Imagine staying outside all of the time, even during winter. Exposed to severe weather, you’d face many problems. Even though trees live and grow outside, that doesn’t mean that the challenges of winter aren’t stressful for them too! Low temperatures, heavy snow, ice storms and other extremes cause a variety of winter injuries on landscape plants. It’s important to know what type of problems to look for during winter.

Low Temperature Injuries

Root damage can happen during prolonged cold spells, especially on shallow-rooted plants, container plantings and non-native plants. When roots die during this weather, the symptoms won’t appear until late winter or spring. At that point, foliage turns brown, buds die and the entire crown may wilt and die suddenly.

Low temperatures can also kill above-ground portions of plants. Again, non-native plants are most susceptible.  

Winter Drying   

Winter drying generally affects evergreens, particularly mountain laurel, rhododendron, azalea and holly. Plants continue to transpire water during winter. When the soil is frozen, that water cannot be replaced and the foliage dries out. As with injury from low temperatures, in late winter or spring, foliage will turn brown and buds will die.

Stem Splitting or “Frost Cracks”

Frost cracks generally occur on young, thin-barked trees like maple, sycamore or linden. The sudden drop in temperature from sunny, daytime highs to the very lows of nighttime causes stem tissues to shrink and wood to crack.

In severe instances, cracks can extend well into the heartwood, but usually, it is restricted to the outer few inches of wood. Frost cracks can be an entry point for decay on certain species.

Breakage from Snow and Ice Accumulation

The added weight of ice and snow can break branches. Heavy or long limbs, branches showing signs of decay, or those with a weak branch attachment are more vulnerable. This can also be an issue for evergreens, which have a large surface area to “hold” snow.

Deicing Salt Injuries

The salt (sodium chloride) commonly used as a deicing agent can splash onto plants or seep into soil. Salt spray dries out foliage and buds. In the soil, high levels of salt dries out, and can kill, plant roots.

Damage from Animals

Some animal activity during winter is harmful to trees and shrubs. Deer are one example. As other food sources become unavailable, deer turn to twigs and buds for sustenance. Further, deer injure trees by scraping their antlers against the trunk. This is called “buck rub.”

Small rodents and rabbits can also be problematic. These animals eat bark tissue around the lower stem and root collar during winter. This can result in tree death when feeding leads to girdling, where the bark is completely stripped from the tree.

Deicing salts can kill plant roots and dry out foliage.

Small rodents and rabbits feed on bark when other food sources are sparse.

Low temperatures can damage roots or the above-ground portion of plants.

Browning foliage resulting from winter drying.

Breakage from winter weather is readily apparent once the leaves have returned.

The post Watch Out for Winter Tree & Shrub Problems first appeared on Tree Topics.

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While tree diseases often thrive in spring, it is important to remember that proper care year-round can make a big difference in managing these issues. Some simple practices now can help combat disease. One good example is autumn and winter care to help control fire blight. Caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, fireblight commonly infects pear, apple, hawthorn and quince.

The scorched leaves and “shepherd’s crook” that are telltale signs of fire blight.

Symptoms of Fire Blight

The disease gets the name “fire” blight because severely infected plants will have blackened or dark brown branches and foliage. Plant tissue can look as if it has been scorched or burned. The affected branches also often form a shepherd’s crook at the tip.

How Fire blight Spreads

Bees and wind-driven rain spread new infections during spring. These infections progress into the twigs and toward the main trunk. Once infected, cankers on trunks and branches can persist, where they serve as a source for future infections. Left untreated, cankers can completely girdle the cambium tissue. The result is the death of large branches or entire trees. The bacterium is active during the moist and humid weather of spring. After spring, the bacterium is normally dormant. However, symptoms in infected tissue can continue to worsen during this time.

ction to Combat Fire Blight

Management of fire blight requires sanitation and prevention. Pruning infected tissue should be performed when the bacterium is dormant and spread of disease has ceased. Please note that on highly susceptible trees and rapidly advancing infections, pruning below the branch cankers should be performed immediately to reduce severity – even when the disease is active.

Any leaves that have fallen from infected trees should be bagged and removed to help minimize re-infection.

Preventive treatments can also help protect healthy tissues from new infections. It is rare to get complete control over any plant disease but limiting infections through sanitation and prevention will limit dieback and avoid major infections that often lead to plant disfigurement or mortality. 

The post Fight Fire Blight with Pruning & Treatments first appeared on Tree Topics.

