Early spring or late winter is the time to trim Maple trees since this is when they are dormant. Removing dead branches will help them grow new branches. For those looking for tree care tips with maple trees, pruning the tree during summer helps to slow the growth of certain branches. However, pruning deep in winter or springtime may cause the sap to bleed or run out.
Crown reduction can be used to reduce the height of the tree, but never should you top it since this will cause serious wounds and will destroy its natural shape. Keep in mind that the tree can grow to 25 feet to 90 feet tall and therefore the height should be kept in check if the yard cannot contain that height. It is advisable to trim every year until it reaches the desired height. If planting, keep it in a pot on your porch, patio or deck to limit the growth of the root system and thus the size of the tree.
Oak trees
Oak trees are best trimmed in winter during its dormant months. Pruning, like in other trees, helps to avoid diseases and pests that are entering through open wounds. Pruning clippers and saw blades can be used to prune out dead and unwanted branches and it is recommended to disinfect the clipper and blade in a mixture of water and household bleach. Use a small saw or shears to prune out gall-infected branches and twigs to stop wasps.
If you are planting new Oak trees, spring is the right time. Make sure to plant in a location where the tree will access full sunlight. They have taproots and so best planted when young so as not to disturb them.
Fruit trees
Put our fruit tree care tips into play and you will reap more fruit from your trees than ever in the past.
Fruit trees are best pruned during early spring when the tree is dormant and before the buds break. At planting time, cut off the new stem 24 to 30 inches from the ground. Also, ensure to remove side shoots.
This will cause the new tree to grow branches in such a way to balance growth. At the same time, the root system will not cause the tree to overgrow. Most of the fruit trees do not need to be pruned annually.
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Removing Debris
Once the pruning is done, ensure to remove debris like branches and rake to clear leaves and other smaller debris. Debris removal ensures you do away with debris accumulated during the long winter. It allows vital sunlight to penetrate the trees and allow for healthier growth.
Raking also ensures the circulation of air which prevents snow mold and growth of disease and insects. It also encourages the growth of new grass blades. Make debris removal part of your normal tree maintenance routine.
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Tree Spraying
Spraying fruit trees is best done when the flower starts to bud and that is in early summer. Spraying can be done twice per year, using the correct chemicals each time. It is highly recommended to hire a professional like Hidden Oak Tree Care to spray your trees.
The second time when it should be sprayed is after buds are large and when they swell, but before they open. The apple tree can be sprayed with horticultural oil while dormant. This can be done when leaves are 1/2 inch and before the tree blooms and when the small buds are turning pink. This oil can also be applied to fruit trees in late winter or early spring. Dormant horticultural oil can also be sprayed on aspen trees to rid webs while fungicide in early spring can be used to control fungal disease.
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Applying fertilizer
The best time to apply fertilizer on your young trees is late spring and not early in the spring. That’s because warmer soil temperatures allow for better absorption of essential nutrients. Apply top dressing during early spring, since it helps boost vital nutrients and encourages the growth of textured grass blades.
It is recommended to apply regular fertilizer to trees with a diameter of less than six inches. Applying Nitrogen fertilizer makes them grow quickly and develop dense canopy while staying green. It is also not recommended, or necessary, to fertilize large, established trees or shrubs. In general, check the growth rate and general health of the tree before applying fertilizer.
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Contact a Professional
Hidden Oak Tree Care has professional Arborists on staff to help identify and recommend solutions to problem trees and plants. We offer free, no-obligations quotes on our work and have hundreds of satisfied customers throughout Northern Utah.
Give us a call today at 385.800.8733 to learn more about tree care tips and how we can solve your tree and plant care issues.