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5-Item Checklist for Springtime Tree Care in Atlanta

Springtime Tree Care Checklist Atlanta

Despite recent cooler temperatures, it’s time to add springtime tree care to your to-do list!

This is the time of year that the trees around your home need some additional attention and care. So, now is the perfect time for homeowners to assess how things look to make sure your trees are set up for a successful summer whatever the weather may bring.

To assist you in this effort here are five tips to ensure that your trees will thrive:  

CLEANING

Our first step simply involves cleaning the tree and the surrounding areas of it. Prune away dead, damaged, or diseased limbs.  Proper pruning protects your green assets from the unsafe branches that suffered damage from winter weather. Make sure to remove any remaining holiday décor from the trunks and branches.

After removing any holiday decorations, focus on the weeds. Weeds compete with the tree for water and nutrients, so make sure to remove any. Spring is the perfect time for this as dirt is still soft from the rain. In addition to that, making sure that dead leaves and sticks are not clogging up the areas around the tree is vital.

MULCHING

Now that the entire area around your trees has been cleaned up, you can move on to putting down mulch. Use mulch to help conserve moisture. Mulch also secures the organic matter trees need beneath the soil surface.

Keep the soil covered with a 3- to 5-inch layer of mulch starting a few inches from the base of the trunk and extending 1 to 2 feet from the tree in all directions (creating a circle around the tree).

‘This is an extremely important process for your trees because the mulch will allow the tree to retain more water, instead of allowing it to run off. It is also a fantastic help for keeping away weeds and will reduce the damage from your lawnmower.

WATERING

To ensure that your tree does not dry out as the weather continues to get warmer, make sure to give it a thorough watering throughout the spring. Deep watering prevents weak surface roots from forming and encourages the growth of robust roots underground. 

If you have a younger tree, you should water closer to the trunk, as it not as established yet. The roots of trees under 3 years old are usually not spread out completely. As trees grow, use more water less often. Approximately 10 gallons for each inch of trunk diameter.

PRUNING

Springtime is ideal for pruning because all your greenery has been dormant for the past few months. It is also a great time for it because there are fewer leaves, making it easier to see what you are doing, as well as fewer bugs and pests, and a lower risk of disease.

To prune, remove competing plants, including ivy and lawn. These plants can hide defects such as areas of decay and can trap moisture around the root crown, creating the perfect environment for fungus. If there are extra stubs from old limbs, make sure to remove those, as well as cutting back branches that rub together.

FERTILIZE

Springtime is the perfect time to start fertilizing your trees – mostly because this is right before everything starts growing and blossoming. Before your trees and shrubs enter peak growing season, apply a slow-release fertilizer to not only replace nutrients, but also to improve plants’ resistance to damage from diseases, insects and stressful weather.

To ensure that your plants are being fertilized properly, here are a few tips. Provide larger trees with about ¼ to ½ pound of nitrogen per inch of diameter, and for smaller trees use ¼ of a pound. Over time it will be easier to tell if more fertilizer is needed, but this is a good place to start.

We Can Help With Your Springtime Tree Care…

Maintaining your trees is, of course, a year-round job, but taking big steps to ensure their health in the spring will set them up for a great year!

As always, let the pros at Tomahawk Tree Service know if we can help you with your springtime tree care, pruning, and tree removal at your home. Remember we make it easy and we chop um cheap!

Top 5 Southern Trees for Pollinators

Want Bees…. Plant Trees! Did you know 90% of plants require a pollinator, and bees pollinate more than a third of our fruits and vegetables? Pollinators are an essential part of our everyday life. Without them, our gardens and flower beds would look totally bare.

Native Oaks

Planting natives are one of the best ways to assist pollinators. Native oaks, like black oak, white oak, pin oak, or swamp chestnut oak, support pollinators throughout the year in many ways, but especially by providing winter shelter and healthy habitat. In fact, oaks give more than 500 pollinator species a home and enable them to return for years to come. The tree height depends on variety, but the black and white oak can easily grow to a height of 60’ with a spread of 60’ or larger at maturity.

Southern Magnolia

Bees love this tree’s vibrant white to cream-colored flowers that are filled with pollen. Then, later in the spring, birds enjoy the tree’s yummy fruit. All year round, you’ll get to admire the shiny, evergreen leaves of this Southern staple. This tree can grow to a height of 80’ with a spread of up to 40’.

Eastern Redbud

This tree’s blooms are some of the first to blossom in spring. Bees of all kinds, including honey, bumble, and mason bees, enjoy its pollen and nectar. The rest of the year, birds and insects appreciate what this tree must offer. Growing about 25’ tall with a 25’ spread, this tree, filled with heart-shaped leaves, will sure to be one of your prettiest trees.

Black Gum

A black gum tree provides colorful pops of foliage to the fall landscape. But its yellow, red and orange leaves appeal to the bee population in a completely different way. The flowers provide a source of food for bees during springtime and the bark offers a safe home. This tree can grow to 50’ tall and 30’ wide when mature.

Tulip Tree

The large, tulip-like flowers produced by the yellow poplar give this tree its name. While not actually a poplar, this tree is a member of the magnolia family. Its greenish-yellow blooms and sweet nectar attract pollinators. This tree needs a lot of space, so plan for them to keep growing. At maturity, it can be 90’ tall with a spread of 40’.

▪Reprinted excerpt from The Arbor Day Foundation