Defend Trees In Dire Drought

The lack of water across the United States has gardeners everywhere worried about their landscape plants and trees. You don’t want to throw your life savings down the hose, but at the same time, you don’t want your beloved trees to die for lack of water. What’s a tree caretaker to do? Here are a few tips that will help.

1. Recognize the Signs of Drought

Most trees that are adapted to living in your climate will not need extra water in the summer once established. However, in cases of extreme drought, even well established trees need extra moisture. Because older trees typically don’t need a regular watering schedule, it’s important to understand the signs of water stress.

These include dull or wilted leaves, slower than usual growth of younger trees, discolored buds and blooms, or yellowing and dropping of leaves out of season, says Missouri Botanical Garden. Plants that aren’t getting enough water are also more susceptible to pests and diseases, so take care of them right away.

2. Water Frequently

Large, well-established trees need to be watered every 2-3 weeks in extreme drought, while younger trees that are less settled may need watering every week. Trees like a thorough watering, so apply about an inch of water at a time (you can set up a bucket to collect water if you need a metric for the first few watering sessions).

If you would prefer not to mess with the 1-inch rule, you can instead measure how much water your tree gets by testing soil moisture. At each watering, soil should be wet down to 6-8 inches, suggests the Morton Arboretum, otherwise you haven’t given the tree enough water to protect it from the heat and drought.

3. Water Different Areas of the Root System

A tree’s root system roughly mirrors the crown, so its main roots will extend along the ground to where the branches end overhead. Rather than watering just at the base of the trunk, try to switch up your watering so you’re hitting many different areas along the root zone. This is healthier for trees and will keep them happier during extremely hot weather.

Not sure how to care for your trees yourself, but don’t want them to succumb to summer heat? No problem. Simply get in touch with us here at Premier Tree Solutions, and we’ll make sure your arboreal companions survive the summer just fine. We specialize in tree removal, trimming, pruning, and more! If you have any questions about watering or tree care, give us a call at 404-252-6448 or contact us here.

Common Trees In Georgia and How to Spot Them

To the untrained eye, many trees look the same. They’re tall and leafy, aren’t they? Must be a tree. But to the more discerning eye, understanding the variations between common Georgia trees is not only a satisfying skill to have, but it can also help you make better decisions in your own garden. With this in mind we’ve outlined some of the most common Georgia trees and how to spot their distinguishing characteristics using your plain old peepers!

A Sugar Maple Tree Farm forest in autumn with brilliant yellow leaves in Oregon, USA

Maple

A wide variety of maples grows in Georgia, the most prominent being red maple and sugar maple. It’s easy to spot these trees due to their large leaves, which are palmate (leaf lobes spreading from the stem) and typically display bright autumn colors. Sugar maple is orange to red in autumn, while red maple is yellow to red in autumn and a deeper but rustier red the rest of the year.

Shagbark Hickory with its fall colors reaching for the sky

Shagbark Hickory with its fall colors reaching for the sky

Hickory

Hickories tend to be quite large – usually taller than 60 feet – with pinnate leaves (veins in neat rows spreading from the long center vein of the leaf) that grow in compound sets. They are deciduous, meaning they lose their leaves in fall and grow new ones in spring. Trunks are gray to brown, grow coarser with age and often display a diamond pattern once mature.

Oak. Tall oak tree with green leaves with blue sky background. View from down. Summer background. Green environment concept.

Oak

Oaks have lobed, waxy leaves and large, spreading crowns that may be globular or semi-circular in nature. Their branches typically start low to the ground, giving them short trunks and making them excellent shade trees for properties and parks. Common species include white oak, scarlet oak, and water oak, though there are many more.

Healthy green trees in a forest of old spruce, fir and pine trees in wilderness of a national park. Sustainable industry, ecosystem and healthy environment concepts and background.

Pine

Pine trees are another common Georgia tree with a huge variety of species. They are evergreen and grow quickly relative to other trees, their needles growing in bunches along the branches. Young pines typically have a more slender form and often round as they age. Species include white pine, Virginia pine and longleaf pine, among others.

Of course, there are many other trees in Georgia, including ash, gum, chestnut, and buckeye. American beech, Sugarberry, American Yellowwood, holly, Eastern Red Cedar and others all abound as well!

