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Planting shade trees in your yard has many wonderful benefits. Underneath a large shade tree is the best location for a backyard BBQ or for children to play outside. A shade tree will also keep your home cooler when temperatures rise.

To get all of the benefits of shade trees, you need to plant the correct species and care for them correctly.

NH Tree Trimming has recommendations for the best trees to plant for shade, and some expert advice on caring for 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 types of trees that are built for the best shade. These trees often have a thick, wide canopy that reaches out nearly as far as it does upward.

In the following paragraphs, we’ve provided some examples of shade trees based on whether they would be best suited for 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 , so they can be purely for shade and enjoyment.

Besides just shade, these trees can provide year-round color and some extra privacy from neighbors.

Here are a few popular options:

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

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

Most of these back yard shade tree recommendations get very big, so you definitely want to do your research to determine 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 destroy your fencing or even your home. You will also have to prune the tree every year to keep it from being overgrown. A tree that grows too big for its area will most likely have to be cut down, which is an inconvenient 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 these trees will be much more impactful for adding value and curb appeal to your home since they can be seen.

Choose shade trees for the front yard that are a little smaller so they don’t overshadow your home and landscaping. These trees should complement your landscaping in size and color, while still providing plenty of shade for front yard play and relaxation.

These are some of our favorites:

Red maple
River birch
Dogwood
White oak
Ginkgo tree

These species trees are colorful throughout the year, and they’ll display even more color in the fall months.
Another great choice for your front or side yard is the ‘Green Giant’ Arborvitae. This hedge-like tree can be planted in a long row to provide privacy and shade.

With this advice in mind, we recommend that you plant trees you like. In truth, any type of tree can grow to become a “shade tree.” As long as the trees you choose are suitable for the weather in New Hampshire, they will provide your home and landscaping with some shade.

Benefits of Planting Shade Trees

The reasons to have shade on your property are numerous — there are some that you probably wouldn’t typically think about.

Shade, Obviously – When temperatures {soar|get too hot, you don’t have to hide indoors if you have a nice, shady yard. Put a chair or hammock under your best shade tree and relax 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 glaring sun, but they can make it feel 10-15 degrees colder underneath their canopies. This means less solar radiation on your home 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 home. Arbor Day Foundation research states that one mature tree absorbs around 48 pounds of CO2 from the air.

Shelter for Animals – If you enjoy bird watching or think chipmunks are adorable, your shade trees can give them all they will need to build a shelter, find food and raise babies.

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

How to Care for Shade Trees

Maintaining shade trees is pretty easy as long as you’ve chosen the right species for the weather in New Hampshire. Trees are strong and hardy after the first few years, demanding little attention or care.

Consult an arborist from NH Tree Trimming if you have questions about how to care for your shade trees, or even to help you select the best tree for your property.

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

Planting Your Shade Tree

The south, west and east of your property always get the most sun, so plant your trees on one of these areas 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 maximum amount of sun for healthy growth.

Pruning Your Shade Tree

Prune during the first year or two after planting the tree in order to shape it and help it form a strong structure. To be safe, and for the best results, call NH Tree Trimming for tree trimming in New Hampshire. A certified arborist will arrive at your home and deliver professional care for the tree.

Watering Your Shade Tree

Watering a new tree is crucial. This helps them form a deep and strong root system and will give the tree more stability in the long run.

Fertilizing Your Shade Tree

Fertilize a shade tree just like you would any other tree in order to aid healthy 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 source of your shade.

We hope this blog post was helpful! Remember, when it is time to prune or trim a new shade tree, NH Tree Trimming can help! Call and a certified arborist in New Hampshire will visit your home, examine the tree and formulate the best care plan for its long-term health and growth.

Tree trimming is best left to professionals. It’s a dangerous job, climbing high up trees, wielding chainsaws and dropping heavy branches to the ground; and it is sometimes dangerous for the tree too. Trees that aren’t pruned the right way can suffer from a lifetime of problems.

Instead of putting yourself and putting the tree at risk, enlist someone who is trained and experienced to do it for you.

This will result in healthier trees and a safer environment surrounding your landscaping for many reasons:

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

NH Tree Trimming strongly suggests pruning trees that are near your house or any that are an integral part of your landscape.

Is Tree Trimming Necessary?