Trimming trees is very different from pruning hedges and shrubs, and may prove challenging even for an avid gardener. The skilled arborists at Chippers Tree Service offering tree pruning service Dallas can help you with their tree trimming services to improve the health and appearance of your trees.

Neatly trimmed trees are not only pleasing to the eye but also add to the appeal of an immaculately maintained green landscape. We provide all types of trimming services including removal of diseased or broken branches, removal of deadwood, thinning of growth, and balancing of the canopy. Our accomplished tree pruners can make your trees much healthier and happier using their flair and skill.

Why Do You Need Tree Pruning?

Pruning a tree needs expertise and care and is no less than an art form. Our expert arborists use their proficient skills to prune trees, improving their health and appeal. A skillful arborist can even save a tree by removing diseased limbs or branches.

Without proper maintenance, trees can be susceptible to accumulating excess weight over time and may break as they become heavier. More often than not, there is permanent damage to the tree when large limbs and branches break, making it difficult for the tree to grow back as before.

One of the vital aims of a successful pruning job is to ward off pests and diseases from a tree’s cut areas. Chippers Tree Service in Dallas-Ft. Worth TX employs trained tree trimmers adept at pruning trees without eliminating excessive live foliage.

What is the Right Season for Tree Trimming?

We recommend trimming in the winter season when trees are mostly dormant, with very little leaf cover and much less activity. The minimal leaf cover in winters provides our arborists better visibility of the tree structure, and also allows the trees to recover at a much faster rate.

Why Do You Require Professional Tree Pruning Services for Your Property?

Here are some of the most common benefits of professional tree trimming services for your property:

Makes the Trees Stronger

Pruning improves the strength of a tree’s core and helps the trees withstand extreme weather conditions in a much better manner. Removal of diseased limbs before the start of the actual pruning process helps in diverting life-giving nutrients to new branches that will grow after pruning.

Provides Access to Light and Air

While trimming helps improve air circulation, trimmed trees also have better access to sunlight. It is an established fact that trees start to weaken and decay without proper access to air and sunlight.

Protects Your Property

We would advise all homeowners to ensure tree trimming on a regular basis and in a timely manner. Diseased, decaying, and dead trees with weak and damaged branches can prove to be a danger to life and property.

Improves Tree Health

Trimming is especially beneficial for the health of fruit-bearing trees, which might otherwise struggle to produce a healthy harvest.

If you are looking for professional tree trimming services for your property in Dallas-Ft. Worth area, then connect with us at Chippers Tree Service.

The post Are You Looking For Tree Trimming Services in Dallas? appeared first on Chippers Tree Service.

Several reasons, such as disease, death, safety hazard, and new construction, necessitate the removal of millions of trees from our yards and neighborhoods, each year. We, at Chippers Tree Service, employ skilled and knowledgeable professionals who have been providing expert tree removal services to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex area for the past 15 years. With professional tree removal services, you can be sure of the safety of your property assets in the tree removal process.

If you are a homeowner in the Dallas Fort Worth area, you can perhaps choose to remove small trees yourself if they are a safe distance away from any hazards or objects. However, there are many things that can go wrong while working with larger trees, especially if surrounded by hazards.

Professional tree removal companies like ours, with experienced and trained tree removal experts, understand the risks and are well-equipped to handle them. Below, we discuss some of the inherent risks and hazards of the tree removal process.

Large Trees Can Be Dangerous

Cutting down or removing a big tree is a job that requires knowledge and expertise built over several years of doing the same job. Our tree care specialists, with over 30 years of combined experience, also have the necessary equipment and protective gear needed to work at heights in a skillful and safe manner, to carry out such a hazardous job.

Improper Tree Removal Can Damage Your Tree

Inept handling of a tree removal job could result in extensive tree damage, with the possibility of you losing the tree. Apart from the tree itself, you can also end up harming the adjacent foliage. Improper trimming and pruning can also cause permanent damage to your tree, which can even prove fatal in some cases.

Tree Removal Is Risky Without Proper Equipment

Nearly every type of tree care service, and especially tree removal, requires proper protective gear and other equipment. The tree removal process calls for specialized heavy tools, including chainsaws and sturdy ladders, for the trained professionals to remove a tree, safely and quickly.

There might be some jobs in tree care and maintenance that can be carried out relatively easily, but tree removal is not at all such a job. One wrong move could potentially endanger lives and property. You can trust our Dallas professional tree removal company to get the job done even if you find yourself in an emergency situation.

