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Planting shade trees on your landscaping has many wonderful benefits. Underneath a big shade tree is the best place for a backyard barbeque or for kids to play outside. A shade tree will also keep your home cooler when temperatures rise.

To get the full benefit of shade trees, you have to plant the correct species of tree and care for them correctly.

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

Planting Trees for Shade

Any tree can technically provide shade, but there are some species that are built for optimal shade. These trees usually have a thick, wider canopy that reaches out nearly as far as it does upward.

Below, we’ve provided examples of shade trees depending on whether they would be best planted in your front or back yard.

Back Yard Shade Trees

Shade trees in the back yard are typically for the homeowner’s benefit. Neighbors and passersby usually won’t be able to see these trees very much, so they can be purely for your enjoyment.

In addition to shade, these trees can provide year-round color and some extra privacy.

Here are popular options:

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

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

Many of these back yard tree recommendations get very big, so you need to do some research to determine if the tree is going to have enough space to grow to its full potential.

If there is not enough room, 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 yard will probably have to be cut down, which is an unfortunate and sometimes expensive situation.

Front Yard Shade Trees

In the front yard, you are planting trees for your enjoyment as well, but these trees will be a lot more beneficial for adding curb appeal and value to your home than the back yard trees.

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

These are some of the shade trees PA Tree Trimming recommends:

Red maple
River birch
Dogwood
White oak
Ginkgo tree

These types of trees are beautiful throughout the year, and they’ll display even more color in the fall months.
Another excellent choice 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 provide privacy as well as shade.

With options in mind, we encourage you to plant what you like. In truth, any type of tree can be a “shade tree.” so long as the trees you choose are suitable for the climate in Pennsylvania, they will provide your yard and home with some shade.

Benefits of Planting Shade Trees

The reasons to have shade for your home are numerous — and there are a few that you likely don’t typically think about.

Shade, Obviously – When temperatures soar, you won’t need to run indoors if you have a comfortable, shady yard. Put a chair or hammock below your best shade tree and relax outside as long as you want.

Climate Control – Trees can control the temperature in your yard and inside your house. Not only will trees protect you from the glaring sun, but they can also make it feel 10-15 degrees colder below their canopies. This translates to less solar radiation on your roof and siding as well, which could result in more affordable energy costs!

Better Air Quality – Trees produce oxygen and remove pollutants from the air, 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 enjoy bird watching or think squirrels and chipmunks are cute, your shade trees can give them all they need to build a habitat, find food and raise babies.

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

How to Care for Shade Trees

Caring for shade trees is pretty simple as long as you’ve chosen the right species for the climate in Pennsylvania. Trees are strong and hardy after the first few years, requiring little attention or care.

Consult a local arborist from PA Tree Trimming if you have any questions about how to care for your trees, or even to help you determine the best tree for your property.

After you have decided on the best shade tree(s) for your yard, follow this simple care guide until your shade tree is fully grown.

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 then create the maximum amount of shade and 2) they will also receive the most amount of sun to grow healthy.

Trimming 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 PA Tree Trimming for tree trimming in Pennsylvania. 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 develop a deep root system and will give the tree stability over the course of its lifetime.

Fertilizing Your Shade Tree

Fertilize a shade tree just like you would any other tree in order to aid growth. Fertilizer is not necessary for caring for a shade tree, 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 information was helpful! Remember, when it comes time to prune or trim a new shade tree, PA Tree Trimming can help! Call and a certified arborist in Pennsylvania will visit your home, examine the tree and decide the best care plan for its long-term growth and health.

Tree pruning is best left to the pros. It’s a dangerous job, climbing trees, using chainsaws and dropping heavy branches to the ground; and it is sometimes dangerous for the tree as well. Trees that aren’t pruned the right way can experience a lifetime of damage.

Rather than putting yourself in harm’s way and putting the tree at risk, find a professional who is knowledgeable and experienced to do the job for you.

