If you want your trees to look their best, you need to be doing some spring tree preparation. Our team at Five Star Tree Services want to go over some essential tips for your spring tree preparation that will help to ensure your trees are healthy and thrive. We are going to specifically talk about cleaning and mulching.
Cleaning Your Yard
The foundation for all things in your yard is how you clean it. This is going to ensure a healthy environment for your trees to grow. During the winter, debris like dead leaves, snow, rain, and wildlife accumulate around your trees. This can leave them exposed and vulnerable to pests and diseases come springtime. This means that you should thoroughly be cleaning up around your trees in order to give them the best chance for successful growth.
Here are some steps for optimal cleaning:
Put away decorations
If you have not already done so, put away any decorations that have been left in your yard, on your tree branches, and tree trunks. Even though holiday lights are nice during the season, leaving them on a tree can actually restrict their growth. Wires, cables, and other means of securing your decorations have the ability to restrict growth which will warp your tree and end up causing long term damage. Additionally, there are some decorations that can make your property look tacky if left up all year round. Take the time to safely put them away in order to let your tree thrive. But if you must keep your lights up on your trees all year, there are specific and safe ways you can do this.
Remove debris
The next step in the cleaning process is to get your trusty rake and rake away all the dead leaves, sticks, and any other debris that is around your trees. You are going to want to make sure you clear a 3–4-foot radius around all your tree bases. This gives you a clean and clear space to put your mulch and perform other maintenance tasks. Doing this step is going to enhance the overall aesthetic appeal of your property and reduce certain risks like mold, fungus, and pests.
Utilize Weed Control
The final cleaning step is weed control. In order to eliminate any competition for nutrients and water, you should remove all weeds that surround your tree. During the spring is an ideal time to get on top of the weed epidemic, before they become established and a bigger problem. Make sure that when you are removing weeds, you get the roots as this will make sure they do not regrow. You will get better tree root development if they are in a weed free environment. It also helps to minimize the risk for diseases.
Use Mulch
The next very important step in preparing your trees for spring is utilizing mulch. There are many benefits to using mulch for your tree’s health and vitality. This can include things such as retaining moisture, keeping weeds at bay, and temperature moderation. Using proper mulching techniques is going to help enhance the aesthetic of your property and support your trees’ long-term health.
Mulch Benefits
Retain Moisture
When you use mulch, it becomes a barrier between the soil and sun, allowing the prevention of moisture to evaporate and be lost from the soil around your trees. This is extremely important during those long, hot, dry months during the summer. Your trees need adequate water for their hydration throughout the spring, summer, and fall in order to support new growth and be healthy.
Suppress Weeds
By using mulch to block the sun and oxygen from getting to the surface of the soil, weeds cannot germinate and grow. Thus, reducing the competition for water and nutrients between your trees and any weeds.
Protect soil
Mulch acts as a shield, protecting the soil from erosion, compaction, and temperature fluctuations. It acts as an insulator to maintain a stable environment for the soil. This is going to help your tree’s root development.
Techniques for Mulching
Choose the Right Mulch
There are many different mulches you can choose from. This makes it important to pick the best one for your gardens. There are organic mulches, which include wood chips, shredded bark, and compost. All of these are able to gradually decompose which will help to enrich the soil with nutrients and organic matter. Make sure to avoid using plastic mulch or rock mulch since these can disrupt the aeration of the soil and drainage.
Apply a Thick Layer
You should aim to have an even layer of mulch surrounding each tree that extends out to the drip line. There should be a 2–4-inch layer of mulch for optimal coverage. But make sure you keep it away from touching the trunk of your trees. Since it retains moisture, touching the trunk can cause rot.
Top up As Needed
Naturally, over time, your mulch will become depleted from decomposition or compacted. This means it’s time to replenish it. Regularly check the depth of your mulch and only add more when needed to keep the 2–4-inch thickness of uniform coverage. Do not go over the recommended depth as this can harm your tree instead of helping it.
How Five Star Tree Services Can Help
Starting off the growing season on the right foot can drastically help your trees’ overall health and success. Our team at Five Star Tree Services is here to help you with your tree care in Toronto! Give us a call at (416) 990-3355 if you are interested in our services!