6 Spring Tree Care Tips for Marietta Homeowners

When a tree's buds and pollen fill the air, it's the time of year for spring tree care. Top Tier Trees, Marietta's certified arborist, shares the six best tips for caring for your trees this spring. Whether it's emergency removal or annual pruning, they can keep your trees clean and beautiful.

1. Inspect

To ensure your trees are healthy and free of disease, inspect them every spring. While you should hire a professional arborist to inspect your trees, you can look for the most common tree problems: pests, wounds, and diseases.

Pests

Pests can damage your tree before you even notice the infestation. Check for signs of pests, including beetle exit holes, insect feedings, and spider mites or aphids.

Wounds

Your tree is vulnerable to various types of wounds, including:

• Cankers are dead sections of bark anywhere on the tree.
• Unusual branch growth, like crossing or unusual patterns may signal an issue.
• Decay, fungal growth, or excessive sap as a result of pruning damage.
• Yellow leaves indicate the tree has too much water. This happens from poor soil drainage or winter storms.
• Cracking wood means your tree is decaying.

Disease

The most common signs of the disease include blackened and curled twigs, small offshoots from the branches or trunk, and lack of foliage or flowering

2. Prune

Cleaning away dead branches helps your tree stay healthy and grow new branches. Winter often damages trees, preventing new growth and blossoms when spring rolls around.

Never prune more than 25% of your tree at once. Avoid pruning the branch too close to the trunk. Instead, cut the branch right where the damage starts.

3. Water

Water is an important aspect of spring tree care. While too little water stunts the tree's growth, too much kills it quickly. Follow these tips for watering your tree:

• Water two or three times weekly
• Aim for damp soil, not wet.
• Ensure the water drains and doesn't pool around the tree.

4. Mulch

A proper layer of mulch insulates your tree, regulates moisture, and promotes healthy growth. Follow these best mulching practices:

• Mulch should be three to six inches thick around the tree's entire trunk.
• The mulch shouldn't hug the tree too closely and should leave two to three inches free at the base.
• Fluff the mulch if it becomes too compact.

5. Clean

Clear weeds and any fallen debris like leaves, twigs, or fruit from around the base of the tree. Chop off the top of weeds to prevent seeding, and avoid digging too deep to remove the weeds' roots. Also remove any plants that compete for water, even if they're not weeds.

6. Fertilize

Fertilizers have all the essential nutrients your trees need to stay healthy and continue growing. For the best results, fertilize early in the season before your trees' peak growth period.

Call Top Tier Trees for All Your Tree Care Needs in Marietta

Do you need help with your spring tree care? Don't hesitate to call Top Tier Trees. As the best tree service in Marietta, they help your healthy trees shine! Contact them today for a consultation.