This will lead to healthier trees and a safer environment surrounding your home for several reasons:

• Healthier trees are sturdier and less likely to cause damage during severe storms
• Maintained trees won’t attract or spread parasites and diseases
• Trimmed trees grow more flowers or fruit
• Trimmed trees provide shade while still allowing air to flow throughout their canopies and your landscaping

PA Tree Trimming highly suggests pruning trees that are near your home or all that are an integral part of your property.

Is Tree Pruning Necessary?

It is not necessary. But it is beneficial. Trees are hardy and survive on their own all over the world, in a variety of different climates and regions, without being trimmed.

However, there are several benefits of professional tree trimming, so it’s recommended for trees that you value. This includes sentimental trees, fruit trees and blossoming trees or trees that offer an important job for your home, such as shade or home to wildlife.

Tree Trimming Gone Wrong

Trimming a tree is a complicated project. You are going to need the correct tools and a lot of knowledge to ensure the project is done correctly. The majority of homeowners don’t have either of these!

But that’s alright, because there are plenty of arborists out there who know how to properly trim trees for an affordable cost to you including all of the certified arborists in Pennsylvania we team up with!

Here are the 5 most common mistakes homeowners make when they attempt DIY tree pruning that can lead to several tree problems. These are things that an experienced arborist from PA Tree Trimming will know, and that’s the reason why their services are worth paying for!

Trimming Too Much

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

A big mistake people make when pruning trees by themselves is trimming too much of the tree at a time. This occurs because they let the tree’s growth get out of control and try to correct it all at once. Ideally, you should only cut off 5-20% of the tree’s crown at the final removal cut. It is much easier to do this during a time of year that there are no leaves, but an experienced arborist is able to safely trim trees any time of year.

Cutting at the Wrong Place

An experienced tree specialist knows exactly where to cut each limb to protect against damage. This cut should occur just beyond the branch collar, the specific place where the branch connects to the tree trunk.

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

Trimming Large Branches

Branches any larger than 4 inches in diameter really shouldn’t be pruned unless it is necessary. Cutting off a branch this large can result in imbalance in the tree and expose it to insects and rot as the tree recovers from losing such a big branch.

Conservative trimming every year guarantees that your tree trimmer only has to cut off branches that are 2-3 inches in diameter, which leads to a more attractive shape for the tree and less chance of damaging 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 trimmers would just cut the top off of the tree to achieve the desired height. It was not attractive nor was it beneficial for the tree, so the majority of tree care companies do not practice tree topping anymore.

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

The Solution? Call PA Tree Trimming

Your tree may never recover from poor trimming.

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

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

Incorrect pruning could also lead to death of the tree. Cutting off too many branches (and, therefore, leaves) can inhibit the tree’s photosynthesis process, which means it won’t get enough water or enough carbon dioxide and sunlight to continue growing.

Cutting too many branches could also send the tree into a state of shock. Shock can be overcome, but it takes 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 PA Tree Trimming to speak with a tree care specialist in Pennsylvania able to customize a plan to ensure your tree continues to blossom and look beautiful for years to come!

Trees are living things, so that means that they can get “sick” just like humans and animals can. A disease or other tree problem might take a little while to show appear because of the overall size of the tree, and once you see a symptom, it could be too late to restore the tree.

A certified arborist from PA Tree Trimming can help you identify and treat common tree issues so that you have a much greater chance of saving the tree. Learn about our service here. Not only can an arborist prevent a tree from dying, but they are also able to help trees get healthier growth and bloom more flowers or fruit.

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

If you spot 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 around it.

Tree Diseases & Common Problems

These 7 things are the most common issues encountered by experienced arborists in Pennsylvania. The moment you think one of these things could be wrong with your tree, reach out to someone with the training 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 produces on the leaves.

Leaf rust is bad because it inhibits the leaves’ photosynthesis, the process by which it breathes. Leaf rust can be tended to with fungicides and selective trimming of the diseased leaves. It may be necessary to cut off whole branches with leaf rust.

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

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

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

The trick to eliminating mildew is to apply a fungicide that includes sulfur. This will treat the existing mildew and stop future mildew on the tree. You may also need to trim the tree to remove limbs, fruit, flowers and any leaves that were affected by the mildew

Gall – Gall is a tree condition 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 harmful to the tree, but none of them are attractive.

