8 Key Summer Tree Care and Maintenance Tips

The summer heat is here with us! With temperatures rising in the summer, it is important that you prepare summer tree care so your trees can handle the heat.

Caring for trees in the summer is much more different than other seasons of the year. The summer allows for a more hands-off approach to tree maintenance.

Trees will require your attention to stay healthy throughout the summer.

Tree owners enjoy the glamour of tending to trees with budding green leaves and blooming flowers in the spring. The summer should be no different.

To prepare trees for the red, orange, and browns hue of the fall, essential maintenance and care are necessary.

Quality care and maintenance of trees in summer will help you keep trees healthy and beautiful. The long hot and humid days along with the storms of the summer, should not affect your trees.

Younger trees tend to be particularly affected by the harsh conditions of the summer. Below we provide a few tips for maintaining trees in the summer.

1. Tree Evaluation

The summer is a wonderful time to acquire the services of a professional to examine your tree's health. A certified arborist or forester can help propose the appropriate procedures for your landscape.

The expert can also suggest remedies for any problem affecting your trees. An arborist will also advise you on irrigation and other summer tree maintenances.

2. Cabling as Summer Tree Care

Unexpected summer storms are a hazard for trees and neighboring properties. Consult the services of an arborist to determine whether trees in your property pose any imminent danger to vehicles and structures in your compound.

Upon evaluation, the professional may suggest cabling of weak limbs. They may also suggest the complete removal of limbs or trees that may be hazardous.

Cabling can also help in curbing excessive shedding of twigs and leaves during the summer. Summer leaf drops are common with trees such as maples, hack-berries, willows, birch, and cedar.

3. Soil Care

One of the most popular summer tree care activities is soil conservation. Most of the problems in trees emanate from poor soil composition or structure.

Some of the most common soil issues include lack of nutrients, soil compaction, and acidity. Improving the composition and structure of your soil will improve tree health. 

Most urban and suburban soils are highly compacted due to constructions and traffic. This compaction hinders oxygen flow in the soil.

While the top 6inches of forest soil is around 50% oxygen, urban soils have roughly 10% oxygen.

Aerating and de-compacting soils can aid in increasing air and water flow in the soil. Aeration will also assist in root propagation.

To aerate the earth, you drill holes into the earth using an auger. Application of organic manure also helps in soil aeration.

Artificial fertilizer can also help to improve soil nutrition. Nutritious soils will support leafing and shoot growth.

Compost can fend off pest and diseases. Excessive application of artificial fertilizer can be harmful to trees and the environment.

4. Pruning

Tree pruning in the summer is usually done for corrective reasons — summer's warm weather help in identifying defective parts of a tree. 

When pruning, only dead or infected branches should be removed. Broken limbs are pruned to prevent spread to the rest of the tree.Summer pruning can also be done to curtail the growth of branches or trees.

Properly pruned trees will encourage the healthy growth of trees into the fall. Pruning improves air circulation and reduces water uptake by trees. Trimming will also allow more sunlight in your compound.

Excessive pruning could expose a tree to sun scalding and stress since tress relies on leaves for food. Younger trees are susceptible to heat scalding; hence, they should be pruned with extreme caution.

For effective summer tree maintenance tips, enlist the services of a professional at GreenTopps who can discern what can be pruned or not.

5. Irrigation

For effective summer tree care, it is important to water trees. Like humans, the hotter the temperatures, the more trees crave water. 

When watering trees focus on the root zone. You should avoid watering using sprinklers, which only supply water to top layer soil and foliage.
 
Watering in the morning is recommended to avoid evaporation. It will also help tress to deal with heat in the course of the day. Irrigation should also be deep and thorough and done at most bi-weekly.

Excessive watering could be detrimental to trees. Excessive water in the soil could lead to clogging and poor soil aeration Infrequent, but deep and thorough irrigation is preferred to shallow and frequent watering.

6. Mulching

Another tip for summer tree maintenance is mulching. Mulching helps to curtail weeds, conserve soil moisture, and stabilize temperature. The proper method of mulching is by spreading it throughout the radius of the root zone. 

Mulch should be 2-3 inches thick. Mulch should also be kept fresh by raking the top layer or replacing old mulch with new mulch. The most common mulching material is shredded hardwood.

It is advisable to avoid fresh wood chips which have high acidity and could injure young trees.

7. Pest Inspection

A pest infestation can ravage your compound and leave you with irreversible damages. Warm summer weathers are optimal for pest growth. It is essential to conduct regular Pest Inspection over the summer.

Pest such as Lace Bugs, magnolia scale, Sawflies, bagworms, Root Rot, Japanese beetles, aphids, Wilt, Leaf Spot, and spider mites are common in the summer.

For effective tree care in the summer, it is vital that you find an arborist to identify the pest and cull them.

8. Cooling

Cooling and shading is another important tip for summer tree maintenance. Young sensitive trees should be shaded against excessive heat.

Landscaping materials such as water surfaces, structures, glass, and block walls can intensify heat stress on trees.

It is therefore crucial that you carefully evaluate the choice of materials used in landscaping. Some materials used for mulching like decomposed granite can also absorb heat and lead to heat stress.

Bottom Line

Summer tree care is a routine that's worth to adopt. 

Despite being beautiful and environmentally friendly trees are a good addition to any yard, they help in raising the value of your home and property. 

Tree care also ensures that trees have a long lifespan for you and others to enjoy in the coming years. 

Feel free to reach out to us for full-service landscaping lawn service, lawn care and other tree maintenance related services.