When summer rolls around, it’s easy to get caught up in outside tasks such as tending the garden, weeding flower beds, mowing the lawn, or just relaxing in your backyard. But the summer season can be hard on trees, and we often fall into the trap of thinking they can handle the hot weather on their own.
At Limbwalker, we recommend keeping a close eye on your trees during the summer, especially when the weather gets extremely hot, and rainfall is scarce. Put the tips below into your landscaping plans to keep your trees strong and healthy this summer and throughout the year.
Inspect Trees for Damage
It’s important to regularly check on your trees, especially in the summer. You’re looking for characteristics of tree vigor including new leaves or buds, leaf size, twig growth, and a healthy crown. Key signs a tree is in distress are trunk decay and crown dieback, loose bark, and deformed growth such as mushrooms. Also, during summer, it’s critical to look for any evidence of insect infestations that can cause trees to sicken or even die. If you suspect a disease or insect problem, contact us at Limbwalker, and one of our certified arborists can conduct a thorough inspection.
Keep Your Trees Pruned
In the summer, it’s a good idea to keep your trees carefully pruned. Pruning can help remove deadwood that is likely to fall and cause damage, as well as improve your trees’ major limb and stem architecture. This will make them less prone to splitting or falling due to strong summer winds and storms. At Limbwalker, our certified arborists are trained in proper tree pruning techniques and have years of hands-on experience with a variety of Vermont’s tree species.
Avoid Using Herbicide Nearby
While it is tempting to use herbicide to take care of unwanted weeds or other growth near your trees, the impact may be more widespread than you desire. Often, it is difficult to fully understand where your tree’s roots are and where spraying herbicide might negatively impact your tree’s health.
Make Sure Trees are Properly Watered
Summers here in Vermont can get extremely hot, so it’s essential to keep trees well-watered and be on the lookout for heat stress. The combination of summer weather and lack of rainfall causes leaves to wilt and branch tips to die, leaves or needles on the tree’s interior to turn yellow, and green leaves to fall off the tree. At Limbwalker, we advise clients to prioritize watering trees in full sun or near heat-absorbing surfaces such as sidewalks, driveways, or aluminum siding. Watering trees early in the morning will help prevent moisture being lost to evaporation.
A Little Mulch Can Keep Trees Cool
Proper mulching can reduce environmental stress by giving trees a root system environment that’s cooler and moister than the surrounding soil. Make sure the mulch is 2 to 4 inches deep and covers the entire root system. Be careful not to cover the tree’s trunk by leaving a gap at the base to prevent moist bark conditions and trunk decay. Limbwalker’s arborists recommend that plastic not be used under mulch to avoid weeds, because it inhibits the exchange of gasses between soil and air. Plastic under mulch can negatively impact healthy root growth for trees.
Drive & Park Carefully
Driving and parking over your tree’s root zones can significantly harm your tree, especially if the soil is wet. This can lead to soil compaction, where air pores are squeezed out, and the soil becomes dense. This causes root dieback to occur, which may turn into a tree hazard in the future.
Keep Your Vermont Trees Healthy This Summer
At Limbwalker, we know tree care is about working with trees and humans. We’ll work with you to determine your priorities and devise a plan that meets your needs while respecting your trees and property. We are a low-impact, ISA-certified arborist-owned, tree service company, and we’re ready to serve our customers in western Vermont and the Champlain Valley. Contact us today for a free consultation.