Tree Care Tips: How to Properly Maintain Your Ornamentals

Looking out your window to the beautiful tall trees is a sight that can make anyone feel peaceful inside, but it can be a lot of upkeep to keep these trees healthy. There are many steps to take to get the best trees you can, but the results are well worth it and we will lay every step out for you, so you don't get overwhelmed! 

How to Keep Your Trees Healthy? 

Trees are a big part of what helps make your lawn beautiful, but sometimes they need help to reach their full potential. There are many different ways to help care for your trees and many are simple ways to help them along. Some of the best tips to have thriving trees are: 

• Planting Trees Based on Your Climate
• Pruning 
• Water and fertilize properly
• Keep pests away
• Mulching

Plant Trees Based on Your Climate

Where your trees get planted on your lawn is important. The tree needs an appropriate amount of sun and shade while also not getting in the way of the road you live on. It should also not encroach on the sidewalk if you live in a neighborhood to ensure your tree is safe to enjoy for everyone. Finding the perfect spot for a tree may seem overwhelming, but there are many tips to help you find a place that will make your trees happy. To have a thriving tree, placement tips include: 

• Keep trees around 4 feet away from sidewalks or patios.
• Have the trees be 13 - 20 feet away from your house, depending on the tree's size. 
• To give your home natural shade, put a tree on the southeast corner of your lawn. 

Pruning

Pruning is a great way to invigorate the plants in your lawn to give them more life and trees thrive from it! Light pruning can be done in the early summer, but the best time to prune a tree is in winter. This is when the tree is dormant and right before the active growth of the tree can resume, making it an ideal time to help the trees out. Some tips to help the pruning process include:

• Is the branch dead, damaged, or diseased? If so, it is best to remove it. 
• Prune branches away when they are young or if they cross other branches. 
• Keep lateral branches as evenly spaced as possible. 

Water and Fertilize Properly

Proper care of your trees is essential to making sure they mature how they should. Making sure a tree is efficiently watered and fertilized can help a tree along its growth periods. The general rule of thumb when watering a plant is 10 gallons for each inch of the tree’s diameter, although younger trees usually require more frequent watering. Fertilizing a tree can seem a little more complicated than watering and maintenance, but your tree will thank you for it. Tips for helping your tree with fertilization are: 

• Early Spring is the best time to fertilize your lawn. 
• Keep grass off of the tree’s roots so it can breathe properly. 

Keep Pests Away 

During Springtime, pests may pop up that could potentially damage your trees. They eat the leaves and sap, taking valuable nutrients your tree needs with them. In some serious cases, they can also contribute to a tree developing disease, so it is best to be informed about these pests to get rid of them as fast as possible. Possible pests invading your trees could be: 

Mulching

Another thing that could be key to getting the trees of your dreams is mulching. Mulching can not only stop tree damage, but also give essential nutrients back to your trees to help with growth. A ring of mulch placed 3 to 6 feet around a tree can even double the growth rate as well as improve soil structure and protect roots from varying temperatures.

What Trees Can I Plant in Georgia? 

Different regions are better suited for some breeds of trees over others, and Georgia is no different. A moderate climate with hot summers and mild winters is not the ideal situation for every tree, but many beautiful ones thrive under these conditions. Some of the trees that grow best in Georgia that you should consider for your lawn include: 

What Are Some Common Myths on Tree Care?

Trees have been around for longer than humans and with that, some myths about the proper care of plants have popped up now and then. Clearing up some of this commonly spoken misinformation can be a good idea to get you on the right path of taking care of your trees. Some of the most common myths about the maintenance of trees are listed below. 

1. Trees Don’t Need Any Maintenance: Not only can it be a safety hazard to not properly maintain your tree in certain areas, but the growth of your tree can also be severely stunted without correct care.
2. All Trees Grow the Same: All trees are different and therefore require different care to make sure each one is thriving, whether it be pruning or fertilizing. 
3. Tree Topping is Good at Anytime: It may seem like a good idea, but this process can injure the tree, exposing it to decay and damaging insect infestations. 
4. All Insects are Bad for Trees: Insects all have different purposes and some help trees, keeping pests that would damage it at bay and helping your yard be a part of a healthy ecosystem. 

Professional Tree Care in the Atlanta Area

Taking care of your trees is a very rewarding job, but it can seem overwhelming with all the steps needed for a thriving tree. Luckily, if you need help, Got Lawn has professional lawn care technicians ready in Georgia to help make your trees the best they can be, tall and strong in your yard. Call us today and see how we can keep your trees healthy and prospering.