Wednesday 24 July 2013

How To Look After Your Trees

You've already raked and mowed your lawn, fed and watered the flowers and used a leaf blower to clear the leaves. You think your garden is all ready to relax in over summer, but then disaster strikes: your tree collapses after a fungus has rotted away the roots.

Taking care of your garden trees all year round is essential to maintaining them, and keeping them healthy and green. In this handy guide, we give you important tips to keep your trees happy as well as how to deal with problems you may encounter along the way.


Starting with a new tree
Before planting, ensure you dig a hole twice as deep as the roots of the tree, place the tree in making sure that the soil level is even from the base of the tree to the ground. Then, wet the hole with a soil wetter and a seaweed tonic. This will give the tree the best chance at survival. Keep the tree in place with some stakes, taking care to avoid the roots.

Looking after your tree
Fertilise your tree every year with a slow releasing fertiliser, aerating the soil around the tree to allow water into the roots. In addition, remove and climbers that are growing up the tree, as these can prove to be harmful.

A quality chainsaw can also come in handy, as they can be used to trim branches which have broken off, or for removing crossing branches whilst the tree is still young. In both cases, leave a few centimetres of stump for the tree to regrow.

Exposed Roots 
Exposed roots are an easy target for insects and fungi. The best solution is to remove grass from around the roots and plug the gaps with compost, layering mulch on the top to keep them protected.

Insects 
Insects and pests can leave a tree weak by removing nutrients from the tree over time. It is not always obvious that your tree is infected, but keep an eye out for a soot-like substance around nearby furniture or anything near it, which is the waste produced by the insects.  The best solution is to use a systemic spray which travels though the sap of the tree to remove the problem.

Hopefully this quick and easy guide will ensure your trees remain healthy for years to come. For more gardening tips, lawn mowers, and other gardening tools visit World of Mowers in store or online today.