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Having 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 when temperatures rise.

To get all of the benefits of shade trees, you need to plant the right species of tree and care for them properly.

MS Tree Trimming has recommendations for the best trees to plant for shade, and some expert advice on maintaining your shade trees so they continue to grow strong and healthy.

Planting Trees for Shade

Any tree can technically provide shade, but there are some types of trees that are built for maximum shade. These trees usually have a thick, wide canopy that reaches out about as far as it does upward.

Below, we’ve provided examples of shade trees based on whether they would be best suited for your back or front yard.

Back Yard Shade Trees

Shade trees in the back yard are primarily for your own benefit. Neighbors and passersby usually won’t see these trees , so they can be purely for shade and enjoyment.

Besides just shade, these trees can provide year-round color as well as some additional privacy.

Here are popular choices:

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

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

Most of these back yard tree suggestions get pretty large, so you need to do a little research to find out if the tree will have enough space to grow to its full potential.

If there is not enough space, the tree’s root system can damage your fencing or even your home. You will also need to prune the tree every year to keep it manageable. A tree that is too large for its location will probably have to be removed, which is an unfortunate and sometimes costly situation.

Front Yard Shade Trees

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

Choose shade trees for the front yard that are somewhat smaller so they don’t overpower your home and landscaping. These trees should pair with your landscaping in both color and size, while still offering lots 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 display even more color during the fall.
Another excellent option for your front or side yard is the ‘Green Giant’ Arborvitae. This hedge-like tree can be planted in a row to create privacy and shade.

With options in mind, we encourage you to plant trees you like. In all honesty, any tree can be a “shade tree.” Assuming the trees you choose are suitable for the climate in Mississippi, 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 — there are a few that you probably wouldn’t automatically think about.

Shade, Obviously – When temperatures get too hot, you don’t have to hide indoors if you have a comfortable, shady yard. Put a chair or hammock under your biggest shade tree and enjoy time outside as long as you like.

Climate Control – Trees can help regulate the temperature in your yard and inside your home. Not only do trees protect you from the hot sun, but they can make it feel 10-15 degrees cooler under their protective canopies. This results in less solar radiation on your roof and siding as well, which might result in lower energy costs!

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

Shelter for Animals – If you’re into bird watching or think squirrels and chipmunks are cute, your trees can give them all they will need to build a home, find nearby food and raise babies.

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

How to Care for Shade Trees

Caring for shade trees is pretty easy as long as you’ve planted the right species for the weather in Mississippi. Healthy trees are strong and hardy after a couple of years, needing little attention or maintenance.

Consult an arborist from MS Tree Trimming if you have any questions about how to care for your shade trees, or even to help you select the perfect tree for your yard.

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

Planting Your Shade Tree

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

Trimming Your Shade Tree

Prune during the first year or two after planting the tree to help to shape it and help it form a strong foundation. To be safe, and for the best results, call MS Tree Trimming for tree trimming in Mississippi. 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 in the long run.

Fertilizing Your Shade Tree

Fertilize a shade tree the same way you would any other tree in order to promote growth. Fertilizer is not necessary for caring for a shade tree, but it can assist in helping your tree to grow faster and produce more leaves, which are the primary source of your shade.

We hope this information was helpful! Remember, when it is time to trim or prune a new shade tree, MS Tree Trimming can help! Call and a certified arborist in Mississippi will visit your property, examine the tree and decide the proper maintenance plan for its long-term health and growth.

Tree pruning is best left to experienced professionals. It’s a dangerous job, climbing trees, using chainsaws and lowering heavy branches to the ground; and it can be dangerous for the tree as well. Trees that are improperly pruned can experience a lifetime of damage.

Rather than putting yourself and putting the tree itself at risk, hire an arborist who is knowledgeable and experienced to do it for you.

This will lead to much stronger trees and a safer environment surrounding your landscaping for several reasons:

• Healthier trees are sturdier and less likely to cause damage during storms
• Maintained trees don’t attract or spread parasites and diseases
• Pruned trees grow more flowers or fruit
• Trimmed trees offer shade and allow air to flow through their canopies and your landscaping

MS Tree Trimming highly recommends pruning trees that are near your house or those that are an integral part of your landscape.

Is Tree Pruning Necessary?

It is not required. But it is beneficial. Trees are strong and can grow on their own all over the world, in various different climates and regions, without being trimmed.

However, there are a lot of benefits of tree pruning, so it’s recommended for trees that you care about. This includes sentimental trees, fruit trees and flowering trees or trees that perform an important job for your house, such as shade or home to wildlife.

