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Tag: certified arborist

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Watering Christmas Tree Displays: Tips from an Arborist

Walnut Creek Tree Removal

If you’ve brought a living Christmas tree into your home, you’ll need to take proper care of it. Otherwise you may have to witness it’s death and decay right in your home! Luckily, keeping a cut tree alive indoors is not extremely complicated. At the same time, there’s some bad information out there about what your tree needs, so let’s clear a few things up:

 

Cutting Your Tree

When the tree’s going to be stored more than a couple days, put the trunk in water and store it in a cool, shaded and protected area like an unheated shed or garage.

If the tree was harvested within the last 12 hours, it’s not necessary to recut the trunk before putting it in water. After longer than 12 hours, the trunk needs recut for maximum water uptake.

Cutting off a disk of wood about ¼” thick from the base of the trunk is all you need. Make the cut perpendicular to the trunk. Not at an angle or in a v-shape. Those fancy cuts make it far harder to steady the tree in the stand and reduce the amount of trunk submerged in the water.

Don’t drill a hole in the trunk to try to help it hydrate, this only hurts the tree.

 

Using Tree Stands

A tree stand needs to provide at least 1 quart of water per inch of stem diameter. For most Christmas trees, the treestand should hold at least 1 gallon of water.

Make sure your tree stand is big enough, not that your tree trunk is small enough. Don’t whittle down the sides of the trunk to fit a stand. The outer layers of wood are the most efficient in taking up water and should be retained.

Check the stand daily to make sure that the level of water is above the bottom of the trunk. Many stands will still be holding water even when the base of the tree is no longer submerged.

 

Hydration and Watering Christmas Tree Care

A cut tree will absorb a surprising amount of water, particularly during the first week, so replenish the water daily.

Displayed trees suffer when they’re near sources of heat like fireplaces, heaters, heating vents, and direct sunlight. Lowering the room’s temperature will slow the drying process, reducing the amount of water the tree needs.

Cold, cool, lukewarm or even very warm water are all fine and won’t affect the tree’s ability to hydrate.

Check your tree daily for dryness. It’s easy to run your fingers across the needles to see if they’re dry or brittle. If they break or fall off easily, the tree is dangerously dry and should be taken outdoors away from the house.

A well-cared-for tree will reliably remain fresh at least three to four weeks before becoming too dry.

 

Don’t Get Too Creative

Anti-transpirants for Christmas trees won’t help you much at all, even though they may technically reduce some evaporation, it’s not enough to make your tree last longer indoors.

Adding water-holding gel products to the stand reduces the amount of water available to the tree, making it a pretty bad idea.

Don’t use additives in the water. No floral preservatives, commercial tree preservatives, molasses, sugar, bleach, soft drinks, aspirin, honey, or anything else. Clean water is what trees want to drink, and how you’ll get the best results.

Flame retardant products can give flame retardance while reducing your tree’s ability to stay hydrated, losing the advantage they gained.

 

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Are You Harming Your Soil Ecosystem?

Danville Tree Pruning

The trees on your property are dependent on your soil to be a healthy, safe place for them to grow or just stay alive. If your soil suffers, the trees suffer. If your soil thrives, the trees thrive. You need to be sure you aren’t harming your soil, which would threaten your trees.

However, to do that, you need to know about some of the most common practices which lead to soil damage.

Using Biocides

One of the most common ways people harm soil is by using biocides, which destroy life inside the soil. Healthy soil is full of microorganisms that promote tree growth and nutrition. Unfortunately, when plants are sprayed with pesticides to kill insects, they also end up being absorbed by the soil, which becomes damaged as a consequence. Biocides include everything from pesticides, weed killers, and fungicides, etc.

Moreover, even if the biocides don’t have an immediate measurable effect on your trees or soil, the can remain for decades and damage life in the longer run as they build up.

