During this time of growth and when the trees are faced with endless hot days, it’s important to take extra care of them to help protect them from drying out, and to help them along with their growth spurts.
Here are the key ways to care for your trees this summer.
Pruning
Tree pruning is typically best for the cold months when the trees aren’t actively growing.Â
However, it is important that you check for damaged or dead branches, as these can pose a danger if they break off. They can also inhibit the healthier parts of the tree from growing and flourishing as much as they could, because the tree could be allocating vital energy into trying to save the diseased parts rather than putting that energy into growth.
Therefore, be sure to do the occasional check for disease, damaged, or dead branches. Our expert team can stop by and safely remove them to remove the chance of those branches causing damage to people or property.
Add mulch
Adding a layer of mulch to the soil around your trees can be an excellent gift to your greenery.
For one, it can help the soil to retain moisture during hot days. The mulch adds a protective layer over the ground so the water doesn’t evaporate so easily, ensuring that moisture reaches the roots of the tree.
Another great reason to add mulch is to minimise weed growth around the tree base. This means that there won’t be so many weeds around sucking up the beneficial nutrients in the soil, which can instead go to the tree.
It’s best to put the mulch down as early as possible in the season, and be sure to give the area a good weeding before you do.
Watering
Throughout the heat of summer, your trees will be thirsty. Even if there is the occasional summer rain shower, your trees can still benefit from extra watering.
Practically every function within the tree, from photosynthesis to respiration, requires adequate water to work properly, so insufficient water will negatively affect the tree’s health and growth.
This is especially true for young trees or any that have been planted recently.
That said, you don’t need to water too often. Aim to give your trees one good watering each week over the hotter months to help keep them healthy and happy.
Add nutrients with fertiliser
Adding fertiliser to the soil around your trees is one way to ensure that your trees have everything they need to stay healthy, fight off pests and bugs, and grow strong.
You can use a simple pH tester to determine the pH of the soil and add fertiliser as required, or a bag of quality fertiliser from your local garden centre is a good option if you’re not sure what to add. Be sure to follow the instructions on the bag for application.
Professional tree services
Caring for your trees through summer will help you get the most out of them for the rest of the year.