Tree Pruning Gone Wrong

Pruning a tree is a complex task. You need the correct equipment and a lot of information to guarantee the job is done correctly. The majority of homeowners don’t have any of these!

But that’s not a problem, because there are a lot of companies available who know exactly how to properly prune trees for an affordable price to you including all of the certified arborists throughout Mississippi we partner with!

Below are the 5 mistakes homeowners make when attempting DIY tree pruning that can lead to several tree problems. These are things that a certified arborist from MS Tree Trimming will know, and that’s the reason why their services are worth the price!

Pruning Too Much

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

A huge mistake homeowners make when trimming trees by themselves is cutting too much of the tree at a time. This happens because they let the tree’s growth get out of control and try to fix it all at once. Ideally, you should not cut off more than 5-20% of the tree’s crown at the actual removal cut. It is much easier to do this during a season that the leaves are off, but an experienced arborist will be able to properly prune trees any time of year.

Cutting at the Wrong Place

A certified arborist knows where to cut each limb to protect against damage. This cut should occur just beyond the branch collar, the exact place where the branch connects to the tree trunk.

Trimming too close to the branch collar exposes the tree to pests and decay. Cutting too far away from it leaves an unsightly stump when the tree has recovered. Most DIY tree pruning leads to an improper cut, leaving either structural or aesthetic issues.

Trimming Large Branches

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

Conservative trimming annually ensures that the company only has to remove branches that are 2-3 inches in diameter, which results in a more attractive shape for the tree and less risk of hurting the tree or exposing it to disease and insects.

Topping the Tree

Tree topping is an outdated type of pruning, and for good reason! In this service, tree trimmers would cut the top off of the tree to get the desired height. It was neither attractive nor was it beneficial for the tree, so the vast majority of arborists do not practice tree topping currently.

During DIY tree pruning, you might think this is a good way to lower the height of your tree with only one cut, but once you have cut the top of a tree off, there’s almost no chance that it will ever return to a natural shape.

The Solution? Call MS Tree Trimming

Your tree may never recover from poor pruning.

Attempting this project yourself might seem like a way to save a little money, but you could end up with way more cost trying to revive damaged trees, so it’s really safer (and more economical in the long run) to hire a certified arborist in Mississippi from MS Tree Trimming.

Limbs don’t grow back. The tree will grow more, but it will not grow back in the same places, which  results in strange shapes that could take years to correct. The tree could end up looking bad for the rest of its life, all because of a single pruning mistake.

Incorrect trimming could also lead to death of the tree. Cutting off too many limbs (and, therefore, leaves) can affect the tree’s photosynthesis process, meaning it won’t get enough water or enough carbon dioxide and sunlight to continue healthy growth.

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

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

Trees are living organisms, so that means that they can get “sick” like people and animals. A disease or other tree problem might take a while to show itself because of the overall size of the tree, and once symptoms become clear, it could be too late to revive the tree.

A certified arborist from MS Tree Trimming can help you identify and treat tree problems so that there is a much greater chance of keeping the tree. Learn about our service here. Not only can an arborist help to prevent a tree from dying, but they are also able to help trees get more healthy growth and bloom more flowers or fruit.

Have you ever noticed a tree on your lawn that has always seemed OK but suddenly seems like something is wrong? In the next section, we’ll describe some of the most common tree problems and what these symptoms mean.

If you see any of these things, act fast for the best chance of saving the tree and the ones around it.

Tree Diseases & Common Problems

These 7 things are the most frequent issues encountered by experienced arborists in Mississippi. As soon as you think one of these things might be wrong with your tree, contact someone with the knowledge and equipment to help!

Tree Diseases

Leaf Rust – Leaf rust is 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 bad because it interferes with the leaves’ photosynthesis, the process by which it breathes. Leaf rust can be treated with fungicides and selective pruning of the diseased leaves. It could be necessary to cut off whole limbs with leaf rust.

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

Some cases of Witches’ Broom are deadly for the tree, while others are only considered a growth malformation. An arborist can diagnose the issue.

Mildew – Mildew is a fungus that grows on almost anything in moist conditions, but even after the wet conditions are over with, mildew can remain and thrive. Mildew usually appears as a powdery texture, usually white, and it usually grows on the leaves of the tree first.

The the best method for eliminating mildew is to apply a fungicide that includes sulfur. This will treat the current mildew and help to prevent future mildew growth on the tree. You might also need to prune the tree to remove limbs, 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 leave their eggs in. Most galls are not harmful to the tree, but none of them are attractive.

Gall will appear as bumps on the tree, in a range of sizes. They are often white, brown, gray or some color in between.