Removing Vegetation

Another common practice that leads to the damage of soil is through the removal of vegetation. While some people remove ground covering plants to create some landscaping goals, you also need to understand that complete removal leads to the soil being exposed. It also loses the connectivity created by root systems. This, as a result, makes it vulnerable to forces of erosion like wind and rain.

When the soil is exposed to these threats, healthy topsoil is lost, which is a primary layer for plants to grow because it has the most organic matter. Moreover, when the soil is bare, it receives more sunlight, and this causes moisture to evaporate. Finally, it becomes compacted as it dries, which make it harder for the soil to absorb rain.

If you don’t want to destroy the soil, you need to understand the soil’s needs. You need to know the soil needs to be covered, and plants provide this shelter. 

Allowing Soil to Dry Out

When soil is allowed to dry, the rich environment or microorganism that call it home suffer. Organic matter thrives in soil, from living fungi, to earthworms and healthy bacteria, and they all need water to survive.

Remember that your trees can’t make these decisions for you, but it matter to them when you make choices soil management. Swear off biocides, grow ground covering plants, and keep your soil from drying, and your trees will thank you. Silently, by living a long healthy life. 

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Protecting Trees During Construction

Berkeley Tree Pruning

When building new structures, existing trees are often the main features in your landscape design, and need to be carefully preserved. But how do we go about protecting trees during construction?

Unfortunately, many times pre-existing trees have difficulty surviving construction. This can lead to unsafe or hazardous conditions and expensive post construction removal costs. With planning, communication and cooperation, existing healthy trees can be preserved with minimal effort and expense. Trees need their roots protected during the construction process.

 

Plan With an Arborist

Always have a professional arborist involved in the planning (and maybe execution) of the project. Small changes in the placement or design of buildings, driveways or utilities can make a difference in protecting trees during construction. Alternative construction methods are generally easier than growing a new 20 year old tree. If utilities can’t be routed away from trees, tunneling or hand dug trenches are worth considering, to place the utilities directly below the trunk, where they do the least damage.

 

Inventory Your Trees

Map the location, species, size, and health of each tree on the development site. This can help you decide which trees to keep, which to remove and which to put limited effort into keeping. Your arborist can tell you which trees probably shouldn’t be selected for preserving. These should be removed prior to construction. Be sure to prune trees that need additional clearance to make room for future structures and construction equipment.

 

Tree Protection Zones

You’ll want to erect sturdy fencing around each tree that is to be preserved before construction starts. For each inch of trunk diameter, the fence should be about one foot from the trunk. So a ten inch diameter trunk gets fencing 10 feet from it. A three inch layer of mulch should be applied to the area within the TPZ. This provides your tree with both above and below ground protection.

Mount Tree Protection Zone (TPZ) signs to the fences and ask all construction personnel to keep fencing intact. No trenching, digging or soil disturbance of any kind should happen in the TPZ. No building materials, waste materials, excess soil, paints or supplies should be within the TPZ. The area should be considered off-limits.

 

Before Construction Starts

A healthy tree is more likely to survive the construction process than one that’s stressed. Be sure trees are receiving proper irrigation in addition to rainfall if needed. Prune dead, diseased, or hazardous branches. Also remove branches that will interfere with construction equipment and machinery.

 

Stay Engaged: Protecting Trees During Construction

Visit the construction site and inspect your trees on a regular basis. An arborist’s presence alerts workers that trees are important and their careful treatment is important. Should damage occur, begin repairs as soon as possible. Immediately inform the builder/contractor of any violations in the tree preservation plan and photograph any damage. All protective fences should remain in place until all construction workers have left the site.

 

Minimize Soil Compaction

Construction equipment and vehicles are a common cause of soil compaction. Have your project manager limit access points and designate routes on and off of the property. The fewer, the better. They should also designate areas for parking, storage of equipment, construction materials, excess soil, etc.

