If you own or care for a parcel of property, trees are a prominent and important part of your land. Aside from their aesthetic value, trees are known as the “lungs of the earth”—providing us with oxygen to breathe. In addition, trees offer shelter from inclement weather. You and yours will be the beneficiaries of the beauty and life-giving benefits of trees for ages to come, due to the longevity of most trees. It’s up to you to see that they receive the little care they require!
For the most part, trees can be left alone, but, being very much alive, they do need occasional care.
How do you provide upkeep for your trees?
The most important step is to prune your trees on a regular basis.
To prune, remove diseased, dead or broken branches. This is known as maintenance pruning and, along with cleaning too-dense areas, lets the tree “breathe”, or expand physically to its natural capacity.
When pruning, don’t be haphazard. Cut the branch diagonally, in the same direction as the bud is growing. Cut it right above a bud.
When you have to saw or use your pruning shears to cut a long branch, cut it at the crotch, or where another branch intersects horizontally. This will preferably be underneath the branch you are cutting.
Follow the Leader
This is another part of pruning and involves raising the leader branch. To do this, search out and identify the largest–or leader–ranch, which is an extension, or prolongation, of the trunk, and prune diagonally around it. Keep its growth unimpeded by “de-cluttering”. That is, remove branches around it.
When pruning the canopy–the highest part, or the dome that reaches, in a proportioned arc, upwards-you are naturally “designing” the canopy.
The canopy acts as a “roof” to the rest of your tree. By removing the uppermost branches, you can raise your tree’s canopy. Just follow a left-to-center, and center-to-right arc. Your tree’s branches will spring up and out, to their full height and width.
But be careful not to cut indiscriminately. Do not “top” your trees.
Topping Is the Tops in Unnecessary Trimming
Raising your tree’s canopy by working within your tree’s natural outgrowth is not to be confused with “topping” your trees. Topping is the indiscriminate removal of a majority of a tree’s upper branches and will only hurt your trees’ health and appearance.
Anytime that you or your landscaper are tempted to cut large parts of a tree’s upper branches, it is very likely that a smaller tree was wanted, in the first place.
If you are unhappy with the height of your tree, uproot it, move it elsewhere and plant a smaller tree that’s more to your liking in its place.
Topping a tree is not a good way to keep a tree from growing. This practice will stunt its appearance and size, yes, but it will also create unbalanced trees that are more likely to topple over, during a storm. Topping also makes a tree more prone to diseases and insects.
Support for Your Tree
Don’t worry if you or your landscaper discover a structural deficiency in one of your trees. If your tree is not growing vertically, the trunk can be propped up, so that it grows stoutly.
Branches can also be supported in this manner. A case in which this might be done in when branch crotches (parts where branches protrude from trunks) are too tight. This is usually a precursor to weak branches.
A steel cable can be installed all the way up in the canopy of the tree. With the slight pull that ensues, there will be less strain on the branch crotch. These cables are artfully disguised by professionals. In fact, they’re hard to see. In this manner, the beauty of your landscape will not be marred.
Decay – If you notice mushrooms, conks or other fungi in the vicinity of the tree base, chances are that the tree is suffering decay. Large peeling bark and hollow areas where the branch meets the trunk are also signs of problems and should be examined.
Split trunks – Some trees develop multiple trunks. This situation usually leads to a weakening of the trunk, if the trunks are not attached properly. This may result in a split, or crack. Trees with splits or cracks have a high failure rate, and removal should be taken into consideration.
Other than for these ununusual “issues”, trees are long-lived and a crucial addition to any landscape. Don’t neglect them! If you put the required effort into caring for your landscape’s trees, you’ll reap the myriad rewards for many years to come.
