Planting shade trees in your yard has many wonderful benefits. Underneath a big shade tree is the best location for a backyard barbeque or for children to play outside. It will also keep your home cooler during warmer months of the year.

To get all of the benefits of shade trees, you have to plant the correct species and care for them properly.

GA Tree Trimming has recommendations for the best trees to plant for shade, as well as some expert advice on taking care of your shade trees so they continue to grow strong and healthy.

Planting Trees for Shade

All trees can provide shade, but there are some types of trees that are built for optimal shade. These trees usually have a thick, wide canopy that extends out about as far as it does upward.

In the following paragraphs, we’ve provided some examples of shade trees based on whether they would be best planted in your back or front yard.

Back Yard Shade Trees

Shade trees in the back yard are primarily for your own benefit. Next-door neighbors and passersby probably won’t be able to see these trees very much, so they can be planted purely for shade and enjoyment.

In addition to shade, these trees can provide year-round color as well as some additional privacy from neighbors.

Here are popular options:

• Magnolia
• Sugar maple or silver maple
• Weeping willow
• Weeping cherry
• Red oak

If you have the space, a live oak is a beautiful choice. Live oaks are said to be the fastest growing shade trees, and are able to get very big. An older live oak can reach up to 80 feet tall and as much as 100 feet wide.

Many of these back yard tree recommendations get extremely large, so you need to do some research to determine if the tree is going to have enough space to reach maturity.

If there is not enough space, its root system can destroy your fencing or even your home foundation. You will also need to prune the tree every year to keep it manageable. A tree that grows too big for its area will probably have to be cut down, which is an inconvenient and sometimes costly situation.

Front Yard Shade Trees

In the front yard, you are planting trees for your enjoyment as well, but they will be much more beneficial for increasing value and curb appeal to your home since they can be seen.

Buy shade trees for the front yard that are a little smaller so they don’t overshadow your home and landscaping. These trees should pair with your landscaping in color and size, while still offering plenty of shade for front yard relaxation and play.

These are some of our favorites:

Red maple
River birch
Dogwood
White oak
Ginkgo tree

These trees are beautiful throughout the year, and they’ll showcase even more color in the fall months.
Another excellent option for your front or side yard is the ‘Green Giant’ Arborvitae. This tree looks like a hedge and can be planted in a long row with others to create privacy as well as shade.

With these suggestions in mind, we encourage you to plant what you like. In all honesty, any tree can grow to become a “shade tree.” Assuming the trees you choose are suitable for the climate in Georgia, they will provide your yard and home with some shade.

Benefits of Planting Shade Trees

The benefits of having shade on your property are numerous — and there are a few that you maybe wouldn’t typically think about.

Shade, Obviously – When temperatures get very warm, you won’t have to hide indoors if you have a comfortable, shady yard. Set up a chair or hammock under your biggest shade tree and relax outside as long as you like.

Climate Control – Trees can help regulate the temperature in your yard and inside your house. Not only will trees protect you from the hot sun, but they can make it feel 10-15 degrees colder underneath their protective canopies. This means less solar radiation on your home as well, which could result in lower energy costs!

Better Air Quality – Trees produce oxygen and filter out pollutants, so there is healthier air around your house. Arbor Day Foundation research states that one mature tree absorbs around 48 pounds of CO2 from the air.

Safety for Animals – If you’re into bird watching or think squirrels and chipmunks are adorable, your shade trees can provide them all they need to build a habitat, find food and raise babies.

Fun – What kid doesn’t want a backyard tire swing or tree house? If you have children, shade trees can offer hours of fun and countless memories.

How to Care for Shade Trees

Maintaining shade trees is very simple as long as you’ve planted the right species for the climate in Georgia. Healthy trees are strong and durable after a couple of years, requiring little attention or maintenance.

Consult a certified arborist from GA Tree Trimming if you have questions about how to care for your trees, or to help you decide the perfect tree for your yard.

As soon as you have decided on the perfect shade tree(s) for your yard, follow this easy care guide until your shade tree is well established.

