Spring and summer may be the growing seasons for trees, but the summer months can get to be a bit rough on them, especially in periods where there is little or no rainfall. You also need to consider potential exposure to pests and other issues that could result in tree damage.
With this in mind, here are some tips for summer tree care in Baton Rouge that will help you keep your trees healthy all year long and encourage a long lifespan.
Watering
Whenever you’re dealing with a drought, it’s important to water your trees regularly. A good general rule is to provide about an inch of water every week or two just to keep the root system damp, though more water can be a good idea. The other general rule to follow with watering your trees is that watering deeply and soaking the soil is better than to water more frequently but with less water. With less water, it’s more likely that water will evaporate and not actually benefit the tree at all. You do still need to be careful about overwatering, though, as this could result in more harm than good, and work to “drown” your trees, especially if they’re young.
Pests
Insects tend to be more problematic during the spring than the summer, but there are some pests that do show up in greater numbers as the weather gets warmer. Japanese beetles and bagworms are two examples of these. It’s a good idea to inspect your trees at the beginning of each season to search for pest activity or other signs of damage. If you do uncover pest activity, then you should consider reaching out to a skilled arborist, who can provide you with further information about the specific steps you should take to protect your trees against the pests they seem to be facing.
Ongoing maintenance
Beyond just watering your trees and checking for pests, there are other steps you can take throughout the summer to make sure you keep your trees happy and healthy.
Thunderstorms over the summer can bring major winds along with them, so after storms you should always make sure you check your trees for signs of damage. Remove weak limbs to prepare for severe weather, so you don’t have to worry about them snapping off and causing further damage elsewhere.
Check your mulch rings to see if you need to add any additional mulch. If there’s less than two inches of mulch, or if there’s grass growing through, you should add more mulch. Whenever possible, seek to enlarge your mulch rings to help keep moisture in the area of the root system.
Always avoid using herbicides underneath trees that are especially sensitive to those products. If you do not apply those herbicides properly, they could hurt your trees.
For more information about steps you can take to improve and protect the health of your trees over the summer, or to arrange for regularly scheduled tree care in Baton Rouge, get in touch with the team at Allan’s Tree Service.
Categorised in: Tree Care
This post was written by Allan's