Timber! Scary Signs Your Tree Needs to be Removed

Trees make a lovely addition to any landscape. Whether small and shapely, decorating a pathway or bed, or tall and sweeping to provide summer shade, trees are an age-old addition to gardens worldwide.

However, trees can be dangerous as well. Whether a tree drops a limb on your home during a thunderstorm or topples right over onto the drive or into the street, the consequences are potentially severe … especially if you bring down a lawsuit as well as twigs and leaves. There’s one easy way to avoid this: know the warning signs.

Here are five of the scariest signs that your tree needs to be removed today.

1. Cracking or Splitting

One of the most obvious symptoms of old age, rot, and disease is cracking and splitting along the trunk. This usually means that the tree is no longer sound and needs to be taken out immediately. In some cases, splitting along a limb indicates the tree can still be saved … but it’s critical you get that limb down ASAP.

2. Rotting

If you see rot in limbs, branches, twigs or – worst of all – the trunk, it’s time to call in a pro for tree removal right away. Rot turns the inside of the tree to mush or sawdust (depending on the type of rot) and will ruin its structural integrity, making a topple more likely.

3. Lightning Strike

Trees located on their own out in pastures or fields are more vulnerable to lightning strikes, but it can happen in your own backyard as well. At the very least, you need to get that tree checked out immediately. Often, it will have to go.

3. Pests

If your tree is crawling with pests, from mites to boring insects and more, it’s important you don’t put off the issue. You might be able to treat the tree, but in many cases, it will need to be removed. That’s both to avoid it falling over, and to protect the trees around it from infection.

4. Dropping Limbs

If your tree has already dropped limbs, that’s a sign that all is not well. Get an arborist out to determine whether it was the limbs themselves that were the problem, or something inherently wrong with the entire specimen.

Do You Have a Tree That Needs to be Removed?

If you see any of these warning signs, it’s time to call in a tree professional today. If you’re not sure whether or not your tree is in good health, call in Premier Tree Solutions to give your arboreal friends an audit. Better safe than sorry … so call today!

Soil, on the Rocks, With Salt and Lime

“Barkeep! I’ll take two fingers of soil on the rocks. Don’t go easy on the salt and lime. There’s an extra dollar in it for you if you put some speed on it!” …said no tree ever. And even if they could talk, we’re pretty sure this isn’t an order they’d place in a hurry.

Despite that fact, many people use rock salt on their soil to manage their yard’s green life. The question becomes if trees and shrubs don’t appreciate overapplication of salt (and if it’s a winter concern of which any gardener should be aware), why do they do it at all? And should you tune in to the benefits of rock salt as well?

These are good questions, all. Let’s clarify some of the confusion today.

Road Versus Rock Salt

The first point of confusion is the difference between road salt, which often comes in rock form, and rock salt for gardeners. Road salt is used to mitigate ice and snow, and often splashes on the leaves and stems of perennial plants, damaging them and drying them out.

Rock salt, on the other hand, is used intentionally by many gardeners. It has two main purposes in gardening, which we cover below. But first, let’s tackle another problem: definitions.

Salt: A Better Definition

Another point of confusion is what salt actually is. We think of it as sodium chloride, or table salt, when this is in fact just a type of salt (the same way Kleenex is a type of tissue).

In chemistry, salt is “a class of compounds formed by the replacement of one or more hydrogen atoms of an acid with elements or groups.” It is formed when an anion and cation combine, when an acid neutralizes a base, forming a strong and stable bond.

As with anything else, salt is a double-edged sword. Therefore, it’s important that we understand salt’s many facets.

The Right Use of Salts

Many fertilizers are salts, and plants need them to thrive. Both nitrogen and phosphorous must first become salts before plants can take them up, for instance. While it’s great if you can give your plants such nutrients from organic applications (manure or compost), you may also need to add additional types of salt for maximum plant health.

The other main use of salt is classic sodium chloride rock salt to kill weeds. Anywhere you put rock salt, plants won’t grow because high concentrations are toxic to them. Be aware that while this might have a nice effect on paths or driveways, salt is likely to travel when it rains, so be sure there aren’t any desirable plants in its path.

Are you still confused about the proper application of rock salt? Speak with a tree professional such as those at Premier Tree Solutions, and we’ll get your questions answered and make your landscape as healthy as it can be.

BE A GEORGIA TREE KNOW-IT-ALL: LONGLEAF PINE

Get to know Georgia’s beautiful array of trees and how you can take care of your own! Each month, we feature some of the most popular trees in the state. This month, we are showcasing the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris). Learn all about the longleaf pine below!

Longleaf Pine Text Infographic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

https://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_pipa2.pdf

Premier Tree is your local source for professional tree services in the metro Atlanta area. We provide tree removal, trimming, pruning, stump grinding, and more. Check out all of the services we offer, and contact us today for a free consultation!