Planting Your Shade Tree

The south, west and east of your property always get the most sun, so plant your trees on one of these sides of your yard. This is two-fold: 1) the trees will then provide the most amount of shade and 2) they will also receive the maximum amount of sun for healthy growth.

Pruning Your Shade Tree

Trim during the first year or two after you first plant the tree to help to shape it and help it form a strong foundation. To be safe, and for the best results, call GA Tree Trimming for tree trimming in Georgia. A certified arborist will arrive at your home and deliver professional care for the tree.

Watering Your Shade Tree

Watering a new tree is very important. This will help them form a deep root system and will give the tree more stability over the course of its lifetime.

Fertilizing Your Shade Tree

Fertilize a shade tree just like you would any other type of tree in order to support healthy growth. Fertilizer is not a requirement, but it can assist in helping your tree to grow faster and blossom more leaves, which are the primary source of your shade.

We hope this blog post was helpful! Remember, when it comes time to prune or trim a new shade tree, GA Tree Trimming can help! Call us and a certified arborist in Georgia will visit your home, assess the tree and decide the best care plan for its long-term health and growth.

Tree trimming is best left to experienced professionals. It’s a dangerous job, climbing high up trees, wielding chainsaws and lowering heavy tree limbs to the ground; and it can also be dangerous for the tree as well. Trees that aren’t pruned properly can sustain a lifetime of damage.

Instead of putting yourself in harm’s way and putting the tree at risk, call an arborist who is trained and experienced to do the job for you.

This will result in healthier trees and a safer environment near your home for many reasons:

• Healthy trees are stronger and less likely to cause damage during storms
• Cared for trees won’t attract or spread parasites and diseases
• Trimmed trees grow more flowers or fruit
• Trimmed trees provide shade and allow air to flow throughout their canopies and your landscaping

GA Tree Trimming strongly recommends trimming trees that are very close to your home or all that are an integral part of your property.

Is Tree Pruning Necessary?

It is not required. But it is important. Trees are very resilient and can grow on their own everywhere in the world, in a variety of different climates and locations, without trimming.

That said, there are several benefits of professional tree trimming, so it’s highly recommended for any trees that you care about. This includes sentimental trees, fruit trees and flowering trees or trees that perform an important job for your home, such as shade or wildlife habitat.

Tree Trimming Gone Wrong

Trimming a tree is a complex task. You are going to need the correct equipment and a lot of information to ensure the project is done right. The majority of homeowners don’t have any of these!

But that’s not a problem, because there are plenty of services available who know exactly how to correctly prune trees for an affordable cost to you including all of the certified arborists throughout Georgia we partner with!

Here are the 5 mistakes people make when attempting DIY tree trimming that can lead to several tree problems. These are things that a trained arborist from GA Tree Trimming will know, and that’s why their services are worth the price!

Trimming Too Much

When done correctly, trimming is a never-ending process. Beginning when your trees are just 2 or 3 years old, they should be trimmed by a professional if you care about them and intend to keep them strong and healthy.

A big mistake homeowners often make when trimming trees themselves is trimming too much of the tree at a time. This occurs because they let the tree’s growth get out of hand and try to correct it all immediately. Ideally, you should not cut off more than 5-20% of the tree’s crown at the final removal cut. It is much easier to do this during a season that there are no leaves, but a certified arborist is able to safely prune trees any time of year.

Pruning in the Wrong Place

A trained tree specialist knows where to cut each limb to prevent damage. This cut should occur just beyond the branch collar, the exact place where the branch connects to the tree trunk.

Cutting too close to the branch collar exposes the tree to decay, mildew and pests. Cutting too far from it leaves a stump when the tree has recovered. Most DIY tree trimming results in an improper cut, leaving either structural or aesthetic damage.

Trimming Large Branches

Branches any larger than 4 inches in diameter shouldn’t be trimmed unless it is absolutely necessary. Cutting off a branch this large can result in imbalance in the tree and expose it to pests and rodents and rot as the tree recovers from such a large loss.

Conservative trimming every year guarantees that the tree service company only has to remove branches that are 2-3 inches in diameter, which produces a more attractive shape for the tree and less risk of hurting the tree or exposing it to decay and insects.