At Chippers Tree Service, we are fully insured, both for your protection as well as ours. Our track record along with satisfied customers is sufficient proof that we are the best tree care company in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex area, who you can entrust all your tree care and maintenance jobs. Chippers Tree Service is the expert tree removal services company to call when you are looking to have a tree safely removed.

The post Expert Tree Removal Services in Dallas, TX appeared first on Chippers Tree Service.

The heat and humidity of a full-blown Texas summer may get too much for the younger trees in the front yard if not taken care of properly. Prolonged exposure to the scorching heat could lead to stunted growth and decay in newly planted trees. We at Chippers Tree Service believe our professional tree cutting services in Dallas, Fort Worth, and surrounding areas are first-rate, and suitable for everyone who needs summer tree cutting services to take good care of their trees this summer.

Trimming Trees in the Summer

Some people think summer is not the right time to trim trees. Yes, it is true that different types of trees have their different favorable times for when they should be trimmed but summer tree trimming, if done correctly, can be a good thing.

Summer Pruning Prevents Disease and Promotes Blossoms

Some trees like cherry and apricot need pruning in the summer to cut down the risk of fungus. The dry summer season is ideal because this fungus typically infects pruning wounds during rainfall, and may cause twigs to die suddenly. Fruit trees pruned in summer have more blossoms in the following spring. Similarly, oak should also be pruned in the dry season.

Keeping a Canopy for Shade

It is important to protect the trunk and scaffold branches from sun exposure. The excessive exposure might blanch the cambium layer beneath the bark, resulting in large wounds, making the tree vulnerable and weak.

Leaving sufficient canopy to shade the bark or a whitewash treatment for the bark, can take care of the issues arising out of exposure. As a professional tree pruning and tree service company in the Dallas Fort Worth Metro, we recommend early pruning, especially for tender plants, so that the new growth gets enough time to harden off before the advent of colder weather.

Mulching the Tree Properly

Ideally, a tree needs mulching once when it is planted and after that at the turn of each season. A thickness of an inch or two is sufficient for the mulch layer, with a substantial gap between the tree trunk and the mulch. The best way is to make the mulch layer in the shape of a donut around the base of the tree, leaving space for water to funnel down to the roots.

Our arborists do not recommend mounding mulch around the trunk of the tree, which might lead to decay and rot, and also create a space for harmful insects to hide. Mulch retains moisture and keeps the tree roots as well as the soil moist, making it useful in the summer.

The mulch bed also suppresses weeds that may eat into the resources and water meant for the tree. In addition, it acts as a barrier to prevent the lawnmower from getting too close and accidentally bringing harm to the tree bark. A layer of mulch not only protects the tree but also provides it nourishment.

Our professional summer tree cutting services are offered to the Dallas Fort Worth Metro area, for residential and commercial properties.

The post Summer Tree Cutting Services in Dallas Fort Worth Metro appeared first on Chippers Tree Service.

As autumn settles in and winter approaches, it’s a good time consider the care your trees need now and throughout the coming season. Keep these things in mind and you’ll have happier trees this spring!

Cultural Practices to Keep Trees Healthy

Pruning: Before winter arrives, prune out dead or broken branches. They may be at risk of falling with the added weight of snow or ice. In fact, pruning in general is a good thing to take care of in the winter. Most plants go dormant and fungi are less of a concern.Mulching and Irrigation: It’s important to pay attention to mulching and irrigation year-round – not just during the growing season but also during winter. Even though plants may be dormant, many still require a minimum amount of water to meet their needs. Mulching helps to maintain soil moisture. Additionally, it provides a buffer against stress to the root zone.Deicing Salt: Remember that while salt might be good for driveways, it can be terrible for trees. Increasing salt levels in the soil can damage and kill fine roots. This prevents healthy levels of nutrient uptake by the root system.

Managing Pests & Disease

Improve Airflow: Pruning trees and shrubs to increase airflow and sun penetration can be a great way to help reduce the likelihood of future fungal infection. If the foliage stays mostly dry then the plant is less likely to become infected.Raking: If any fungal pathogens were found on the foliage throughout the growing season, you should rake up the fallen leaves. Raking and removing this material will help reduce the levels of infectious fungal inoculum that may be waiting over the winter to re-infect foliage the following spring.Controlling Scale Insects: A new scale control technique we’ve found effective is to physically remove these tiny pests with a scrub brush! Now is a good time to take care of accessible scale populations that may be entering their overwintering period. Scraping away the protective covers and physically removing the insects can greatly reduce populations. Smaller populations are generally easier to control.Deterring Wildlife: Wildlife can be a huge nuisance for landscape plantings. Deer and small mammals may munch on any available landscape plants. Products are available to help deter wildlife feeding. Protecting feature plants in the winter is especially important as fewer wild plants may be available for wildlife to feed on.

