It may not be at the forefront of your mind but summer is just around the corner. While the trees on your property are low-maintenance, they are certainly not maintenance-free. A spring tree care plan is extremely important when it comes to making sure trees thrive during the upcoming growing season. That’s why Westcoast Tree Care would like to provide you with the following preventative tree care tips to help prepare them for the hot, summer days ahead.
Spring Cleanup
When it comes to spring tree care, it’s important to start with cleaning things up around your trees. Rake up any debris that may have collected beneath or around the base of a tree. Also, remove any wraps or coverings you may have put up to protect your trees during the winter months. Spring cleaning will also help to protect your trees from any diseases or fungi that might be lingering.
Inspect Your Trees
When rainfall and melting snow occur simultaneously, your property may encounter standing water or flood damage. That’s why it’s important to pay special attention to any critical tree care issues. Standing water or a spring flood can not only erode the soil but compromise the root system of a tree, causing it to fail. This, in turn, can increase the dangerous risk of it falling and causing harm or property damage.
You’ll also want to keep an eye out for any signs of disease or damage. If something looks out of the norm or you feel uncertain about the safety of a tree, it’s important to contact a certified arborist to remove any potential hazards.
Apply Mulch
Once you have cleaned up the base of a tree and inspected it for damage, it’s important to apply mulch to help suppress weeds from growing while retaining moisture. This is especially true for younger trees under 10 years old. However, older trees can benefit from adding mulch as well. Mulch should be applied between 2-3 inches thick and a couple of feet wide.
Water
While it’s important to water your trees, you don’t want to water until the soil around the tree thaws or you’ll just create runoff. However, you don’t want your tree to dry out even if the weather is cool. Once the soil thaws, watering will help wash away any salt and minerals that may have built up over the winter while giving trees the hydration they need.
Pruning
Healthy trees are pruned trees. Look for signs of damage or disease such as dead branches or holes. Keeping an eye out for where the leaves bloom is another good way to determine which branches are dead and which ones are not. While winter is usually the best time to prune, it’s important to have any dead or broken branches removed by a certified arborist. Proper pruning will help protect your trees from disease, infestations or any unsafe branches that may have suffered damage during the winter months.
Westcoast Tree Care
At Westcoast Tree care, we provide homeowners in Beaverton, Oregon with a wide variety of spring care services to prepare your trees for the hot, summer season ahead. Our certified arborist can diagnose a wide variety of tree care problems and answer any questions you may have. If you would like more information regarding the health of your trees, contact us at 1.800.767.8733. We can provide you with a no-cost, no-obligation quote to prepare your trees for the upcoming spring season.