Topping the Tree

Tree topping is an outdated type of pruning, and for good reason! With this service, tree trimming companies would just cut the top off of the tree to achieve the desired height. It was neither attractive nor was it beneficial for the tree, so the vast majority of tree care companies do not practice tree topping anymore.

As a DIY tree pruning, you may think this is an easy way to reduce the height of your tree with only one cut, but once you have cut off the top of a tree, there’s almost no chance it will ever regain a natural shape.

The Solution? Call GA Tree Trimming

Your tree may never recover from bad pruning.

Performing this project yourself might seem like a good way to save money, but you might end up with way more expenses trying to revive damaged trees, so it’s a lot safer (and more economical in the long run) to hire a certified arborist in Georgia from GA Tree Trimming.

Limbs will not grow back. The tree will grow more, but it will not grow back in the same places, which can lead results in odd shapes that might take years to fix. The tree could end up looking bad for the rest of its life, all because of a single pruning error.

Bad trimming could also lead to death of the tree. Removing too many branches (and, therefore, leaves) can affect the tree’s photosynthesis process, which means it won’t get all of the water it needs or enough carbon dioxide and sunlight to continue healthy growth.

Cutting off too many branches could also send the tree into a state of shock. Shock can be overcome, but it does take a lot of patience and care. Even with proper maintenance, a tree experiencing shock may still die.

Avoid all of these tree pruning mistakes and call GA Tree Trimming to speak with a tree care specialist in Georgia able to devise a long-term plan to ensure your tree continues blossoming and looking beautiful for years to come!

Trees are living things, so it stands to reason that they can get “sick” just like humans and animals. A disease or other tree issue might take a while to show itself because of the overall size of the tree, and once you identify a symptom, it could be too late to revive the tree.

A professional arborist from GA Tree Trimming can help you diagnose and treat common tree problems so that there is a much better chance of saving the tree. Learn about our service here. Not only can an arborist stop a tree from dying, but they can also help trees get more healthy growth and bloom more flowers or fruit.

Have you noticed a tree on your property that has always seemed OK but all of the sudden seems like something is wrong? In the next blog post, we’ll explain some of the most common tree problems and what these symptoms mean.

If you see any of these things on any of the trees on your property, act fast to have the best chance of saving the tree and the ones nearby it.

Tree Diseases & Common Problems

These 7 things are the most common problems encountered by certified arborists in Georgia. The moment you think one of these things could be wrong with your tree, contact someone with the knowledge and tools to help!

Tree Diseases

Leaf Rust – Leaf rust is actually a fungus that is very common in both plants and trees. The name comes from the brown and yellow spots this disease creates on the leaves.

Leaf rust is dangerous because it prevents the leaves’ photosynthesis, the process by which it breathes. Leaf rust can be tended to with fungicides and selective pruning of the diseased leaves. It could be recommended to remove whole limbs with leaf rust.

Witches’ Broom – This tree disease creates a large grouping of twigs, dead leaves and branches that form a a broom shape. It is caused by insects, unusually rainy weather or fungus. The formation of a clump of leaves and twigs is the tree’s reaction to infection or danger.

Some instances of Witches’ Broom are fatal for the tree, while others are only considered a growth malformation. An arborist can diagnose the problem.

Mildew – Mildew is a type of fungus that grows on just about anything in wet conditions, but even when the moist conditions are gone, mildew can persist and thrive. It appears as a powdery substance, typically white, and it usually appears on the leaves of a tree first.

The trick to eliminating mildew is to use a fungicide that contains sulfur. This will eliminate the current mildew and stop future mildew on the tree. You may also need to prune the tree to remove branches, fruit, flowers and leaves that were affected by the mildew

Gall – Gall is a type of tree disease that appears when pests or rodents build small nests on the leaves or branches of a tree to lay their eggs in. Most types of galls are not dangerous for the tree, but none of them are attractive.

Gall appears as as bumps on the tree, in various sizes. They are often white, brown, gray or some shade in between.

It is not necessary to treat the tree if there are galls, but they can limit the growth of young trees. Treat galls by killing the insects. You should also clean out from under the tree when the leaves fall off, since this is where the insects survive during winter.