The post Caring for Trees: From Autumn into Winter first appeared on Tree Topics.

It can be hard to grow bulbs, perennials, annuals, or shrubs under the shade of large trees. All plants need light to grow and only a few thrive in low light conditions. However, for the right species, mature shade trees provide an excellent source of shade or filtered sunlight.

The first step is to select plant species that are adapted to your area and are tolerant of low light.

The next step is to plant in an area that already has a dense tree root system. Tree roots tend to be concentrated near the trunk and within the drip line. When digging, avoid cutting tree roots, especially those beneath the canopy. Damage to roots is a leading cause of tree mortality.

Using soil to create a bed for shade loving plants can be equally damaging to the existing plant’s root system. Fill soil reduces oxygen levels in the root zone and can change drainage patterns. This may lead to root mortality and stem and root disease for the plants already there. With this in mind, proper soil preparation is key to protecting trees when planting a shade garden.

Preparing the Planting Bed

A Bartlett Arborist can loosen soil using a high-pressure air excavation tool. Air is propelled at supersonic speeds to loosen soil without damaging tree roots. Organic matter and fertilizer are mixed into the soil at the same time to encourage rapid root growth. This is a gentle alternative to hand digging or rototilling. Preparing the soil in this way enables landscapers or homeowners to easily place their favorite shade loving plants in the planting bed, often with no tools at all since the soils is loose and ready for planting.

An arborist loosens the soil under a mature tree to create a planting bed.

The roots of the newly planted material quickly and easily grow in the loose, rich soil allowing for rapid establishment. All you need to add is water and mulch. Mulch helps soil retain moisture and provides nutrients as it decomposes. The result is a great looking and fast-growing shade garden with no negative impact on the overstory tree(s).

Tips for Maintaining Planting Beds

Be sure to keep soil away from tree trunks – there should be a visible flare where the roots enter the ground. Additionally, when irrigating the understory plants, don’t direct water at the trunks of trees. This can cause disease problems.

Since there are now multiple plants growing in the same rooting area, the new plantings and the established tree(s) compete for water and fertilizer so volumes may need to be adjusted. Monitor conditions carefully until the new plants are established.

Plants that Tolerate Shade

Fullmoon maple

Striped maple

Three-flower maple

Downy serviceberry

Allegheny serviceberry

Apple serviceberry

American hornbeam

Eastern redbud

Texas redbud

Fringetree

Flowering dogwood

Kousa dogwood

Cornelian cherry dogwood

Japanese witchhazel

Chinese witchhazel

Common witchhazel

American holly

Sweetbay magnolia

American hophornbeam

Bottlebrush buckeye

Azalea

Sweetshrub

Plum yew

Summersweet clethera

Drooping leucothoe

Spicebush

Highbush blueberry

Mapleleaf viburnum

Koreanspice viburnum

Dusty zenobia

Columbine

False spriera

Bellflower

Bleeding heart

Barrenwort

Hakone grass

Hellebore

Coral bell

Hosta/Plantain lily

Cardinal flower

Flowering fern

Peony

Lungwort

Foamflower

Violet

The post Made in the Shade: Planting Under Trees first appeared on Tree Topics.

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April is always a busy month at Bartlett Tree Experts. We’re in the heart of the spring season, our busiest time of year, but that’s not all. This month brings two holidays that celebrate the importance of the environment and trees in particular — Earth Day and Arbor Day. This is a special time for us. It presents an opportunity to share our passion for trees and tree care with people in our communities. On these holidays, it seems like everyone is as excited to be talking about trees as we are! Throughout the month, local Bartlett offices create and participate in all kinds of celebrations.

Local Arborists Celebrate in their Communities

One of our favorite ways to commemorate these holidays is by visiting children in school settings to teach them about the importance of trees. Preschoolers sit wide-eyed when we explain that part of our job is climbing trees. Elementary students have equal enthusiasm when hearing about the science of trees and their many amazing adaptations. As part of our Bartlett Legacy Tree Program, we often give these students native tree seedlings to take home and plant.

Sharing our love of trees with children is a favorite Arbor Day activity.

Young children aren’t the only ones who benefit from the Legacy Tree Program.  As part of this Program, we give away thousands of trees each year. On Earth Day and Arbor Day, Bartlett arborists can be found distributing seedlings in many locations, everywhere from local garden centers to parks and museums. During these events we share tips on planting and care to help the trees settle into their new homes.

