Caring For Trees
Having a fully matured specimen tree in your garden is something special, it adds movement and dynamism to the overall appearance to the landscape as it changes throughout the seasons. Sadly to achieve such magnificence takes a great deal of time, patience and care, and when I say time I mean that it can even take generations for some species to reach maturity. Just look at the John Knox tree which is said to be several hundred years old and has even been transplanted at one time in it's long past, such is the importance of mature trees.
Although trees take a long time to mature many look spectacular well before reaching maturity but this still takes a long time although some species of tree can take as little as five years to reach it's perfection in appearance. From the moment a tree seed germinates it is important to care for trees carefully to ensure that they grow well. The growth is, more or less, assured if the tree develops a healthy root system and remains undamaged by man, beast, disease or weather. This task may sound rather simple, after all trees grow incredibly well when in their natural wild environment. However, if you are adding a tree to your garden, you will discover that trees can actually suffer greatly in the modern garden.
One of the most common things overlooked by the gardener when caring for trees is that some of the common gardening tasks carried out in any garden can actually harm a tree if they are carried out too close to the tree. Even the location of the tree in the garden can have a profound impact upon it's growth rate and healthiness. If a tree is planted close to or along a properties boundary roughly one half of the tree will be located in or over ground which is beyond the control of the owner of the tree. Just imagine if you had invested a few years caring for a fantastic specimen of a tree only to discover that the roots have been heavily damaged by the actions of a neighbor. Even worse, what if a foolish neighbor removes the roots which encroach onto his land, obviously any such trees would suffer greatly but they would also become dangerously unstable and highly likely to fall under the least amount of wind. However unlikely this scenario sounds it does happen and is worthy of consideration before planting any trees in their permanent positions.
When planning where to plant trees it is very important that you consider those things which will be in close proximity to your tree. Anything that is within a range of three or four meters from the tree's trunk should be considered within close proximity. Generally you should consider further than this as the roots of a tree can actually grow to extend even beyond ten meters. As a rule of thumb the roots of a tree extend to a distance of, roughly, the height of the tree multiplied by a factor of 2 and beyond it's canopy. Obviously for a small tree there is, usually, little concern but for larger, or mature, trees this can become something of a problem. Some species lend well to pruning and can be kept to within a suitable size for it's location. It is for this one reason that you should put a great deal of time and effort into choosing trees for the garden to ensure that only the most suitable species are planted. Of course you can always choose a tree that would, ordinarily, be considered unsuitable for a garden, especially if it is a small plot, if you plan to replace the tree once it reaches a certain size.
Important Tree Care Considerations
Cultivation: The ground around a tree should always be of good quality. As with any plants the roots of a tree are responsible for the intake of water and nutrients. Trees require a great deal of water and nutrients to maintain healthy growth and the roots will extend deep into the soil but it may come as a surprise to some to discover that the root system is usually within ten to thirty centimeters from the surface of the soil. It is therefore vitally important that great care is taken when digging around a tree as even the slightest wound to a root can prove disastrous as such damage leaves the tree open to fungal or bacterial infection. Even worse damage can occur, such as the severing of roots, which can severely effect the amount of water and nutrients taken up by trees.
Chemicals: The root system of a tree contains roots which are both extremely thick and those which are very thin and fibrous. These roots absorb all kinds of chemicals found in the soil including those which can prove harmful to trees. Today's landscape gardener has a range of chemicals available to him for use in the garden. Herbicides sprayed on plants around a tree will find their way into the soil below which will, eventually, be taken up by the roots of the tree. Weed killers can cause all kinds of problems especially those pre-emergent weed killers which belong to the Simazine group.
Pruning: As mentioned earlier in this article, some trees are able to be pruned more often than others. Some species are able to withstand the most vigorous and aggressive pruning but some suffer badly. Some are able to be clipped regularly and just left whereas others need to be treated with great care and attention. If a large number of larger limbs and branches are to be removed this will have a detrimental effect upon any tree which will need time to recover and the resulting wounds should be monitored as they heal to ensure that infection does not occur. If you are pruning a large tree it is highly advisable to contact a professional for advice before proceeding.
Soil: As mentioned above the soil around a tree is of paramount importance to the wellbeing of the plant. As well as ensuring that no harmful chemical enter any soil in close proximity it is also very important that the surrounding soil does not become too compacted. Soil which has become too compacted does not allow the free flow of water, nutrients and gases. Water is likely to pool on the surface or flow away from the area thus reducing the amount made available to trees. Water is also vital in the process of nutrient absorption and, even more important, is the fact that compacted soil vastly reduces the amount of oxygen around the roots of a tree. It is therefore vitally important that you ensure that the area around trees is kept free from heavy foot traffic and machinery. This also includes motor vehicles which should be kept out of the zone considered to be within close proximity as defined above.
More about caring for trees below, after this video presentation
Final Tree Care Tips
Following the basic tree care tips above should ensure that your trees grow well but to make totally sure that you are caring for your trees correctly I would suggest that you make yourself familiar with the species of tree chosen. There are many books available, to buy or rent from a local library, which go into very great detail about tree care and I suggest that you own at least one reference book on the subject.
Remember that trees are very much like any other garden plant only larger! Simple considerations may have an impact upon the health of a tree. Even the choice as to whether or not to rake the leaves can effect your tree, leaves decay and, eventually, add to the humus and nutrient content of the surrounding soil, they also help to keep the soil moist and help protect it against the cold. Continually removing the leaves will eventually lead to depletion of the soils fertility and will immediately remove the mentioned protection. It is therefore important that if you choose to do this that you do something else to compensate such as adding plenty of natural organic mulch, manure or compost regularly.
If you follow all the guidelines and invest sufficient time and effort into your tree care you will be rewarded, in time, with a beautiful and healthy tree. As it grows to maturity you can be proud of the fact that caring for your tree correctly has brought it to it's present splendor.
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