Messy trees may look beautiful when they are in leaf, but the dropped blossoms, berries, and twigs can make you feel like you are raking from spring through fall. Although you can't prevent the annual fall leaf drop, there are some things you can do to help cut down on the mess for the rest of the year. These tips can help.
Tip #1: Create a mulch zone
A mulch zone serves many purposes around the trunk of a tree. It protects the trunks and roots from lawnmower damage, while also conserving soil moisture. Even better, a zone that is mulched with wood chips doesn't require any raking to keep fallen twigs or small berries off the lawn. For small tress you can easily extend the mulch circle out to the dripline of the tree's canopy, capturing most of the mess. A mulch zone probably won't be large enough to contain all the mess of a larger tree, but it can effectively cut down on the area you need to worry about.
Tip #2: Open up the canopy
Overly dense canopies may create a bigger mess than those that are pruned for increased air flow and light penetration. The reasons are two-fold. First, a dense canopy may lead to more twig and leaf dieback from lack of air and sun, which can lead to more dropped leaves and twigs throughout spring and summer. Second, the increase foliage and branch cover means more leaves, flowers, and berries to be dropped. As a general rule, any branches that cross or rub together need thinned out. If a tree has never been thinned, your tree service may end up removing a third or more of the branches. This can go a long way on cutting down the amount of mess that falls from the tree.
Tip #3: Prune after flowering
Although pruning off the flowers of a tree will cut down on blossom and berry drop, most people like the flower show put on by their tree. Another option is to trim back your tree right after it finishes flowering in spring or early summer. Trimming back branch tips to shape the tree will cut down on berry production since the flowers are removed at the tips. For a small tree, it's possible to trim off all the wilted flower clusters so you don't have to worry about any berry drop later in the summer.
For more help in managing and trimming your tree, contact a tree service in your area. To learn more, contact a company like Carlos Tree Service Inc.
Share21 July 2016
I love and appreciate all of the trees around my home, but I do worry about what will happen during a strong storm. Will I get rudely awakened by by a tree crashing through the roof into my bedroom? Will a tree fall and take down the power lines that my family relies on each day to live our comfortable life? This blog will show you what you need to know before you go cutting down all of the trees on your property to maintain a safe living space and advice for picking and choosing the trees that will remain.