Tree pruning help in Colorado Springs with treeartisans.com? Proper tree care begins with selecting the right tree and planting it in the right place. Make sure your tree will thrive — especially once fully grown — where you want to plant it. Things to consider include: The tree’s purpose. Are you planting it for aesthetics, privacy, shade/energy reduction, windbreak, or as a street tree? Your end goal will determine the suitability of different trees. Planting site limitations. What is your hardiness zone? What is the maximum height and spread for a tree in the space? What are the sun exposure and soil conditions? This information is available for more than 200 trees and woody shrubs in our Tree Guide.
First we will write some tips on tree care and after that we will introduce Tree Artisans, a tree services company in Colorado Springs. Tree watering is a key part of tree care, but it is difficult to recommend an exact amount due to the variety of climates. A few guidelines will help you to water your trees properly. For new trees, water immediately after you plant a tree. Usually 30 seconds with a steady stream of water from a garden hose w/ a diffuser nozzle per tree seedling is sufficient. During the first couple growing seasons, your newly planted tree is expending a lot of energy trying to get its roots established in the soil. Especially during the first few summers of your new trees life, it will have a difficult time dealing with heat and drought. You can make this easier by providing water and covering the soil with wood-chip mulch. Deep watering can help speed the root establishment. Deep water consists of keeping the soil moist to a depth that includes all the roots.
Compacted soil: When you plant a tree in your backyard, the roots need room to spread out. This can be difficult when planting in compacted soil and heavy clay. Poor quality, compacted soil is an especially common problem if your home has been recently built, as many contractors use construction fill – soil scraped from other sites which may include debris – to shape the landscape. If the tree’s roots have no room to grow and face constant soil pressure, the result may be crushed roots, poor water and nutrient uptake, and stunted growth. You can counter this threat by using best practice planting methods along with vertical mulching or mixing in organic matter into the compacted soil. The Morton Arboretum has an excellent video primer on planting trees.
Searching for the best choices if you want to cut down the tree maintenance costs? Start with picking the right trees for Colorado! The smallest tree on the list is a Japanese Tree Lilac. These are true lilacs, but their globe shape is much taller than the flowering shrubs we all know and love. They grow to be 15 to 20 feet tall and wide, and are remarkably trouble-free. Tree lilacs put on a beautiful display of creamy white flowers in late June. Their fragrance is intoxicating! Plant them near a deck or patio and breathe it in! Once the flowers fade, the dense foliage continues to add a welcoming pool of shade through the summer. Japanese Tree Lilacs are drought-tolerant once they’re “established.” In other words, give them two or three seasons of normal watering, and then enjoy these trouble-free plants as their water-wise habits kick in! Find more information on here.
Mulch keeps trees healthy by eliminating the competition between tree roots and turf as well as conserving soil moisture and moderating soil temperature. Ideally, mulch should be applied beneath the entire tree canopy, but smaller mulched areas are acceptable. Mulch depth shouldn’t exceed 4″; 2″ is acceptable for shallow-rooted shrubs and perennials. Shrubs and perennials can be planted within the mulch areas, but solid masses of groundcover should be avoided for optimum tree growth. Too much mulch can lead to insect and disease infestations and other problems.
Tree owners often need to move or transplant trees from a nursery or within the yard. Yard trees may have been planted too thickly or threaten to outgrow available space. Size is a critical factor in transplanting. The larger a tree, the more difficult it is to transplant. Before starting a mulching project, become familiar the critical root zone (CRZ) or tree protection zone. This zone is generally defined as the area under a tree and out to its dripline. Improving conditions in this protection zone will also result in major health benefits to a tree. Even though leaving your trees alone can be the best way to protect them, it’s also a good idea to observe them regularly so you’ll know when they change. A diseased tree is best diagnosed early. Changes you should monitor range from rapid discoloration to stunted growth. Knowing what your tree looked like when it was healthy can also be helpful when calling an arborist – a specialist in caring for trees, shrubs and other woody plants – to consider solutions. Getting yourself a guide to trees and their diseases will be key in considering a diagnosis for a tree on your property that’s changed noticeably. According to Mark Chisholm, a third-generation, certified arborist in New Jersey, “There are some great online tools that can help you learn how to identify the trees on your property, including the Arbor Day Foundation’s “What Tree Is That?” guide.