It is not required. But it is important. Trees are very hardy and are able to survive on their own all over the world, in many different climates and regions, without pruning.

However, there are many benefits of professional tree trimming, so it’s highly recommended for trees that you care about. This includes sentimental trees, fruit trees and blossoming trees or trees that perform 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 right equipment and a lot of information to guarantee the job is done right. The vast majority of homeowners don’t have either of these!

But that’s alright, because there are plenty of professionals available who know exactly how to properly prune trees for an affordable cost to you including all of the certified arborists throughout New Hampshire we team up with!

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

Trimming Too Much

When done properly, tree pruning is a never-ending process. Starting when your trees are just 2 or 3 years old, they should be maintained by an arborist if you value them and intend to keep them strong and healthy.

A big mistake people make when trimming trees themselves is trimming 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 a time. It is a lot easier to do this during a season that there are no leaves, but a certified arborist is able to safely trim trees any time of year.

Removing Tree Bark

After you cut a tree limb and gravity starts pulling it down, it can tear off bark from the tree trunk right along with it. This exposes the tree’s inner layers, leaving the tree in danger of contracting diseases and making it easier for insects to find their way in.

To stop this from occurring, a trained arborist will make special cuts underneath large branches before making their actual removal cut. Knowing exactly how to place these small cuts removes pressure from the branch collar and reduces the stress at the exact point of the main cut so the tree limb doesn’t rip.

Trimming in the Wrong Place

A trained arborist knows where to trim 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.

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

Pruning Big Branches

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

Conservative pruning once each year guarantees that your tree trimmer only has to remove branches that are 2-3 inches in diameter, which results in a more attractive shape for the tree and less chance of harming the tree or exposing it to disease and pests.

Topping the Tree

Tree topping is an outdated type of pruning, and for good reason! In this service, tree trimming companies would cut the top off of the tree to get the desired height. It was not attractive nor beneficial for the tree, so the majority of tree care companies do not practice tree topping currently.

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

The Solution? Call NH Tree Trimming

Let’s face it. Your tree may never recover from bad pruning.

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

Limbs aren’t going to grow back. The tree will grow more, but it will not grow back in the same places, which leads to odd shapes that could take years to correct. The tree could end up looking bad for the remainder of its life, all because of just one trimming mistake.

Incorrect trimming could also cause death of the tree. Removing too many branches (and, therefore, leaves) can alter the tree’s photosynthesis process, which means it won’t get all of the water it needs or enough carbon dioxide and sunlight to continue growing.

Cutting too many branches might also send the tree into a state of shock. Shock isn’t necessarily permanent, but it takes a lot of care and patience. Even with the right care, a tree undergoing shock may still die.

Avoid all of these tree pruning mistakes and call NH Tree Trimming to speak with a tree care specialist in New Hampshire able to devise 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. A disease or other tree problem may take a little while to show itself due to the sheer size of the tree, and once you identify a symptom, it could be too late to save the tree.

A professional arborist from NV Tree Trimming can identify and treat common tree problems so that there is 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 can also help trees get healthier growth and more flowers or fruit with professional tree pruning.

Have you noticed a tree on your lawn that has always seemed OK but suddenly looks like something is wrong? In the next paragraphs, we’ll explain some of the most typical tree problems and diseases and what these symptoms mean for a tree.

If you see any of these things on any of your trees, 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 certified arborists in Nevada. The moment you think one of these things could be wrong with your tree, contact someone with the knowledge and equipment to help!

Tree Diseases

Leaf Rust – Leaf rust is actually a fungus that is very common in both plants and trees. The name originates from the brown and yellow spots this disease creates on the leaves.

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

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

Some instances of Witches’ Broom are deadly for the tree, while others are only considered a growth malformation. A tree care professional can diagnose the problem.

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

The the best method for treating mildew is to apply a fungicide that contains sulfur. This will remove the current mildew and help to stop future mildew growth on the tree. You might also need to prune the tree to remove branches, fruit, flowers and leaves that have been affected by the mildew

Gall – Gall is a type of 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 galls are not dangerous for the tree, but none of them are attractive.

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

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

Other Tree Problems

Incorrect Pruning – There’s an art to tree pruning, as well as many types, and if you don’t know how to do it, you could harm the tree beyond recovery. Consider the type of tree, season and other factors. Under-pruning (or a lack of pruning at all) is just as big of an issue. Only a trained arborist should be trusted to prune trees to keep them healthy.