It is not necessary to treat the tree for galls, but they can affect the growth of young trees. Treat galls by killing the pests. You should also clean out from under the tree after the leaves fall off, since this is where the pests survive during winter.

Other Tree Problems

Improper Pruning – There’s an art to tree trimming, as well as many types, and if you don’t know what to do, you could damage the tree past the point of recovery. Consider the type of tree, season and other factors. Under-pruning (or not pruning at all) is just as big of an issue. Only a trained arborist should be trusted to trim trees in order to keep them healthy.

Lack of Water – Young trees can be severely impacted by drought. If you plant new trees, 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 sign you are likely to see is scorched, dry leaves. Find more tips for new trees here.

Too Much Sun – Do your initial planning before planting trees in a full-sun area. Many types 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 a lot of sun needs extra water to fight against wilting, drooping leaves.

Certified Arborist Services in Mississippi

A trained arborist from MS Tree Trimming will be able to quickly identify what’s going on with your sick tree and put together a plan to rescue it.

Here are the things an arborist is trained to do:

• Evaluate trees from below and from the limbs of the tree if necessary. Getting into the canopy is often necessary to see exactly what is leading to the symptoms.
• Treat your tree with additives and fertilizers in the dirt or solutions sprayed on the leaves. This person will have knowledge about the disease affecting your tree and the most effective treatments for it.
• Prune tree limbs to get rid of dead or diseased branches and to help healthy growth. Even if heavy trimming is needed, they will know how to remove branches so that the tree survives both the problem and the trimming.
• Remove the tree from your property if nothing can be done to save it. The worst case scenario is that the tree is dying, and cutting it down is the best choice to protect your home and surrounding landscape.

They can also educate you about the trees that you have and how to best maintain them so you don’t find yourself in the same situation in the future.

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

When it comes to the question, “What time of year is best for tree tree pruning?” The answer will likely be vague.

The type of tree will determine when many species are able to be trimmed, along with insect population and activity, local tree and plant diseases and other plants and trees in the yard.

With the guidance of a certified arborist in Mississippi, you will be able to decide what season is the best for trimming your trees to set them up for success next season and beyond.

Best Season to Prune Trees

Without any other context, MS Tree Trimming recommends tree trimming during the winter. This would be sometime from November to March in most areas. This season is optimal because trees are typically dormant, so pruning will cause a minimal amount of damage, if any.

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

Less chance of insect damage and disease – Insects and plant diseases are usually inactive in the winter. During the remainder of the year, everything from insects to fungus can affect a freshly pruned tree because the tree is most vulnerable and these issues are more common during warmer weather.

Easier to determine the shape of the tree when there are no leaves – Leaves get in the way of your arborist from seeing the complete shape of a tree. When tree branches are bare, it is much easier to identify dead or diseased branches and branches that are touching versus those that are just too close to each other.

Trees can heal before spring – By doing this major pruning during the winter, your trees have many months to build up callus tissue on the tips of the remaining branch collar. By the spring, you’ll hardly be able to identify where the branches were trimmed, and the tree will be able to devote its energy to produce brand new leaves, fruit or flowers rather than healing new cuts.

Less chance of damaging nearby landscaping – Most of the surrounding trees and greenery will also be dormant, so there is less risk of 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 benefit from annual trimming. Tree pruning each 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 limbs are cut off, as are branch stubs that are prone to pests and disease. Branches that can rub each other are also pruned so they don’t weaken one another or cause an open wound on the tree.

Trimming trees every winter is also a great way to get an expert’s opinion on your trees so that early signs of decay, disease and insect problems can be identified and dealt with as soon as possible.

A Cared-For Tree Serves Its Purpose Better

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

Trimmed trees, on the other hand, produce more fruit, healthier leaves and offer better shade. They are much fuller and healthier and less likely to create landscaping problems. So regardless of why you decided to plant a new tree, pruning each winter will maximize the results you want from it.

Trees are More Attractive After Trimming

If the view of your landscaping is important to you, tree trimming is important! Trimming trees gives them an attractive, uniform shape and size. This is very important if you have several 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 Risk of Dropping Branches

Tree trimming – from an arborist – encourages the remaining tree branches to grow stronger and healthier. Therefore, storms and high winds 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 overgrown trees is that they can impede the view of traffic lights, road signs and driveways. Tree pruning, crown raising and other professional tree care services will keep the tree at a good size and stop it from blocking various views.

Call MS Tree Trimming for Tree Pruning

Hiring a certified arborist in Mississippi gives you access to their expert knowledge on the subject of tree trimming. We highly recommend relying on their expertise if there are trees on that you’d like to keep healthy for awhile.

