Tree Healthcare Tips from a Southwest Michigan Arborist

As tree care providers to the greater Southwest Michigan area, our team of arborists here at American Arbor has an extensive history providing services for local trees. Having worked in the area for over 30 years, our team of professionals is simply second to none. With that in mind, we’ve noticed a great number of tree health issues that can be avoided with only the most basic tree healthcare practices. Today, we want to do our part for these trees by discussing easy, affordable tree healthcare practices that anyone can do.

Practice Proper Watering Throughout a Tree’s Lifespan

Throughout a tree’s lifespan, it will need water in different amounts and at different times. The trick is just knowing when to water and how much.

Saplings and Young Trees. Trees that you just planted should be watered right away in order to give it the help it needs to form healthy roots. This stage is essential and may determine your tree’s success or failure long term. To water, simply soak the ground around the tree in a diameter of roughly 18 inches.

Young Adulthood and Adulthood. After the tree as thoroughly taken root, we recommend deeply watering it once a week. Use a hose at medium pressure and water in a circle around the tree for about 5 minutes; this will produce roughly 5 gallons of water. Make sure not to water more frequently than this, and certainly don’t do light waterings. When you water lightly and frequently, your tree will grow shallow roots, increasing its probability of toppling over.

Mature and Elder Trees. You might be tempted to water older trees more frequently, but we encourage you not to. Instead, use a soaker hose around the tree in weekly intervals; roughly the same way you took care of them when they were in young adulthood. If you water more than that, you could fool the tree into thinking it’s in a rainy season, which will lead it to grow more leaves. This can be dangerous for older trees that already require much more nutrients to survive day-to-day.

Use Three Affordable Fertilizers that Trees Love

Just like us, trees benefit from a little variety in their diet. While trees primarily rely on nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, a healthy helping of secondary nutrients (such as calcium, iron, and sulfur) can go a long way. In order to keep trees healthy and nutrient-rich, at-home arborists should use one of three affordable fertilizers:

Wood Chips. Wood chips are a popular fertilizer for trees not just for their aesthetic value, but also for ability to retain moisture, suppress weeds, and improve soil nutrition.

Compost. Many arborists prefer compost fertilizers thanks to their incredible ability to improve soil structure. Compost delivers essential nutrients to trees, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Not to mention, you can compost at home for free!

Leaves. Leaves are about as all-natural as a fertilizer can get. In fact, when your trees shake off their leaves in the fall, those leaves become a natural fertilizer for them as the leaves break down into essential nutrients. Instead of taking your leaves to the dump this season, just rake them around your trees!

Contact a Southwest Michigan Arborist Today!

Are you in need of tree trimming, stump grinding, or any other tree care service? If so, then your friends at American Arbor are here to help you. For more information on our many arborist services, click here to contact our team of professionals today!