Other Tree Problems

Poor Pruning – There’s a discipline to tree pruning, as well as many types, and if you aren’t sure what you’re doing, you could harm the tree past the point of recovery. Consider the type of tree, season and other factors. Under-pruning (or a lack of pruning at all) is just as big of an issue. Only an experienced arborist should be trusted to trim trees in order to keep them healthy.

Lack of Water – Young trees can be severely affected by drought. If you plant new trees on your property, you will probably have to supplement the amount of water they get from rainfall. A tree that is not getting enough water can have its growth stunted. The first symptom you are likely to noticed is scorched or dry leaves. Find more tips for new trees here.

Too Much Sun – Do your research before planting trees in a full-sun area of your property. Many species of trees can handle it just fine, but too much sun can happen to any tree if the sun is too hot for a long period and rainfall is light. A tree that is getting excessive sun needs even more water to prevent wilting, drooping leaves.

Certified Arborist Services in Georgia

An experienced arborist from GA Tree Trimming will be able to quickly diagnose what’s going on with your sick tree and put together a plan to rescue it.

Here are the things an arborist is qualified to do:

• Evaluate trees from the ground and from the limbs of the tree if necessary. Getting into the canopy is typically necessary to understand exactly what is causing the symptoms.
• Treat your tree through fertilizers and additives in the soil or solutions sprayed on the leaves. This person will have expert knowledge about the disease affecting your tree and the best treatments for it.
• Prune trees to remove dead or damaged branches and to assist healthy growth. Even if heavy pruning is necessary, they will know how to remove branches so that the tree survives both the issue and the pruning.
• Remove the tree from your property if nothing can be done to save it. The worst case is that the tree is dying, and cutting it down is the only way to protect your property and surrounding landscape.

They can also inform you about the trees that you have om your property and how to best care for them so you don’t return to the same situation again.

Many tree diseases look similar to one another, requiring an expert eye to correctly diagnose and treat the issue. If your trees are looking dry, unhealthy or disfigured, call a certified arborist from GA Tree Trimming for an inspection before it’s too late for your tree.

When it comes to the question, “Which season is best for tree trimming?” The answer is often indirect.

Tree type will determine when many species can be trimmed, along with insect population and activity, local tree and plant diseases and other types of plants and trees in the landscape.

With the guidance of a certified arborist in Georgia, you can figure out which time of year is optimal for pruning your trees to set them up for success next season and every year after that.

Best Season to Prune Trees

Without any other information, GA Tree Trimming recommends tree trimming in the winter. This would be sometime from November to March in Georgia. Winter is ideal because the trees are mostly dormant, so pruning will lead to the least amount of damage, if any.

There are a lot of benefits to pruning trees during the winter:

Lower chance of insect damage and disease – Pests and plant diseases are mostly inactive during the winter. During the remainder of the year, everything from insects to fungus can affect a freshly trimmed tree because the tree is most susceptible and these issues are more common when there is warmer weather.

Easier to determine the shape of the tree when there are no leaves – Leaves stop your arborist from seeing the overall shape of a tree. When the branches are bare, it is much easier to see diseased or dead branches and branches that are touching versus those that are just close together.

Trees have time to heal before spring – By doing this significant pruning in the winter, your trees have many months to rebuild callus tissue on the ends of the remaining branch collar. By the spring season, you’ll hardly be able to tell where the branches were cut off, and the tree will be able to focus its energy to produce new leaves, fruit or flowers rather than healing new cuts.

Less chance of damaging surrounding landscaping – Most of the nearby trees and plants will also be dormant, so there is less risk of doing damage to them. Many times, a tree is surrounded by annual plants in the warmer months, but there are no plants to be disturbed during the winter since these annuals have already died out.

Do All Trees Need Pruning?

Yes, all trees will benefit from routine pruning. Tree pruning every winter is good for trees, but it is also a precaution for the safety of your landscaping and your family and neighbors. Let us explain:

Pruning Makes the Tree Stronger

Dying and diseased branches are removed, as are branch stubs that are prone to pests and disease. Branches that can rub one another are also trimmed so that they don’t weaken each other or cause an open wound on the tree.

