What should I be doing to my trees now that it’s spring

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What should I be doing to my trees now that it’s spring Prince Tree Surgery Tree surgeon brentwood essexTree care should take place 365-days a year but once spring arrives it’s time to step up maintenance in preparation for the summer.

Hotter temperatures can place trees under significant stress, especially during drought. Water deficit can hinder a tree’s growth processes and leave them more vulnerable to fungi and pests.

Spring is really a time to make sure your tree is in the best shape possible to withstand the trials of summer and correct any problems in good time.

So what should you be doing? The following list should help:

1. Examine trees for signs of damage and disease

If you’re not really sure what you’re looking for, a qualified arborist will be able to provide a professional inspection. It’s critical that any areas of disease or pest infestations are treated quickly to give the tree time to recover. These can be common during the winter when the ground is more sodden.

2. Prune dead branches

Pruning helps your tree to stay healthy and removes any dangerous branches that have been damaged during winter storms. Pruning on a large scale is always better performed by the experts who have the right equipment, training and protective equipment to carry out the job safely and effectively. Unnecessary pruning can cause damage to a tree and expose it to disease which is why it is usually advisable to hire an expert.

3. Consider planting new trees

Spring is a good time to plant new trees and your living environment will be greatly enhanced with the addition of a new tree or two. Seek advice from a tree surgeon or nursery about what trees are best suited to your soil and early care considerations which will give your saplings the best chance of thriving.

Prince Tree Surgery tree surgeons brentwood essex What should I be doing to my trees now that it’s spring4. Mulch your trees

All trees benefit from mulching of soil surfaces to lock in moisture and control weeds. The natural habitat of many trees is dense forested areas and in these circumstances, their root systems would be covered by a lot of organic matter. Tree roots are usually shallow and just six to 12 inches below the soil surface. Providing mulch to your tree roots will recreate their natural habitat and help them to survive by providing moist, cool conditions with significant levels of oxygen within the soil. This is particularly important ahead of summer when sunlight will increase soil temperature and reduce the amount of available moisture.

5. It’s time to fertilise

It’s a good idea to apply fertiliser in spring to replace lost soil nutrients and give trees a better protection mechanism to fight disease, insects and drought.

We hope you found this article on ‘What should I be doing to my trees now that it’s spring?’ useful, if you would like to discuss any aspect of this article then please do not hesitate to call Prince Tree Surgery on 01277 229709 or ‘Ask Matt’ a question.

 

Prince Tree Surgery - Tree Surgeons in Brentwood, Essex

 

 

Five ways to prevent the spread of tree diseases

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Five ways to prevent the spread of tree diseases Prince Tree Surgery BrentwoodVisiting a forest for a day out is a great way of entertaining and educating the family and getting some much needed fresh air.

The UK is home to some beautiful and expansive forests and there’s nothing more satisfying than a picnic in dense woodland with only the odd squirrel and the birds breaking the relaxing silence.

However, there are a number of tree diseases present within the UK’s forests and visitors should take care not to spread them to their own gardens or any other parks and open areas.

One of the most worrying threats to Britain’s trees is Chalara dieback of ash, commonly referred to as ‘ash dieback’.

This fungal disease causes ash trees to lose their leaves, crown to dieback and bark lesions to occur in trees which are infected. The disease usually ends the life of the tree either directly or by substantially weakening it so that it can no longer fight off attacks by pests and other fungus.

Chalara was first reported in Britain in Buckinghamshire in February 2014. In the three years since, new cases have emerged at a rate of about 20 per month and tree experts are worried that the frequency of infection could increase to significant levels.

In Europe, the disease has been responsible for widespread damage to ash populations, including losses of up to 90% in Denmark. It is particularly lethal to young ash trees, with young saplings dying within just one growing season of exposure.

Older ash trees are able to provide some resistant but eventually succumb or are weakened enough that they can’t resist further pest attacks or diseases.

The situation, which has the potential to cause significant damage to ash populations in the UK, is being monitored closely. However, everybody has a role to play in ensuring the disease is contained to the cases already reported.

And it’s not just Chalara that visitors need to be mindful of when visiting forests. There are many other diseases to affect British trees which can be transferred to domestic shrubs and trees or public open spaces including Phytophthora lateralis.

Five ways to prevent the spread of tree diseases Prince Tree Surgery Brentwood EssexThis disease infects tree roots which come into contact with spores in the soil or water and will kill the majority of Lawson cypress trees it infects.

How do I prevent the spread of a tree disease?

Tree care is similar to personal hygiene and involves thinking ahead to minimise risk.  The following five tips will help you to enjoy the countryside without placing any trees or shrubs at risk of disease:

  1. Avoid actions which could move infected soil or plants to areas which are uninfected by disease. This means not tampering with soil or plant life or allowing your children to remove anything from the woodland such as cuttings that could spread disease.
  2. Removing mud and soil from wellies and boots before exiting the woodland. Tree diseases commonly spread through infected soil and transfer could occur to other areas if care is not taken to remove soil prior to leaving.
  3. Keep to marked paths. Forestry managers might also install signage to prevent visitors from straying too close to areas subject to disease control or treatment, make sure you adhere to these.
  4. Keep dogs on leads. This will help to reduce soil transfer to uninfected areas.
  5. Thoroughly wash wellies and boots and bicycle wheels before venturing to another woodland or forest area.