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

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

Other Tree Problems

Poor Trimming – There’s a discipline to tree trimming, as well as many types, and if you don’t know how to do it, you could harm 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 certified arborist should be trusted to prune 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 how much water they get from rainfall. A tree that doesn’t get 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 research before planting trees in a full-sun area of your property. Most species of trees can handle it just fine, but too much sun can happen to any tree if the sun is harsh for a long period of time and rainfall is light. A tree that is getting excessive sun needs even more water to fight against wilting, drooping leaves.

Certified Arborist Services in Pennsylvania

A trained arborist from PA Tree Trimming will quickly diagnose what’s going on with your sick tree and lay out a plan to save it if at all possible.

Here are the things an arborist is qualified to do:

• Review trees from the ground and from the limbs of the tree if possible. Climbing into the canopy is typically necessary to understand exactly what is leading to the symptoms.
• Treat your tree through additives and fertilizers in the dirt or solutions sprayed on the leaves. The arborist will have knowledge about the disease impacting the tree and the most effective treatments for it.
• Prune trees to eliminate dead or diseased branches and to encourage healthy growth. Even if heavy trimming is necessary, they will know how to remove branches so that the tree can survive both the problem 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 too far gone, and removing it is the best choice to protect your property and surrounding landscape.

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

Some tree issues look similar to each other, requiring an expert eye to accurately diagnose and correct the issue. If your trees appear to be dry, disfigured or dying, call a professional arborist from PA Tree Trimming for an inspection before it’s too late.

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

The type of tree will determine when many species can be pruned, along with pest population and activity, local tree and plant diseases and other species of plants and trees in the yard.

With the assistance of a professional arborist in Pennsylvania, you can determine which time of year is the best for pruning your trees to prepare them for success next season and beyond.

Best Season to Prune Trees

Without any other information, PA Tree Trimming recommends tree trimming in the winter. This would be sometime within November to March in Pennsylvania. This season is ideal because the trees are typically dormant, so trimming will cause a minimal amount of damage, if any.

There are many benefits to trimming trees during the winter:

Lower chance of insect damage and disease – Insects and plant diseases are largely inactive in the winter in Pennsylvania. During the rest of the year, everything from insects to fungus can affect a newly trimmed tree because the tree will be the most susceptible and these issues are more common in warmer weather.

Easier to see the shape of the tree when the leaves are gone – Leaves get in the way of your arborist from seeing the complete shape of your tree. When tree branches are bare, it is a lot easier to identify diseased or dead branches and branches that are touching versus those that are just close together.

Trees can heal before spring – By performing major tree trimming in the winter, your trees will have many months to rebuild callus tissue on the ends of the remaining branch collar. By spring season, you’ll hardly be able to tell where the branches were removed, 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 surrounding landscaping – Most of the surrounding trees and plants will also be dormant during this time, so there is less risk of damaging them. Many times, a tree is surrounded by annual plants in the spring and summer, but there are no plants to be disturbed in the winter months since these annuals already died out.

Do All Trees Need Trimming?

Yes, all trees can benefit from annual pruning. Tree trimming 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:

Trimming Makes the Tree Stronger

Dead and diseased branches are cut off, as are stubs that are susceptible to pests and disease. Limbs that can rub one another are also trimmed so they don’t weaken one another or create an open wound on the tree.

Trimming trees every winter is a good way to get expert eyes on the health of your trees so that early warning signs of decay, disease and insect infestations can be spotted and handled right away.

A Cared-For Tree Serves Its Purpose Better

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

Pruned trees, on the other hand, produce more fruit, healthier leaves and better shade. They are fuller and healthier and less likely to cause landscaping issues. So regardless of why you planted a new tree, pruning will maximize the results you want from it.

Trees are More Attractive After Pruning

If the curb appeal of your landscaping is important to you, tree pruning is important! Pruning trees results in an attractive, uniform size and shape. This is very important if you have many similar trees on your property.

Eliminating lower branches and upper branches that grow at improper angles enhances the overall look of the tree while also promoting tree health.

