Tree services guides? Compacted soil: When you plant a tree in your backyard, the roots need room to spread out. This can be difficult when planting in compacted soil and heavy clay. Poor quality, compacted soil is an especially common problem if your home has been recently built, as many contractors use construction fill – soil scraped from other sites which may include debris – to shape the landscape. If the tree’s roots have no room to grow and face constant soil pressure, the result may be crushed roots, poor water and nutrient uptake, and stunted growth. You can counter this threat by using best practice planting methods along with vertical mulching or mixing in organic matter into the compacted soil. The Morton Arboretum has an excellent video primer on planting trees.
Tree stumps are both unattractive and dangerous. We have the proper tools and experience to remove or grind any stumps on your property. Your satisfaction with our work is guaranteed! Local, family-owned and operated by the father-and-son team of Jack and Clay Webb, Tree Artisans offers reliable, timely tree care. We are members of the International Society of Arboriculture and the Tree Care Industry Association. Licensed and insured to operate in Colorado, we are based in Colorado Springs. Our services extend anywhere along the Front Range, and we can quickly service El Paso, Teller, and Douglas. See extra details on Best tree services in Colorado Springs. Defoliation – or loss of leaves – eliminates food production capability, which weakens the tree, reduces growth, and results in pale leaves and branch dieback. The effects can range from a slight reduction in vigor to complete tree death. The forecast is grim when defoliation occurs early in the growing season when leaves reach full expansion. The tree has expended a considerable amount of energy on leaf development and food reserves haven’t had time to replenish. The tree is further weakened as it expends additional energy to refoliate. Trees that receive regular care – pruning, fertilization, mulching, and watering during dry periods – have a higher toleration for defoliation. If a tree is defoliated, watering during dry periods aids the refoliation process. Fertilization can also encourage refoliation and replenish nutrients.
Mulching is the most beneficial thing a home owner can do for the health of a young tree. Mulches are materials placed on the soil surface to improve soil structure, oxygen levels, temperature and moisture availability. Properly applied, mulch can give landscapes a handsome, well-groomed appearance. Ideally, growing trees should be fertilized throughout the year. The greatest amounts should be applied during the early spring and summer months. Several light applications a year are preferred as the tree gets older. As such, some of the best trees to plant in Colorado are evergreens. However, the larger ones, such as blue spruce and the various pine and fir types are not suitable to be used as street trees; on the other hand, smaller evergreens like Piñon (Pinus edulis), Hawthorn species (Crataegus spp.) or Bristlecone pine (Pinus aristata) are. Small ornamental trees are also successfully used for landscaping. Canada red cherry and Mayday tree with their white flowers, Canyon maple (which is a Rocky Mountain native), Ginkgo biloba, American linden and Sycamore trees are only a few examples.
Not enough water is harmful for the tree, but too much water is bad as well. Over-watering is a common tree care mistake. Please note that moist is different than soggy, and you can judge this by feel. A damp soil that dries for a short period will allow adequate oxygen to permeate the soil. You can check soil moisture by using a garden trowel and inserting it into the ground to a depth of 2″, and then move the blade of the trowel back and forth to create a small narrow trench. Then use your finger to touch the soil. If it is moist to the touch, then they do not need water.
Searching for the best choices if you need to cut down the tree maintenance costs? Start with picking the right trees for Colorado! Russian Hawthorns are one of the most drought-tolerant trees on our list. Again, establishing these trees with two seasons of normal watering will get their root systems healthy and strong enough to withstand dry conditions. Susan highly recommends Russian Hawthorn. It was the first tree she nominated for our list! Russian Hawthorns mature at 15 to 20 feet tall and wide with an upright oval form and slightly spreading lower branches. These hawthorns have beautiful, finely-cut, dark green leaves, turning yellow in the fall. The white flowers emerge in clusters in late spring. They mature into richly-colored dark red berries late in the season.
Do you want to keep your trees safe? First we will write some tips on tree care and after that we will introduce Tree Artisans, a tree services company in Colorado Springs. If your area constantly deals with drought you will want to consider trees listed as drought-tolerant. Some drought-tolerant species include Arizona Cypress, Japanese Zelkova, White Fir, and Kentucky Coffeetree. On the opposite side of the spectrum if your area deals with a large amount of moisture or wet conditions, here are a few trees that will do better in wet conditions: Baldcypress, Shellbark Hickory, Red Maple, Silver Maple, Paper Birch, River Birch, and Weeping Willow.