Disease can be spread through rain and air currents so it’s not always possible to fully eradicate the risks. But the efforts of forestry management services can be enhanced by visitors taking care to respect their challenging work.

We hope you found this article on ‘Five ways to prevent the spread of tree diseases’ useful, if you would like to discuss any aspect of this article then please do not hesitate to call Prince Tree Surgery on 01277 229709 or ‘Ask Matt’ a question.

 

What is tree grafting?

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What is tree grafting? Prince Tree Surgery tree surgeons in BrentwoodWhat is tree grafting? 

Grafting is the broad term used to describe various techniques whereby the tissues of one plant are inserted into another. This process helps both sets of tissues fuse together and become one plant. Usually, one plant is chosen for its roots (termed the rootstock) while the other is selected for its stems, flowers or fruits (known as the scion).

Many varieties of trees can be grafted but fruit trees in particular benefit from this technique. Why? Because many varieties of fruit trees including oranges and grapefruit are much more susceptible to disease. Choosing to graft such species with good rootstocks increases their resistance to disease and fungi.

Additionally, grafting is used in a way of optimising growth as some root systems are more suitable to certain soil types or climate than others. An un-grafted tree might encounter more difficulties thriving than one which has been grafted.

Grafting is also used to produce dwarf plants by using special understocks or interstems.

The majority of fruit species are compatible with each other and can be grafted. Grafting will not be successful, however, between plants belonging to different families.

Most nurseries agree that young fruit trees up to the age of five are most suitable for top working. Apple and pear trees can be top worked at any age but those older than 10 are best worked at a higher point. Younger trees need at least 1-2 feet of branch between the trunk and the graft.

Prince Tree Surgery tree surgeons in BrentwoodIn order for grafting to be successful, the tissues of the stock and scion must be kept alive until the graft has taken which is usually over the course of a few weeks. Often the site of the original graft will become a physical weak point as the newly formed tissues fuse and care should be taken in the early stages of the process.

One of the advantages of grafting fruit trees is their ability to produce fruit much quicker than a non-grafted tree. This is because a seedling plant will not need to complete the juvenile phase which typically lasts up to nine years and can instead begin to produce fruit in just two years.

A variation on grafting can be used to repair trees which have suffered trunk damage as a result of rodents or rabbits. In this style of grafting, known as bridge-grafting, the cambium layers above and below the damaged areas are connected to restore the nutritional supply to the tree and give it a new lease of life.

Grafting is usually best tackled in the spring when the buds from the understock trees are just beginning to open. This is usually in April or early May. For help and advice on any tree-related issue including grafting or disease control, give our experts a call.

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Is a leaning tree dangerous?

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Is a leaning tree dangerous?

Leaning trees are naturally a concern for homeowners, particularly if they are leaning towards a property or a public pathway. While not all leaning trees are dangerous, it is strongly advisable to seek advice from a professional tree surgeon to be sure as not only could it put the lives of you and other people at risk, you could also be held personally liable if damage or injury was to occur in the event it came down.

What causes a tree to lean? 

A tree grows at an angle when it is forced to compete for light with another species.  As a strengthening measure, the tree lays down denser wood on one side of its trunk to compensate for the leverage. Whether a tree can maintain a leaning position for long depends partly on the specimen. Healthy oak trees and other varieties have strong wood and can grow at an angle without breaking. Other varieties may be more susceptible to wind damage which can exacerbate the problem.

Trees which were previously growing upright are a cause for concern as are those which are leaning more than they were a week or a month ago. If the lean is accompanied by large dead branches, sections of the tree are thin in leaf cover especially in comparison to other parts of the tree, and there are hollow branches, a professional tree surgeon should be contacted immediately to carry out an evaluation of the tree, particularly those which pose a risk to people and property. The same advice applies if cracked soil is evident on the side opposite the lean or there are exposed roots. Leaning trees are unpredictable and pose an increased risk of coming down in storms and gales.

The majority of leaning trees are caused by a weak root structure or some form of damage to the upper section. Sometimes such damage occurred when the tree was in its early stage of growth and therefore there is little corrective action that can be taken aside from felling when it poses a risk. Leaning trees often have uneven limbs or too many branches growing on one side, threatening the stability of the tree and these are more prone to wind damage.

In cases where the leaning tree is generally healthy and doesn’t pose a hazard to people or property, pruning can take place to provide a more even distribution of weight or a brace can be created with cabling and stakes to compensate for the lean.

Prince Tree Surgery - Tree Surgeon in Brentwood

Prince Tree Surgery - Tree Surgeon in Brentwood