Lack of Water – Young trees can be significantly affected by drought. If you plant new trees, you will need to supplement how much water they get from rainfall. A tree that is not getting enough water can have its growth inhibited. 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 sunny area of your property. Many species of trees can handle it just fine, but too much sun can happen to any tree if the sun is too hot for an extended period of time and rainfall is light. A tree that is getting a lot of sun needs even more water to prevent wilting, drooping leaves.

Certified Arborist Services in Nevada

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

Here is what an arborist is trained to do:

• Evaluate trees from below and from the branches of the tree if possible. Climbing into the canopy is usually necessary to see exactly what is causing the symptoms.
• Treat your tree through additives and fertilizers in the soil or solutions sprayed on the leaves. This person will have expert knowledge about the disease affecting your tree and the best treatments.
• Trim tree limbs to remove 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 disease and the pruning process.
• 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 cutting it down is the best choice to protect your property and surrounding landscape.

They can also inform you about the trees that you have om your property and how to best maintain them so you don’t return to the same situation again.

Many tree problems look very similar to one another, requiring a professional opinion to correctly diagnose and treat the issue. If your trees appear to be dry, unhealthy or disfigured, call a professional arborist from NV Tree Trimming for an inspection before it’s too late for your tree.

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

Tree type dictates when many species can be pruned, along with pest population and activity, local tree and plant diseases and other species of plants and trees nearby.

With the guidance of a professional arborist in New Hampshire, you will be able to determine which season is ideal for trimming your trees to set them up for success next season and every year after that.

Best Season to Trim Trees

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

There are a lot of benefits to pruning trees in the winter:

Less risk of pest damage and disease – Insects and plant diseases are usually inactive in the winter in New Hampshire. During the rest of the year, anything from insects to fungus can affect a freshly trimmed tree because the tree will be the most susceptible and these issues thrive when there is warmer weather.

Easier to see the shape of the tree when there are no leaves – Leaves stop your arborist from seeing the overall shape of your tree. When the 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 too close to each other.

Trees have time to heal before spring – By performing major tree trimming in the winter, your trees have several months to rebuild callus tissue on the tips of the remaining branch collar. By spring, you’ll barely be able to identify where the branches were trimmed, and the tree will be able to devote its energy to produce new, healthier leaves, fruit or flowers rather than healing new cuts.

Less chance of harming nearby landscape – Most of the nearby trees and plants will also be dormant during this time, so there is less risk of them. Most of the time, a tree is surrounded by annual plants in the warmer seasons, 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 will 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. Let us explain:

Pruning Makes the Tree Stronger

Dead and diseased limbs are cut off, as are branch stubs that are prone to pests and disease. Branches that can rub against each other are also pruned so they don’t weaken each other or cause an open wound on the tree.

Pruning trees each year is a great way to get expert eyes on your trees so that early signs of decay, disease and insect problems can be spotted and responded to immediately.

A Well-Maintained Tree Serves Its Purpose Better

When a tree becomes overgrown, it’s hard for water and nutrients to reach every branch. 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, blossom more fruit, healthier leaves and offer better shade. They are fuller and healthier and less likely to create landscaping issues. So regardless of why you planted a new tree, pruning each winter will improve the results you want from it.

Trees are More Beautiful After Pruning

If the view of your landscaping is important to you, tree trimming is a necessity! Pruning trees results in an attractive, uniform shape and size. This is important if you have a lot of identical trees on your property.

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

Less Risk of Falling Branches

Tree trimming – done the right way – helps the remaining branches to grow stronger and healthier. Therefore, storms and other inclement weather in New Hampshire won’t damage your trees the same way they would an unkempt tree. Your home and family will be safer living under and around pruned trees.

Another safety concern for large trees is that they can impede the view of traffic lights, road signs and driveways. Tree trimming, crown raising and other certified tree care services will keep the tree at a good size and stop it from blocking various views.

Call NH Tree Trimming for Tree Pruning

Working with a professional arborist in New Hampshire gives you access to their expert knowledge on the subject of tree trimming. We recommend relying on their expertise if you have trees on your property that you’d like to keep healthy for a long time.

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

This plan might take many years to implement, but rest assured, it will result in healthy trees that you and your family can enjoy for many years to come.

