Trees can be a wonderful addition to your landscaping. While they add appeal and value to your home, trees can also aid in energy efficiency by shading your roof and windows. Of course, trees will only remain valuable additions to your home if they are properly cared for. Unfortunately, you may not even understand why a tree is in distress, but help is available. Here are a few common causes of tree death.
Improper Planting
Planting is the first step in ensuring your tree grows and thrives over the years. Therefore, if you do not plant it properly or in the right location and at the right time, your tree will most likely not survive very long.
Certain trees should be planted in certain ways, though.
For example, if you have a sunny spot where the soil seems to remain dry, make sure to choose drought-tolerant trees only. Sun-loving, drought-tolerant trees include crepe myrtles, sumacs, hawthorns, red maples, and American elm trees.
Also, when planting, make sure to dig up a space sufficient for your tree's future growth. Most people think your hole should be really deep, but it should also be a few times wider than your tree's root ball so the roots can spread efficiently and effectively.
Tree Damage
Another common reason trees die is overall damage that occurs through age or weather conditions.
Hitting the tree while moving could cause uprooting or trunk damage. Also, if a storm comes through and heavy rain, wind, snow, or ice weighs down branches, parts of the tree may break off.
These open wounds make your tree more susceptible to insects and fungal growth, which can both quickly affect the health and look of your tree.
If your tree has experienced even minor damage, have a specialist inspect to determine the best route to repair the tree while restoring it back to health.
Excess Moisture
This may surprise a lot of people, but an excess amount of moisture can kill your tree.
When first planted, it is natural to water your tree regularly, but you should never water to the point where there is puddling around the tree and underlying soil. An excess amount of water will be harmful in a few ways.
Not only are pests attracted to moisture, but the moisture increases the risk of fungal growth, which leads to deadly diseases, such as root rot and mold.
Water periodically after planting. Then, reduce the amount of watering, providing your tree with moisture only in periods of drought or heavy heat.
For more information about how to properly maintain your trees, contact companies such as Horton Tree Service.
When you move into a new home, relandscaping the garden is one way to have it reflect your personality. However, before buying any new plants, you need to know which ones suit your location climate the best.
When it is time to learn about landscaping and plants, but you don't know where to start, then you come to this website and start reading. Climate has a big impact on how well your new plants grow, so it is important to learn about soil testing, plant choice, and growth optimization, amongst other things.
The more you learn about plant choice and then their care, the better the odds of successful growing days.