Promoting Healthy Trees
Healthy trees are a real benefit. They offer shade, bird habitat and they can actually increase your property value. There are things you can do to promote healthy trees on your property. Let’s have a look.
#1 Don’t Top Your Trees
Topping, also called stubbing, is when larger branches are cut on mature trees. A tree that has been topped is a disfigured tree and while the intent is to help the tree, actually the opposite is what happens.
When you remove a large amount of the canopy, you will create an imbalance between the root and crown ratio, and this has an adverse affect on your tree’s nutrition. It also results in the sun scalding the tree. Trees that have been topped develop suckers near the pruning cut. These are weak branches that usually fail.
A tree that’s been topped is also at higher risk of disease because the stubs have trouble forming a protective callus. This creates an inviting situation for insects and fungi.
Lastly, tree topping is an expense that is unwarranted. When you top a tree it rapidly grows back to the original height. It will be more dense than a tree properly pruned.
#2 Wounds That Have Been Inflicted on Your Tree
Wounds that are created by using climbing spikes increase the risk of infection. These holes in the bark often don’t repair well.
#3 Mechanical Injuries
String trimmers and lawn mowers that hit the tree bark can do serious damage to the inner bark and cambium that’s near the soil line. This damage is inviting to fungi and insects.
#4 Soil That’s Compacted
Compacted soil doesn’t let water and air penetrate, which are both necessary for a strong and healthy tree root system. Heavy equipment near the tree, even foot traffic, can lead to soil compaction.
#5 Careful With the New Plantings
Don’t plant a new tree with a rope, wire basket or anything that constricts the roots. Girdled roots have a negative effect on the health and stability of the tree.