If you need further help with trees in your yard, please feel free to give Premier Tree Solutions a call at 404-252-6448 or contact us here! We’re a growing tree removal business in Atlanta and can help you with all your tree-related needs. We also assist with storm cleanup, stump removal and grinding, tree trimming and branch removal and more.

Five Tree Planting Myths You Shouldn’t Believe

Think planting a tree is easy? It may not be quite the breeze you think it is. These five myths are, sadly, extremely common and kill many young trees each year. Avoid arboreal annihilation by figuring out the truth behind these myths.

1. Anyone Can Plant a Tree Correctly

False. In fact, many people just assume they can throw their new tree in a hole and call it a day. This tree planting mistake just means you will have to buy more trees the following year. So instead of asking, “How hard can it be?” and just going at it, take the time to learn the right techniques below.

2. Plant Deep, and Roots Will Grow Deeper

Planting deeper is not the answer. In fact, doing so can actually kill the tree because you bury part of its trunk, which is not meant to go underground. Roots will grow as deep as they need to for the tree to be healthy, presuming you’ve planted your tree in a well-drained area where soil reaches down several feet. The Arbor Day website has a great diagram of how deep containerized trees should be planted; check it out!

3. Before Planting, Prune Living Branches to Balance Crown with Roots

No. Don’t. Please stop. Balancing your tree’s crown is a great thing to do once your tree is established, but you don’t need to do it while planting. It can actually hurt the tree at this stage. Roots are pruned pretty severely to get trees into containers, and matching the crown only makes it harder for the tree to produce the energy it needs (through its leaves) to adjust to its new environment.

4. After Planting, Brace Tree Tightly

If needed, brace loosely and remove as soon as the tree is established. Tight bracing can cause suffocation, girdling, or the tree growing over the brace. Ouch!

5. More Mulch Is Better

More mulch is not better and can even be deadly to the tree, especially when you create “mulch volcanoes,” which encourage rot and insect predation. Instead of piling bark chips or mulch in a hill around the base of the trunk, spread it evenly over a wide area. Here’s a great, quick tutorial if you’re wondering what a good mulch job looks like.

Think you might need some tree help? Get in touch with Premier Tree Solutions — proudly serving the Atlanta area with your tree needs. We specialize in tree removal, trimming, pruning, and more! If you have any questions about pruning or other tree-related questions, give us a call at 404-252-6448 or contact us here.

No Thanks to Aggressors: Show Tree Roots Who’s Boss

If you’ve been wondering what to do about aggressive tree roots in your yard, it’s time to make a change. While it’s important not to just start hacking at roots willy-nilly – as this can introduce infection and make saving the tree less likely – there are ways to take care of those pesky roots that are buckling your sidewalk or threatening your foundation. Try the following tips!

1. Avoid Cutting Roots Great Than Two Inches in Diameter

Unfortunately, large roots pose a greater problem than smaller ones, because the tree relies on them so much. When roots are greater than two inches in diameter, it’s important to call in an expert to deal with them for you. If they’re smaller than that, however, feel free to take care of it yourself.

2. Cut As Far from the Trunk as Possible

When you do cut tree roots, try to cut as far from the trunk as you can. This makes it more likely the tree will heal cleanly and go on to live a healthy life. Once again, if you find it necessary to cut close to the trunk, you should call in expert tree caretakers to do the job as cleanly as possible.

3. Cut Roots Cleanly

Never use a saw or dull shears to cut tree roots. Rough cuts encourage infection, which can kill the tree. Instead, expose the root all the way, and then lop through it cleanly with a pair of loppers.

4. Treat Your Tree with Love Afterward

Tree root pruning is traumatic to trees, no matter how good a job you do. After the trim, be sure to water and mulch your tree, so it can get back to good health as soon as possible. Then watch for signs of infection.

In the end, though, you may find that you need a professional to help with your tree root problem without killing the tree. Premier Tree Solutions is a successful tree removal business in Atlanta, Georgia. We specialize in a number of tree and shrub care areas, including tree and shrub removal, trimming and pruning, storm cleanup, branch clearing and debris removal, Bobcat work and stump grinding.

For your root-related problems, give us a call and we’ll take care of it for you. Don’t let aggressive tree roots be the boss of you any longer! Call us at 404-252-6448 or contact us here.