Pruning trees every year is also a great way to get expert eyes on your trees so that early warning signs of decay, disease and pest infestations can be identified and handled right away.

A Cared-For Tree Serves Its Purpose Better

When a tree is overgrown, it’s hard for water and nutrients to reach every branch. This can leave the tree looking scraggly and sick and definitely not doing what it’s meant to do.

Pruned trees, on the other hand, blossom more fruit, healthier leaves and offer better shade. They are much fuller and healthier and less likely to cause landscaping problems. So regardless of why you decided to plant a new tree, routine trimming will maximize the results you want from it.

Trees are More Beautiful After Pruning

If the curb appeal of your landscaping is important to you, tree trimming is important! Pruning trees creates an attractive, uniform size and shape. This is especially important if you have a lot of identical trees on your property.

Cutting off lower branches and upper branches that grow at awkward angles improves the overall beauty of the tree while also strengthening tree health.

Less Chance of Dropping Branches

Tree trimming – from a professional – encourages the remaining branches to grow stronger and healthier. Therefore, storms and other inclement weather in Georgia won’t damage your trees the way they would an unkempt tree. Your home and family will be safer living under and around pruned trees.

Another safety issue for large trees is that they impede the view of traffic lights, road signs and driveways. Tree pruning, crown raising and other certified tree care services will keep the tree at a good size and prevent it from blocking various views.

Call GA Tree Trimming for Tree Trimming

Hiring a professional arborist in Georgia gives you access to their knowledge on tree trimming. We strongly recommend relying on their years of experience if you have trees on your property that you’d like to keep healthy for a long time.

An arborist doesn’t only consider the immediate situation. Instead, he or she will take the time to inspect your trees and understand their unique scenario (including their location and factors that could put them at risk of disease or infestation). After collecting all of the information, an arborist will create a long-term plan based on the trees’ needs and stick to that plan until your goals for your trees are met.

This plan could require many years to implement, but rest assured, it will result in healthy trees that you and your family can enjoy for generations.

This type of ongoing care will aid in healthy tree growth, help your entire property resist plant diseases and increase flower or fruit production from the trees. It will also fortify your trees so there is less risk of falling trees or branches.

Being proactive about tree care can save you a lot of money over time too. Preventative maintenance is much more cost-effective than paying for emergency tree services, storm damage cleanup or curing a sick tree from a disease that has spread out of hand (and one that was easily preventable).

If you care about the health of your trees and the curb appeal of your landscaping, trust a certified arborist for tree pruning and maintenance from GA Tree Trimming. Discover our service area here. We work with arborists across the entire state of Georgia. Call today!

Tree pruning in Georgia is a professional service that can beautify and reinforce trees so they can withstand pests, diseases and severe weather – and look good while doing it!

Pruning should be done if you want a healthy tree, but it must be done correctly by someone who knows what they’re doing. Like a certified arborist from GA Tree Trimming. You may be able to prune and trim trees safely while they are small, but you also may do irreparable harm to the tree.

To properly prune trees, you need to know all of the following:

• When is the best time to prune your types of trees
• How much of the tree should be trimmed at a time
• Where to cut each branch so you do not harm the tree

Taking too much from a tree could kill it or cause structural damage, but minimal pruning done annually benefits trees in several ways. Professional pruning helps to improve the appearance of trees, makes them stronger, eliminates dead or diseased portions and assists in fruit or flower production.

For the best results, pruning must be completed once a year, but as trees get older, you may be able to wait two years between pruning services. Regardless of how regularly you have your trees pruned, make sure your arborist is qualified to do the type of tree pruning your trees need. This won’t be a problem if you call GA Tree Trimming in Georgia!

Types of Tree Pruning Methods

There are 7 different ways to properly prune a tree so that it grows healthier and stronger every year.

Depending on the size, species and health problems of your trees, one method might be more beneficial than another, but each technique has various benefits.

Crown Thinning Your Trees

Crown thinning is popular for larger, overgrown trees in Georgia. This process removes weak branches within the crown of the tree to improve light and air flow through the crown. Air flow is important for disease prevention.

