When most people think of tree maintenance, pruning or trimming immediately comes to mind. Pruning to remove dead tree branches using proper tree pruning techniques is extremely important. However, there is much more to tree maintenance than tree trimming. Below are some other ways to maintain trees throughout the growing season.
Fertilization
Fertilization is a common practice during the growing season, and there are many benefits to improving the nutrient availability for your trees and shrubs. Mature trees, young trees, ornamental trees, and woody shrubs can all benefit from our organic alternative to traditional fertilizer, called Bio-Stimulants. This service boosts the health of your trees and shrubs, stimulates root growth, and reduces susceptibility to pests and diseases.
Tree Protection
Did you know that trees get stressed just like humans do? Environmental factors such as climatic changes can certainly play a role. However, some of the most common stressors for urban and suburban trees are man-made. One of the biggest culprits for your stressed-out trees is construction. When construction is happening in or near a tree’s critical root zone (CRZ), the tree may be seriously harmed. It is important to protect trees from construction activities by having a certified arborist create and execute a Tree Preservation Plan. Some municipalities require this to be done before any major construction projects commence, and RTEC can help! Tree preservation plans encompass everything from protecting roots from heavy construction equipment to ensuring roots are pruned properly by experts to providing treatments to reduce stress and boost the tree’s health in anticipation of stress.
Soil Management
Soil and root care is one of the most critical aspects of tree maintenance. Bio-Stimulants are just one way to help tree roots thrive. RTEC’s experts can mitigate the effects of over-watering trees, reduce soil compaction that hinders key nutrients from reaching the roots, excavate the critical root zone to eliminate common problems such as girdling roots, and apply mulch properly.
Tree Cabling
Cabling is a common practice used to maintain the structural integrity of a tree. Often used in trees with multiple codominant leads, cables can reinforce a tree that might otherwise be hazardous in high winds or other weather conditions. Codominant leads can pose a risk but removing one of the leads will not fix the issue. Cabling is an alternative that can provide security for many years. Cables do need to be checked and replaced occasionally, which RTEC can help with.
Mulching
We briefly mentioned mulching in the section about soil management, but it’s so important that we gave it its own section, too. Proper mulching is very different from the mulching services many landscapers provide or homeowners do themselves. Proper tree mulching is done to mimic the tree’s natural environment and help retain water and essential nutrients. Mulch should ideally cover the entire critical root zone (it looks like a lot, but we promise it’s the right way to do it!) and should not come up so high that the root flare is covered. Applying mulch too high up the trunk can hide serious issues like girdling roots and prevent water and nutrients from reaching the roots. RTEC can help you with proper mulch installation, but we’ve also provided a tutorial if you want to DIY!
RTEC Can Help!
Contact us at 703-573-3029 for help with any of your tree maintenance needs.