An arborist doesn’t just look at the immediate situation. Instead, an experienced arborist will take the time to research your trees and understand their unique scenario (including their location and other factors that could put them at risk). After gathering all the information, an arborist will create a long-term plan based on the trees’ unique needs and stick to that course of action until the goals for your trees are met.

This plan could take 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 maintenance will result in healthy tree growth, help your entire property resist plant diseases and enhance fruit or flower production from the trees. It will also fortify your trees so there is not as much risk of falling trees or branches.

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

If you care about the health of your trees and the curb appeal of your property, trust a certified arborist for tree trimming and maintenance from MS Tree Trimming. Find our service area here. We work with arborists across the entire state of Mississippi. Call today!

Tree pruning in Mississippi is a professional service that can beautify and reinforce trees so they are able to withstand pests, diseases and inclement weather – and look breathtaking while doing it!

Pruning needs to be done if you want a healthy tree, but it has to be done correctly by someone who knows what they’re doing. Like a certified arborist from MS Tree Trimming. Homeowners may be able to prune and trim trees safely while they are still small, but you also may be doing permanent damage to the tree.

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

• When to prune your types of trees
• How much of the tree should be pruned at a time
• Where to cut the branches so you do not harm the tree

Taking too much from a tree can kill it or cause structural damage, but minimal trimming done annually benefits trees in a lot of ways. Professional pruning improves the appearance of trees, makes them healthier, removes dying or diseased limbs and increases fruit or flower production.

Ideally, pruning must be completed each year, but as trees get older, you may be able to wait two years between pruning services. Regardless of how routinely you have your trees trimmed, be sure your arborist is qualified to do the type of tree pruning your trees need. This won’t be a problem if you call MS Tree Trimming in Mississippi!

Types of Tree Pruning Methods

There are 7 ways to correctly prune a tree so that it grows stronger and healthier year after year.

Depending on the shape, species and health problems of your trees, one pruning method may be more beneficial than another, but each technique has distinct benefits.

Crown Thinning Your Trees

Crown thinning is common for older, overgrown trees in Mississippi. This method removes weak branches within the crown of the tree to improve sunlight and air flow throughout the crown. Air flow is especially important to help prevent disease.

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

Crown Raising Your Trees

This tree pruning method removes branches at the lower part of the crown so new limbs start higher up on the trunk. Letting low branches get too large makes them very difficult to cut off, and they can pull nutrients from the top of the tree, resulting in less fruit and a weak tree.

There are a variety of reasons you might choose to raise the crown of a tree. Many times, it is done in order to clear the line of sight for automobiles and pedestrians, but it can be done to increase space for landscaping under the tree.

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

Crown Reduction

Crown reduction reduces the total size of the crown from its exterior edge. It shortens limbs horizontally and vertically to keep the tree at a certain size. By reducing the size of the crown, you can eliminate the need to cut down the tree because it will no longer interfere with traffic lights, power lines or street lights.

Even when the tree isn’t near structures like those listed above, crown reduction can make the tree look neater because it removes irregular growth. This is a smart solution for trees that are a variety of ages but are supposed to look consistent.

Crown Cleaning

Sometimes referred to as deadwood pruning, crown cleaning is a minimally invasive type of tree trimming technique that removes dead, snapped or diseased branches so that the remaining sections of the tree may continue to grow normally. These limbs can only cause problems later.

Crown cleaning makes the tree look much better, and it prevents limbs from rubbing together. It is also a safety practice that reduces the chance of branches falling, because healthy branches do not fall very often.

Crown Restoration

Crown restoration is an advanced pruning technique for trees that were significantly damaged (either by pests or weather). It needs to only be attempted by a certified arborist who knows how the tree is likely to grow over time and how long it’s restoration is going to take.

Unlike most other tree trimming services, crown restoration occurs over an extended time period with conservative trimming that reshapes the tree. An arborist will have a definitive plan to restore the tree, but also be flexible as the tree starts to grow and reshape on its own, adapting to the tree’s new growth pattern.

Vista Pruning

If you want trees to increase curb appeal, you are most likely interested in vista pruning. The goal of vista pruning is to make the tree more visually pleasing from a particular vantage point.

It consists of several tree trimming techniques including crown thinning, crown cleaning and crown reduction – anything that makes the trees look prettier. Remember, though, that a professional will never jeopardize the health of a tree, so the focus of vista pruning is still to create strong, healthy trees.

Espalier Pruning

Espaliered trees are heavily pruned to grow flat up against walls or a trellis. It is a different style of trimming that is going to draw a lot of attention to your landscape. Espalier pruning needs to begin when the tree is very young and then continued very consistently throughout the tree’s life span.