Less Risk of Falling Branches

Tree trimming – from a professional – helps the remaining branches to grow stronger and healthier. Therefore, storms and high winds won’t affect your trees the same way they would an unkempt tree. Your home and family will be safer living under and around trimmed trees.

Another safety concern for large trees is that they block 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 manageable size and stop it from blocking various views.

Call PA Tree Trimming for Tree Pruning

Working with a professional arborist in Pennsylvania gives you access to their knowledge on tree trimming. We recommend relying on their years of experience if there are trees on that you’d like to keep healthy for a long time.

An arborist won’t just consider the immediate situation. Instead, an experienced arborist will take time to research your trees and study their unique scenario (including their location and factors that may put them at risk of disease or infestation). After gathering all of the information, an arborist will suggest a long-term plan based on your trees’ needs and stick to that course of action until the goals for your trees are achieved.

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

This type of ongoing maintenance will aid in healthy tree growth, help your landscaping resist plant diseases and enhance flower or fruit production from the trees. It will also fortify your trees so there is less risk of falling trees or limbs.

Being proactive about tree care can save you a lot of money over time too. Preventative care is much more affordable than paying for emergency tree services, storm damage cleanup or curing an ill tree of a disease that has spread out of control (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 pruning and maintenance from PA Tree Trimming. Find our service area here. We work with arborists across the entire state of Pennsylvania. Call today!

Tree pruning in Pennsylvania is an important landscaping service that beautifies and reinforces your trees so they can fight off pests, diseases and inclement weather – and look good while doing it!

Pruning needs to be completed if you want a healthy tree, but it has to be done properly by someone who has experience in what they’re doing. Like a certified arborist from PA Tree Trimming. Homeowners may be able to prune and trim trees safely while they are small and growing, but you also may be doing irreparable damage to the tree in the process.

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

• When to prune your species of trees
• How much of the tree can be pruned at a time
• Where to cut the branches so you do not damage the tree

Removing too much off of a tree could kill it or lead to structural damage, but conservative pruning done each year benefits trees in several ways. Professional pruning improves the appearance of trees, makes them healthier, eliminates dying or diseased portions and expedites fruit or flower production.

For the best results, pruning should be performed once a year, but as trees mature, you might be able to wait two years between pruning services. Regardless of how regularly you have your trees trimmed, ensure your arborist is qualified to do the type of tree pruning your trees need. This won’t be an issue if you call PA Tree Trimming in Pennsylvania!

Types of Tree Pruning Methods

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

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

Crown Thinning Your Trees

Crown thinning is common for older, overgrown trees in Pennsylvania. 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 for disease prevention.

This tree pruning method also removes branches and limbs that are touching so they do not rub against each other and break or cause weaker areas that can be an access point for insects and pests. Limbs that grow at odd angles are usually cut off during crown thinning.

Crown Raising Your Trees

This trimming method only removes branches and limbs at the lowest part of the crown so limbs start higher up on the trunk of the tree. Allowing low branches to get too big makes them very difficult to remove, and they can pull nutrients away from the top of the tree, resulting in less fruit and a weak tree.

There are many reasons you might decide to raise the crown of a tree. Frequently, it is done to clear the line of sight for automobiles and pedestrians, but it can also be done to increase space for landscaping beneath the tree.

It is a very common method for large trees that are too close to homes and other buildings.

Crown Reduction

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

Even when the tree isn’t near structures like those listed above, crown reduction will help the tree look much better because it also eliminates irregular growth. This is a great solution for trees that are various ages but you want to look uniform.

Crown Cleaning

Also known as deadwood pruning, crown cleaning is a minimally invasive type of pruning technique that removes dying, snapped or diseased limbs so that the rest of the tree may continue to grow normally. These limbs can only cause problems over time.

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

Crown Restoration

Crown restoration is an advanced pruning process used on trees that were severely damaged (either by weather or vandals). It must be done by an experienced arborist who knows how the tree is likely to grow over time and how long it’s restoration will take.