 

Grade Changes

Grade changes directly affect the roots of a tree. This happens either by removing roots when lowering the grade, or suffocating the roots when raising the grade. It can also change drainage, creating excess water in some areas and not enough in others. Except where absolutely necessary, do not change grade within the Tree Protection Zone. If raising the grade is necessary, we recommend not adding more than two inches of fill each year. Lowering the grade removes important roots and your rich topsoil. If a lowering of the grade is necessary, have your arborist root prune at least four to six months before construction starts and use a regular irrigation schedule before during and after root pruning.

 

Post Construction

It can take several years for trees to overcome and adjust to the injury that occurs during construction. These changes can be stressful, and trees that are suffering from stress are naturally more prone to insect and disease infestations than healthy trees. It is important to establish a long term maintenance program with your arborist to monitor and maintain the trees.

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Arborjet Therapy for Oak Tree Care

Concord Tree Care

People love oak trees. They’re majestically broad and protective feeling, with dense green foliage spans.

 

About Oaks

Oaks grow naturally across the Southeastern USA. They can be found on the east shore from southeastern Virginia to Florida and west to southern and central Texas. They grow naturally in the sandy soils of low coastal areas.

Oaks have male and female reproductive systems on the same plant. They flower every spring from March through May and acorns mature in September and fall off by December. Live oak acorns are long, dark brown to black.

They seldom grow over 50 feet tall, but the crown of the tree can have a span of 150 feet wide. That’s why it’s an incredibly popular shade tree! Oak tree wood is so sturdy that they were used for shipbuilding years ago, but today they’re mostly decorative trees.

 

Oak Wilt and Fungal Infections

Oaks tend to grow in huge groups with interconnected roots, which makes them extremely vulnerable to contracting oak wilt. The fungus travels from one oak to another through the linked roots and insect activity. Oak wilt destroys hundreds of trees just in Austin, Texas every year because of how rapidly they expand in groves.

Symptoms of oak wilt are otherwise healthy leaves developing yellow veins, turning brown and falling off the tree outside of autumn. The crown of the tree thins and weakens till it dies. Oak wilt can be costly to treat and regulate. An accurate medical diagnosis is critical. You’ll need to consult a certified arborist to guarantee proper medical diagnosis and treatment.

Unfortunately, oak wilt is quite infectious. Without the proper treatment, the death of the tree is inevitable.

 

Arborjet Therapy to the Rescue

Avoidance starts with expertise. To treat this fungus effectively, you need to seek the services of an expert.

Once diagnosed, we advise a trunk shot of the Arborjet Treatment, Propizol. It contains a systemic fungicide that reduces Bretiziella fagacearum, and specifically to combats oak wilt. Because oak wilt is spread through roots and insects, we advise Arborjet therapy of non-infected oaks near the contaminated trees. This can slow down and stop the spread of the condition.

After Care

Infected trees are highly susceptible to nitidulid beetles, which also carry oak wilt fungus. You’ll want to schedule tree trimmings at appropriate times to avoid nitidulid beetles, planning your trimming around the beetles’ off period. The active period for nitidulid beetles varies throughout the USA, so consult with your arborist.

A wound dressing that’s not toxic to plants is important on injured oaks, including those those that have been trimmed. Painting the wounds of an oak after cutting it will shut the wound off to prospective infection from nitidulid beetles. The county may penalize you for not repainting the wounds of a tree that’s just been trimmed.

When treating several trees, your arborist must sanitize drill bits and also injection devices between trees. Sexy Trees is an expert in controlling the spread of infection, with industry leading sterilization and sanitation. Don’t assume every arborist is as careful as is necessary when dealing with oak wilt and beetle infestations. Always ask.

Get in touch with Sexy Trees if you believe a stump or a tree on your property may be influenced by oak wilt.

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Do Treehouses Hurt Trees?