This tree pruning method also eliminates branches that are touching so they no longer rub against each other and break or create weakened areas that can be an entry point for pests. Limbs that grow at odd angles are usually removed during crown thinning.

Crown Raising Your Trees

This pruning technique removes branches at the lowest part of the crown so limbs start higher up on the trunk of the tree. Letting low branches get too big makes them very hard to cut off, and they can pull nutrients away from the top of the tree, which leads to less fruit and a weak tree.

There are many reasons you might want to raise the crown of a tree. Many times, it is done in order to clear the line of sight for cars and pedestrians, but it can be done to free up space for landscaping beneath the tree.

It is a very common technique for overgrown trees that are close to homes and other buildings.

Crown Reduction

Crown reduction lowers the total size of the tree’s crown from its exterior edge. It shortens branches horizontally and vertically to keep the tree at a manageable size. By lowering the crown size, you can eliminate the need to cut the tree down because it won’t come into contact with traffic lights, power lines or street lights.

Even when the tree isn’t close to structures like these, crown reduction will help the tree look much better because it removes irregular growth. This is a good idea for trees that are different ages but you want to look uniform.

Crown Cleaning

Sometimes known as deadwood pruning, crown cleaning is a minimally invasive type of tree pruning method that gets rid of dying, broken or diseased limbs so that the remaining parts of the tree may grow normally. These branches can only cause issues in the future.

Crown cleaning makes the tree look a lot better, and it prevents branches from rubbing together. And it is a safety practice that lowers the chance of branches falling, since healthy branches do not usually fall.

Crown Restoration

Crown restoration is a focused trimming technique used on trees that were severely damaged (either by pests or weather). It should only be done by a certified arborist who knows how the tree is likely to grow over time and roughly how long it’s restoration is going to take.

Unlike other tree pruning services, crown restoration happens during an extended time period with conservative trimming that reshapes the tree. Your arborist will have a definitive plan to restore the tree, but also be flexible as the tree grows and reshapes on its own, adapting to the tree’s new growth pattern.

Vista Pruning

If you want trees that help improve the beauty of your landscaping, you are probably interested in vista pruning. The intent of vista pruning is to help to make the tree more visually pleasing from a particular vantage point.

It entails many tree trimming techniques including crown thinning, crown reduction and crown cleaning – anything that makes the trees look more attractive. Remember, though, that a professional is not going to jeopardize the health of a tree, so the primary focus of vista pruning is still to maintain strong, healthy trees.

Espalier Pruning

Espaliered trees are heavily pruned to grow flat up against a wall or a trellis. It is a unique style of tree pruning that is going to draw a lot of attention to your lawn. Espalier pruning needs to begin when the tree is young and then done routinely throughout the tree’s life span.

of espalier pruning include facilitating maximum sunlight to get to the trees, as well as making it easier to produce fruit.

Professional Tree Pruning in Georgia

Tree pruning can be dangerous for a tree, your landscaping, and, of course, for you! GA Tree Trimming highly suggests professional tree trimming over DIY.

Besides the possible dangers of tree trimming, you can do a lot of harm to a tree if you don’t trim it properly. Over-pruning is one of the most typical mistakes made by homeowners maintaining their own trees.

Trees in Georgia that get annual care from a professionals are much better off, and hiring a certified arborist from GA Tree Trimming to care for trees on your property is a decision you won’t regret. Locate your town in our service area. We work with arborists throughout the entire state of Georgia!

Planting a tree on your land has many benefits. Trees give much-needed summer shade, filter contaminated air and increase curb appeal and property value.

Once completely grown, most trees are very simple to care for: another benefit! They are durable and tend to grow even with minimal care. However, if you want to help your trees achieve their full potential, they need a little more effort.

Lack of care for young trees can cause rotting, disease, under watering or pest problems.

Fortunately, caring for trees isn’t too difficult, but you do need some tips to do it right. Familiarize yourself with the new trees you plant in order to know exactly what they need. Then care for them and watch them flourish.

Below, we’ll describe the five best practices on how to plant a new tree and seeing it thrive. You likely know the basics, so we’ll dive a little deeper and lay out how to do each step correctly.