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

Vista Pruning

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

It consists of many tree trimming techniques including crown thinning, crown reduction and crown cleaning – any technique that makes the trees look prettier. Remember, though, that a professional will never compromise the health of a tree, so the 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 different style of pruning that is sure to attract a lot of attention to your landscape. Espalier pruning must begin when the tree is very young and then continued very consistently throughout the tree’s life span.

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

Professional Tree Pruning in Pennsylvania

Tree pruning can be dangerous for a tree, your lawn, and, of course, for you! PA Tree Trimming highly recommends 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 prune it properly. Over-pruning is one of the most common errors made by homeowners caring for their own trees.

Trees in Pennsylvania that get annual care from a professionals are much better off, and hiring a certified arborist from PA 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 Pennsylvania!

Planting a tree on your land has many benefits. Trees offer summer shade, filter polluted air and increase curb appeal. Everyone should plant trees.

Once full-grown, trees are pretty simple to maintain: another benefit! They are durable and tend to continue growing despite minimal care. But, if you want to help your trees reach their potential, they need a little more effort.

Lack of care for growing trees can lead to rotting, disease, under watering or pest issues.

The good news is that tree care isn’t very complicated, but you do need some tips to do it right. Research the new trees you plant to know exactly what they need to succeed. Then properly care for them and watch them bloom.

Below, we’ll outline the five best tips for planting a new tree and seeing it thrive. You likely are aware of the basics, so let’s dive a little deeper and explain how to do each step.

Tree Care Tips for New Trees

These tips will not only help keep your trees alive, they’ll help them to grow much faster, resist extreme winds, fight off diseases and pests and create more leaves, flowers or fruit.

Water Your Tree

New trees need a lot more water than well-established ones. The trees you plant on your property are no exception.

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

The popular recommendation 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 every week for the initial 2-3 growing seasons.

Mulch Around Your Trees

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

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

Keep the mulch no less than 2 to 4 inches thick in all areas around the tree. Be attentive in keeping it spread out consistently and away from the trunk of the tree so it does not stop air flow around the tree trunk.

Fertilize Around Your Tree

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

The ideal time to fertilize is during early spring. Sometimes early summer provides good conditions (comfortable temperatures and moist soil), but don’t count on it.

If you aren’t certain about which fertilizer to use, consult a tree care professional for advice. Slow-release fertilizers are often a good idea because they feed your trees over a period of time rather than all right away.

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

Prune Your Tree

Tree trimming is very important – but very challenging – in the first years after you plant a new tree. As the tree grows bigger, you will see a lot of small branches take off, competing to become the tree’s trunk. While you may think this means that the tree is healthy and growing well, it can actually result in a weak tree in the future.

Early trimming helps to shape the tree into what it is going to ultimately look like when it becomes much larger. As little branches emerge from the lower trunk, they must be cut off so they don’t pull water and nutrients away from the branches at the top of the tree.

So long as there are trees growing somewhere on your property, they need to be pruned periodically. When the tree gets too big for you to trim them safely, you can trust PA Tree Trimming to do the job for you.

Monitor Your Tree

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

• Leaf color change out of season, with leaves turning yellow or brown
• Early leaf drop, regardless of whether leaves appear healthy or diseased
• Wilting, regardless of proper watering
• Single limbs or branches dying
• Bark peeling off

These signals likely mean a health issue. It is probably going to need professional maintenance if your plan is to keep the tree alive. A certified arborist can often identify the issue by just looking at the tree, although they will perform testing whenever necessary.

If you catch the problem early enough, you will probably be able to save the tree. Being proactive is the best course of action to protect new trees.

The steps above are simple but effective. Don’t underestimate the importance of the basics! When new trees have proper care, combined with some sunshine and barring severe, damaging weather, the chances are probable that they will survive and look wonderful!

Of course, you could already have a full schedule and don’t want to perform these additional tasks. In most cases, homeowners don’t have the ability to give their growing trees the appropriate maintenance.

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

Call PA Tree Trimming now for information on routine tree care in Pennsylvania – including tree trimming – for newer trees and older trees. A local tree service will determine the best plan for your trees! Locate your city in our service area here.