Alamo Tree Care

Although building a treehouse іѕ nоt something ѕmаll, іt саn bе a fun thing to do іf you uѕе the right рlаnѕ for the job. It’ѕ a great way tо involve the whole family and there аrе lоаdѕ оf different designs tо сhооѕе frоm. Building уоur сhіld a treehouse not only рrоvіdеѕ them with a fun рlасе to play, іt can fоѕtеr an appreciation fоr trees and the natural world. But ѕоmе homeowners worry that a treehouse will harm their trees.

While ѕоmе treehouses do damage their hоѕt trees, it іѕ possible to design, construct and install оnе іn ways that will do minimal harm. Below, we’ll dіѕсuѕѕ some оf the wауѕ treehouses can саuѕе damage and some оf the bеѕt wауѕ to аvоіd stressing уоur trees when building one.

Dо Treehоuѕеѕ Harm Trееѕ?

It’s difficult to make sweeping generalizations, and many treehоuѕеѕ dо hаrm their hоѕtѕ. If property conceived, designed, рlасеd and constructed, tree hоuѕеѕ саn uѕuаllу bе іnѕtаllеd without damaging the tree.

Every situation, tree and treehouse іѕ different. It’ѕ impossible tо mаkе guarantees about the future оf any tree. However, аѕ long as уоu account fоr and minimize the stress and burden уоu place оn the tree, you can uѕuаllу іnѕtаll a tree hоuѕе without dooming your bеlоvеd tree.

It’s easy to саuѕе damage to the tree when building a treehouse. Following ѕоmе ѕіmрlе guidelines уоu саn rеduсе dаmаgе аѕ muсh аѕ possible. It is impossible to саuѕе no damage at all, but trees have evolved several techniques tо tolerate dаmаgе and rеmаіn healthy. As trees аrе living organisms, they dіffеr frоm fаmіlіаr building materials in the following four ways.

  • Thеу can be infected bу bасtеrіа and viruses, causing loss of branches оr death to the whole tree
  • They slowly grow larger оvеr tіmе, increasing the diameter of their trunk every уеаr
  • Thеу uѕе a рrосеѕѕ саllеd compartimentilization tо іѕоlаtе damaged оr infected areas
  • They will compensate for a changed weight distribution

Limiting the Dаmаgе Cаuѕеd: Lоw-Imрасt Treehouses

Now that уоu see some wауѕ іn which treehouses саn harm trees, you can embrace a few strategies and techniques to limit the potential for damage. To start, this mеаnѕ adopting the following рrасtісеѕ:

Uѕе Tree-Friendly Connectors and Hardware:

Aѕ much as is possible, аvоіd driving nails or screws directly into the trunk оr branches. Instead, uѕе adjustable straps оr u-bolts tо connect the structure tо the tree. Bе sure to іnѕресt these connectors regularly and adjust them to allow the tree tо grow properly.

Avoid Creating Moisture Pосkеtѕ:

Provide рlасеѕ that allow wаtеr tо drain and air tо flоw between the structure and the tree’s bark. If уоu muѕt create a potential moisture pocket, try to position it ѕо that it receives plenty оf sun exposure, which wіll help it dry out mоrе effectively.

Kеер the Trееhоuѕе Near the Trunk:

Always рlасе the treehouse nеаr the trunk, rather than fаr out on the tree’s branches. This will hеlр you аvоіd altering the tree’s balance and rеduсе the сhаnсеѕ that the structure wіll function like a ѕаіl, catching wind and bending branches.

Buіld a Lаddеr; Dоn’t Nаіl Steps to the Trunk:

Aѕ much аѕ іѕ possible, уоu want to lіmіt уоur kіdѕ’ contact with the tree. They should primarily be standing оn the structure, rather than the tree itself. Yоu’ll want tо сrеаtе a standalone lаddеr оr set оf ѕtаіrѕ tо provide access to the treehouse, rather than by attaching ѕtерѕ directly on the trunk.

