It’s hard not to feel the draw of the great outdoors in the summer, and the more time you spend outside, the more you might find yourself tempted to give your backyard some much needed attention. Summer can be an ideal season to check up on the health of your trees and ensure there are no pests about. However, there are a few things you should avoid when performing tree maintenance under the hot Oregon sun.
1) Shallow Watering and Over Watering
It’s common for homeowners to want to be mindful of their water usage in the summer. One way of doing this is by limiting how much you irrigate your yard so that it’s watered in short bursts throughout the day. However, these small amounts of water aren’t enough to penetrate the soil down to the roots. Other homeowners go too far in the opposite direction, significantly increasing their yard irrigation to try and prevent their plants from drying out. Keep an eye out on the moisture in the soil to confirm whether or not more water is needed.
2) Over Pruning Foliage
Pruning is a regular part of tree maintenance, but over pruning your trees in the summer can have disastrous results. As you cut out significant amounts of the tree’s canopy, you’re decreasing the leaf coverage, your tree’s source of nutrients and energy, and expose more delicate parts of the tree to sun damage. This weakens the tree and makes it harder for it to survive through the peak of summer.
3) Unnecessary Trimming of Branches
There are certain cases where trimming a tree’s branches is unavoidable. Diseased and damaged branches need to be removed to keep the tree healthy. But removing branches for other reasons, such as aesthetics or interference with parts of your property, should be delayed until winter. As the trees soak up the sun, the cutting of branches actually stimulates new growth, which forces your tree to work harder than it should.
Relying on the expertise of a professional can be extremely effective in helping you avoid these and other pitfalls when it comes to tree maintenance. Dial 541-821-8594 to get in touch with tree service experts at Quality Tree Service today!