Tree Care Tips for New Trees

These five tips will not only keep trees alive, they’ll help them to grow much faster, stand up to damaging winds, fight off diseases ,insects and pests and produce more leaves, buds or fruit.

Water Your Tree

New trees need a lot more water than grown ones. The trees you plant on your land are no exception.

The root of the tree and the soil around it need be kept moist, but don’t let it get soaked, as this can cause some of the roots to rot.

The rule of thumb is 4-10 gallons of water every week. Rain water also counts, and although it’s difficult to have an exact reading, a rain gauge can help get you close enough to supplement the remaining gallons. Your trees will need this much water for the initial 2-3 growing seasons.

Mulch Around Your Trees

Mulch is more than an attractive landscaping material. It actually helps protect new trees, especially the roots. But laying mulch the wrong way can sometimes cause rotting and decay – so much so, that the tree will not survive.

Place mulch exactly 3 inches away from the trunk of the tree and spread it out to completely cover the ground underneath the longest branch. For brand new trees, this won’t be very far, but as the tree grows, your mulch area will also grow substantially.

Keep the mulch at least 2 to 4 inches thick in all areas. Be attentive in spreading it out consistently and far enough away from the tree trunk so it does not stop air flow around the trunk.

Fertilize Around Your Tree

Fertilizer provides several nutrients your soil might not have naturally. Most new trees can benefit from fertilizing, but you have to be using the correct products and doing it at the correct time in order for fertilizer to be most beneficial.

The perfect time to fertilize is early spring. Sometimes early summer provides good conditions (mild temperatures and wet soil), but don’t count on it.

If you are unsure about which fertilizer to use, speak to a tree care professional for recommendations. Slow-release fertilizers are often a good idea because they feed your trees over time rather than all right away.

Follow through with these tasks in the initial growing seasons after planting a tree, and then reconsider your watering, mulching and fertilizing as the tree grows larger. As time goes on, there will be additional tree care projects that become more important for your young trees.

Trim Your Tree

Tree pruning is very important – but very challenging – in the early years after planting a new tree. As the tree grows bigger, you will see several small branches take off, trying to become the trunk of the tree. You may think this shows that the tree is healthy and that it is growing well, but it can actually lead to a very weak tree as time goes on.

Early trimming shapes the tree into what it is going to ultimately look like when it becomes much larger. As small limbs emerge on the lower trunk, they have to be removed so they don’t steal water and nutrients away from the upper branches.

As long as you have trees on your property, they need to be trimmed routinely. When the tree gets too large for you to prune them safely, you can trust GA Tree Trimming to do the job for you.

Monitor Your Tree

New trees are at the most risk for damage, disease and pest issues. But you’re never 100% safe from these issues. As your tree gets older, monitor it carefully for evidence of disease or poor nutrition, including the following:

• Leaf color changing out of season, especially leaves turning brown or yellow
• Premature leaf falling, despite whether these leaves appear healthy or sick
• Wilting, regardless of adequate watering
• Single branches or limbs dying
• Peeling bark

These signs indicate a health issue. It is likely going to need professional care if your hope is to keep the tree alive. A certified arborist can often identify the problem by simply looking at the tree, although they will perform testing whenever necessary.

If you catch the issue quick enough, you will probably be able to save the tree from dying. Being proactive is the best course of action to protect younger trees.

The tips above are simple but effective. Don’t underestimate the importance of the basics! When your new trees have proper care, combined with some sunshine and barring any severe, damaging weather, the chances are good that the tree will survive and look beautiful!

Of course, you might already have a very busy schedule and don’t really want to take on these additional tasks. In some cases, homeowners don’t have the physical ability or the tools to give their growing trees the appropriate care.

No matter the situation, it’s a good idea to seek the help of a tree company for the care of new trees. A professional arborist in Georgia can consult with you about the best course of maintenance for each tree species you plant. Arborists enjoy sharing their knowledge and skills with homeowners planting brand new trees on their land, and can be the difference between trees that struggle and trees thriving.

Call GA Tree Trimming now for information on routine tree maintenance in Georgia – including tree pruning – for newer trees and old trees. An arborists can determine the best plan for your trees! Locate your city in our service area here.