Late summer is a time when heat can stress your trees as they grow. Caring for your trees during these intense, hot summer months can help ensure that they will stay healthy and beautiful year-in and year-out. Not sure what to do to care for your trees? These tips on tree care can help.
Monitor Your Trees
Inspect your trees regularly to identify potential health problems. Fungus, insect infestation and other problems can lead to diseased branches or can cause the entire tree to become a danger to your home or property. Look for:
- Cankers. Cankers are open areas where infection or fungus has set in.
- Lean. Trees that have begun to lean could be in danger of toppling over. Dead branches. Dead branches will have no new growth and may feature dead leaves.
- Fewer leaves. A tree that produces fewer leaves than in previous years could be diseased.
Water Trees
When watering established trees, give the tree a deep soaking in the area under the tree’s canopy, out to the drip line. The drip line is the area found directly beneath the outer edge of the tree’s crown.
Don’t water the trunk, as this could encourage the development of fungus or mold. When watering your trees, water to a depth of at least 10 inches into the soil, to reach the roots of the tree.
Fertilize the Soil
Fertilize trees in early spring by scattering 12-4-8 fertilizer at 3 pounds per inch of trunk thickness at chest height. Scatter fertilizer evenly beneath the crown, then water deeply. If the tree is on a landscape that has already been fertilized (like if you already fertilized your grass), then fertilizing is probably not necessary.
Fruit trees benefit from special fruit tree fertilizer, which you can find at nurseries and home improvement centers. If you’re not comfortable fertilizing your own trees, talk to a certified arborist to get help and advice.
Prepare for Potential Storm Damage
The worst storms happen in summer and early to late fall. Severe storms can cause tree branches to fall, leading to property damage. You can prepare for potential storm damage by pruning weak tree branches and removing dead trees as soon as they’re identified.
Work with a certified arborist to have weak branches removed. Don’t try to remove huge branches yourself, as you could do damage to your tree or injure a person. If you think that you need to have a tree removed, contact the experts to get hazardous tree removal. Don’t try to remove a tree yourself.
For more information about tree care and hazardous tree removal in Milton, Georgia, and other surrounding areas of metro Atlanta, contact Excel Tree Care for our skilled services from experienced, certified arborists.