When considering a tree hоuѕе аѕ a hоmе improvement рrоjесt, be ѕurе tо consider ѕаfеtу. Whіlе these buildings саn оffеr a great place to spend a ѕummеr dау for kіdѕ of all ages, precautions muѕt be including in the construction рhаѕе tо еnѕurе that the structure rеmаіnѕ ѕаfе for many уеаrѕ. A well-constructed tree hоuѕе can provide a рlасе for the kids tо рlау оr a great рlасе for a party.

While we are arborists, we do not build treehouses. What Sexy Trees can do for you is tell you if your tree is healthy and strong, either before building or a few years down the road so you know whether your treehouse is still safe. We can also get your tree the care it needs to keep it in tip-top condition. For all your arborist and tree care needs, call Sexy Trees.

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Healthy Trees Increase Property Values

Lafayette Tree Pruning

All homeowners want their home to increase in value. In fact, no matter how long you plan to live in your home, you want it to increase in value as much as possible. You might be looking to make your home more appealing to a buyer, you want to make it the most valuable property you can for when you leave it to family. Maybe you want to use it as collateral for a loan. In any case, property value matters.

Healthy Trees

Perhaps everybody wants to have a shady spot. Children love to play in shade, adults love to lounge in it. This is one of the major offerings that healthy trees bring to the family, but not the only one. Trees can protect your outside areas from wind and provide shelter for more delicate plantings. They bring a harmony with nature to your property, allowing your home to “fit in” to the landscape more gracefully. And trees offer places for birds and other wildlife to live and raise their young.

Your shady space, your wind-protected cove, the benefits your trees bring to you: they need to be healthy to do this. Your family can’t enjoy the shade under a tree that’s threatening to drop branches. The look of your home is not improved by scraggly, sickly looking trees. Delicate plantings below a sick tree will suffer and be exposed to pathogens and parasites attracted by decay. No space is useful under damaged or dangerous trees.

It’s important to do everything in your power to keep existing trees healthy. A mature tree can have an appraised value of between $1,000 and $10,000, according to the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers. With multiple healthy trees, this can be significant when selling.

“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” -Unknown

Useful Space

The value of your property is increased with the presence of useful outdoor space. Trees are one of the most attractive, functional ways to increase the usability of your landscape. Using existing trees and even incorporating new trees can help you create distinct areas, manage the wind and sun in those areas, and can even host a tree house or swing. All of this raises the value of your property.

Curb Appeal

“Curb Appeal” is the first impression your home makes when a guest pulls up. You must give attention to both home presence and landscaping to make the best presentation. Stand in the street across from your home. Do your trees look well maintained? Welcoming? Do the plants look inviting? Overgrown? Crowded? Bare? Keep the trees at the front of your house looking strong, full, healthy and your home will look better for it.

Maximize Property Values

The trees are already there. The key now is to foster their healthy growth. This could mean getting nutrient injections, having sickly trees removed, pruning trees, mulching, or any number of things. Have our Certified Arborist guide you towards what your trees need to bring them to their best possible health and beauty.

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Our Newest Service: Arborjet Tree Injections

https://youtu.be/RbKiYnqbcnw

 

Sexy Trees cares about the health of your trees, the ecosystem they need to thrive, and the larger ecology. We’re always looking for more effective ways to protect and benefit your trees and the larger ecosystem they rely on. Our values are why we’re now offering Arborjet tree injections.

 

What are Arborjet Tree Injections?

First and foremost, they are effective! Arborjet nutrient injections get what your tree needs to thrive directly into the tree’s circulatory system, and quickly distributed. The injection is delivered through the trunk, so none of it is wasted in the soil or drained away with water.

Maybe your tree is having any trouble absorbing nutrients through the roots, or your soil just doesn’t have the right balance. Arborjet trunk injections are a highly effective solution to delivering proper nutrition for a lush, strong tree. Injection is faster than any other method for immediate delivery of elements your tree works to extract from the ground.

 

What Trees are Good Candidates for Arborjet Injections?