A Bartlett Arborist Representative handing out dogwood seedlings for Earth Day.

These small trees play a big role in connecting with our communities, but celebrating Earth Day and Arbor Day is about more than just planting. The holidays also remind us to care for what we already have. With that in mind, volunteering also plays a role in our activities. Some Bartlett offices will assist in local cleanup efforts. Others will provide services like pruning to help places including parks, cemeteries and historical sites best maintain their trees.

A Bartlett arborist participating in a volunteer day of service on Arbor Day.

Trees are everything to us here at Bartlett. Every day we celebrate their beauty and the value they provide, but especially on Earth Day and Arbor Day!

Take a look at some of our seedling giveaways and other Arbor Day and Earth Day events in which we participated.

The post Celebrating Arbor Day and Earth Day 2021 first appeared on Tree Topics.

Containerized trees and shrubs can add points of interest to patios, decks, small yards and balconies. Just give some thought to selecting the tree, pot and potting soil. Then consider how the tree will be maintained. If container plants are cared for, they can provide enjoyment for decades.

The Plant

Choose a small maturing tree or a shrub species. Dwarf citrus varieties can perform well while providing flowers, fruit and attractive foliage. Cactus and many shrubs can also do well in containers.

The Container

Terracotta pots generally do well on patios and their weight adds stability. Lighter pots are easier to move. However, there’s more of a chance they might get blown over. All pots should have drainage holes in the bottom.

The Soil

Soil needs to drain well but it should also retain adequate moisture. For pots that will not be moved very often, a mixture of sand, soil and organic matter works well. For lighter pots, commercial potting mix can be used. With lighter soil mixes, the plant may need to be protected from being blown over in high wind.

The Growing Conditions

Pots may need to be shaded in summer because high soil temperatures can kill roots. Soil can also be cooled with irrigation. You may need to increase watering in hot, windy weather. A soil moisture sensor can help guide irrigation decisions. Plants that will stay in containers for decades need regular pruning to maintain their size. Root pruning is also beneficial to maintain plant size. Soil nutrient and pH levels should be monitored and deficiencies treated with fertilizer when detected.

The post Container Trees: Pretty and Practical first appeared on Tree Topics.

 

There are several different categories of tree trimming and knowing which type of trimming to perform can help ensure the tree grows lush and vibrant. It’s always best to call in professional tree pruning services to get the job done. We can get you a free estimate. Many residents in the DFW area give us a call after pruning their trees as a DIY job. This is because they cannot understand what went wrong.

While discussing our tree trimming practices, we use proper and descriptive terminology for describing various techniques used for pruning different parts of a tree.

Crown Pruning

Removing Damaged or Dead Branches

The most common form of crown pruning is removing diseased, dying, dead and visibly broken branches. Our arborists have a keen eye and are able to identify the branches that require pruning just by looking at them. It is quite possible that you may miss these branches if you don’t have a trained eye.

Removing Excess Foliage

Another tree trimming technique involves removal of excess branches and foliage. This is done to reduce the weight of extended limbs and branches and to manage the risk of branch failure. Arborists know the amount of pruning that can be done for a tree. A handy rule of thumb is to never remove more than a fourth of live foliage from the tree.

Removing Potential Threats

Homeowners generally have a good idea about the branches that are a potential threat to signs, buildings, electric wires and other structures. It’s fundamental to identify and remove these branches before they fail completely. Our arborists can diminish hazards by removing poorly attached branches.

Cutting Back Branches

This technique is different from tree topping that involves the removal of a significant portion of the tree. In this structural pruning approach, the arborist will cut high growing branches to lateral and lower growth. This is done to allow the central trunk of the tree to become dominant. There are no large indiscriminate cuts made in this approach.

Specialized Types of Pruning

Maintaining Appropriate Clearance

Trees that are planted too close to buildings or in tight spaces require a special type of pruning to maintain adequate clearance from the buildings. Special clearance pruning is required to avoid maintenance issues in trees planted near patios or other landscaping structures.

Topiary Pruning

This is another form of specialized pruning. Shrubs and trees are pruned to perfection in this type of tree trimming to become more attractive. However, you would need regular maintenance if you are planning topiary pruning in your yard.

Preventing Blocked Views

Sometimes, tree branches become obstructions to views. In this form of tree trimming the tree may be thinned out, entire branches may be pruned, or the crown may be raised.

The post Types of Tree Trimming appeared first on Chippers Tree Service.