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

Professional Tree Pruning in Mississippi

Tree trimming can be dangerous for a tree, your landscaping, and, of course, for you! MS Tree Trimming highly recommends professional tree trimming over attempting DIY.

Aside from the many possible dangers of tree trimming, you can do a lot of harm to a tree if you don’t prune it correctly. Excessive pruning is one of the most common mistakes made by homeowners caring for their own trees.

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

Planting a tree on your land has several benefits. Trees provide summer shade, create privacy, filter contaminated air and increase curb appeal.

Once full-grown, trees are very easy to care for: another benefit! Trees are strong and tend to continue growing even with minimal care. But, if you want to see your trees achieve their maximum potential, they need a little more effort.

Lack of care for new trees could cause rotting, disease, under watering or pest problems.

The good news is that caring for trees isn’t too difficult, but you will want some tips to do it right. Research the new trees you plant to know what they need to succeed. Then care for them and watch them flourish.

Here, we’ll outline the five best tips on how to plant a new tree and seeing it grow. You probably know the basics, so we’ll dive deeper and lay out how to complete each step.

Tree Care Tips for New Trees

These tips will not only help keep your trees alive, they’ll help them grow faster, withstand strong winds, fight off diseases ,insects and pests and create more leaves, flowers 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 ball of the tree and the soil around it should be kept moist, but don’t let it get soaked, as this might cause the roots to rot.

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

Mulch Around Your Trees

Mulch is much more than an attractive lawn care material. It helps protect new trees, especially the roots. But laying mulch incorrectly can sometimes result in rotting and decay – so much so, that the tree will not survive.

Place mulch 3 inches away from the tree trunk and spread it out to cover the ground under the longest horizontal limb. For brand new trees, this isn’t going to be very far, but as the tree continues to grow, your mulch area will also grow as well.

Keep the mulch 2 to 4 inches thick in all areas. Be attentive in keeping it spread out consistently and away from the trunk of the tree so it does not impede air flow around the tree trunk.

Fertilize Around Your Tree

Fertilizer provides several nutrients that your soil may not naturally have. Most young trees will benefit from fertilizing, but you have to use the correct products and doing it at the right time for fertilizer to be most impactful.

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

If you are uncertain about which fertilizer to use, speak to a tree care professional for advice. Slow-release fertilizers are usually a good idea because they feed trees over a period of time rather than all right away.

Follow through with these tasks in the initial growing seasons after planting a tree, and then reevaluate your watering, mulching and fertilizing needs as the tree becomes more established. As seasons go on, there will be tree care projects that become more important for your young trees.

Trim Your Tree

Tree pruning is very important – yet very tricky – in the initial years after you plant a tree. As the tree grows, you will see several little 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, it can actually result in a very weak tree as time goes on.

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

As long as there are trees growing somewhere on your property, they need to be trimmed regularly. When the tree gets too large for you to prune them safely, you can count on MS Tree Trimming to do the job for you.

Monitor Your Tree

Young trees are at the highest risk for damage, disease and pest problems. But you’re never completely safe from these things. As your tree grows older, monitor it closely for signs of disease or bad nutrition, including the following:

• Leaf color change out of season, especially leaves turning yellow or brown
• Premature leaf drop, regardless of whether leaves appear healthy or sick
• Withering, regardless of adequate watering
• Individual limbs or branches dying
• Bark peeling

These signs likely mean a health problem. It is probably going to need professional care if your plan is to keep the tree alive. An arborist can identify the problem by simply looking at the tree, although they will do testing whenever necessary.

If you catch the problem early enough, you will likely be able to save the tree from dying. Being proactive is the best way to protect your younger trees.

The tips above are simple but effective. Don’t underestimate the importance of the basics! When your new trees have pruning, fertilizer and more,, combined with sunshine and barring severe, damaging weather, the chances are in your favor that they will survive and look beautiful!

Of course, you could already have a very busy schedule and don’t really want to be responsible for these additional tasks. In some cases, property owners don’t have the physical ability or the tools to give their growing trees the necessary maintenance.

No matter the situation, it’s a good idea to hire a tree company for the care of new trees. A certified arborist in Mississippi can consult with you about the course of maintenance for each type of tree you plant on your property. They love sharing their expertise and skills with people planting new trees, and they can make the difference between trees struggling and trees that thrive.

Call MS Tree Trimming now for information on routine tree care in Mississippi – including tree trimming – for new trees and older trees. An arborists can determine the best plan for your trees! Locate your city in our service area here.