Not all trees are good candidates for trunk injections. Your arborist will tell you if your tree can benefit from them. If your tree is actively fighting an infection or parasite, your arborist may recommend taking another course. This may be either combining the injection with another solution to the tree’s active problem or postponing injection until after the tree has completed treatment. And there will be some trees that simply are dead or in the process of dying.

 

If you ‘re in the San Francisco wider bay area and are wondering if your tree or trees can benefit from Arborjet trunk injections, contact Sexy Trees today. We love trees, and we’d love to help your trees thrive.

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Fertilizer Root Injections to Support Tree Health

Tree Care Blackhawk

If you have a tree that needs a little help to get or stay healthy, there are options for you. Liquid fertilizer treatments can be injected to the root area to fortify your tree.

 

What is Deep Root Fertilization?

When a specialized liquid fertilizer treatment is injected to the root area of your tree, that is Deep Root Fertilization. The liquid solution injected into the root zone is under pressure and mixed with oxygen. The injection method aerates the root system and distribute nutrients evenly. The fertilizer is injected to about 1 foot to 1.5 feet below ground, in sites 2 to 3 feet apart. The sites form a grid pattern in the canopy area soil and beyond the drip line.

 

Why Not Just Apply Fertilizer on The Ground Surface?

When applying them directly to the surface, only a limited part of the root system is exposed to them. Plus if grass is present, grass root systems absorb most of your fertilizer. Wind and rain erode the rest of your surface fertilizer. None of it generally makes it to the depth of more than a foot underground where tree roots need it most. It can be a real waste of effort.

 

How Often Should You Have Your Trees “Fed” Liquid Fertilizer Root Injections?

Fertilization performs best when repeated once or twice a year for healthy trees. Sometimes there is severe root damage, soil is compacted, or your tree has other health problems. When that happens, the arborists at Sexy Trees will examine your tree and may recommend increasing frequency or amending nutrients. The custom treatment plan will optimally improve conditions in and around the root zone to restore your tree to health.

Roots are opportunistic by nature and will grow wherever oxygen, nutrients, and moisture are present. Ongoing deep root fertilizer injections improve the oxygen content, microbial activity, and nutrient levels within the soil. The injections create better environmental conditions in the root zone. Your trees will get progressively healthier and more robust as they keep receiving root injections.

To provide your tree with these health-boosting nutrients, you’ll need to work with an arborist that has the proper equipment and training, like Sexy Trees. Contact us today to find out more or schedule your first root injection.

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What Should You Ask a Tree Care Specialist?

Berkeley Tree Service

Many of us either ignore our trees, do some self-tree care, or simply ask the gardener to do the tree service. Is this best way? Usually these are not the right approaches to ensuring your trees thrive. The following are some key things to ask you Tree Care Specialist:

  • Please give me your experience level

When speaking to tree care specialist, their experience level is critical. They may have seen many situations and been around various tree scenarios. Among their experiences should be becoming a certified arborist. Certified Arborists go through extensive testing to ensure they are familiar with the nuances of caring for trees. Sometimes the difference between a healthy tree and a sick one could be hard to identify differences in how it was pruned or cared for.

  • What things should I do regularly to care for my tree?

Whether it’s watering, pruning, or adding supplements, caring for a tree is very individualized. Each tree will be getting a set of nutrients from the soil, but it does have other needs. An oak tree will have different needs than a peach tree, and those will also vary according to terrain and climate. Each has to be cared for appropriately to ensure maximum health. Get specific recommendations about level of watering, sunlight, etc. A certified arborist has this knowledge to evaluate the tree and make quality recommendations.

  • What is your approach to pruning a tree and why?

As you are speaking with a tree care specialist, some will recommend some pruning or even tree removal. Always ask the essential question of “why?”. If they give you a very generic answer, it’s important to follow up and ask again for the basis of their recommendation. Hacking a tree shorter or removing it without a true need could permanently damage this living being.

Sexy Trees has a certified arborist with years of experience. We do offer tree evaluations. If you have questions about planting trees, feel free to reach out at Sexytrees.com.