This kind of annual maintenance will aid in healthy tree growth, help your landscaping fight off plant diseases and increase flower or fruit production from trees. It will also strengthen your trees so there is not as much risk of falling trees or limbs.

Being proactive about tree trimming can save you a lot of money as well. Preventative maintenance is much more cost-effective than paying for emergency tree services, storm damage restoration or restoring a sick tree from a disease that has gotten out of control (and one that was easily preventable).

If you care about the health of your trees and the curb appeal of your landscaping, trust a certified arborist for tree pruning and maintenance from NH Tree Trimming. Discover our service area here. We work with arborists across the entire state of New Hampshire. Call today!

Tree pruning in New Hampshire is an important professional service that beautifies and reinforces trees so they can withstand insects, diseases and inclement weather – and look breathtaking doing it!

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

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

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

Pruning too much from a tree might kill it or lead to structural damage, but minimal trimming done every year benefits trees in several ways. Pruning helps to improve the appearance of trees, makes them stronger, removes dead or diseased limbs and expedites fruit or flower production.

For the best results, pruning must be performed every year, but as trees mature, you may be able to wait two years between major pruning services. Regardless of how often you have your trees trimmed, make sure your arborist is qualified to do the type of tree pruning your trees need. This won’t be an issue if you call NH Tree Trimming in New Hampshire!

Types of Tree Pruning Methods

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

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

Crown Thinning Your Trees

Crown thinning is typical for older, overgrown trees in New Hampshire. This technique removes weak branches within the crown of the tree to allow more sunlight and air flow through the crown. Air flow is important to help prevent disease.

This tree pruning method also eliminates branches and limbs that are touching so they do not rub against one another and snap or cause weaker areas that can be an entry point for insects and pests. Branches that grow at odd angles are typically cut off during crown thinning.

Crown Raising Your Trees

This tree pruning technique removes branches at the lower part of the crown so new limbs start higher up on the trunk. Letting low branches get too big makes them hard to cut off, and they can pull nutrients from the top of the tree, which leads to less fruit and a weaker tree.

There are a variety of reasons you might want 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 free up space for landscaping under the tree.

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

Crown Reduction

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

Even if the tree isn’t near structures like these, crown reduction can make the tree look neater because it also removes irregular growth. This is a good idea for trees that are various ages but are supposed to look consistent.

Crown Cleaning

Often known as deadwood pruning, crown cleaning is a minimally invasive type of tree trimming technique that eliminates dead, snapped or diseased limbs so that the rest of the tree may grow normally. These branches can only cause issues over time.

Crown cleaning helps to make the tree look much better, and it stops branches from rubbing together. It is also a safety practice that lowers the chance of branches falling, since healthy branches rarely fall.

Crown Restoration

Crown restoration is a focused trimming process for trees that were significantly damaged (either by weather or vandals). It needs to be performed by a certified arborist who knows how the tree is likely to grow in the future and roughly just how long it’s restoration is going to take.

Unlike most other tree trimming services, crown restoration happens during an extended period of time with conservative pruning that reshapes the tree. Your arborist should have a definitive plan to restore the tree, but also must be flexible as the tree begins to grow and reshape on its own, adapting to the tree’s new growth pattern.

Vista Pruning

If you want trees that help improve the overall beauty of your landscaping, you are most likely interested in vista pruning. The purpose of vista pruning is to make the tree more aesthetically pleasing from a particular vantage point.

It entails many pruning techniques including crown thinning, crown cleaning and crown reduction – any technique that makes the trees look prettier. Remember, though, that a professional will never jeopardize the health of a tree, so the primary focus of vista pruning is still to maintain strong, healthy trees.

Espalier Pruning

Espaliered trees are pruned heavily to grow flat up against a wall or a trellis. It is a unique style of tree pruning that is sure to attract a lot of attention to your yard. Espalier pruning needs to be started when the tree is very young and then done routinely during the tree’s life span.

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

Professional Tree Pruning in New Hampshire

Tree trimming can be harmful to a tree, your lawn, and, of course, for you! NH Tree Trimming highly suggests professional tree pruning over attempting DIY.

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

Trees in New Hampshire that get annual care from a professional are usually much better off, and hiring an experienced arborist from NH Tree Trimming to care for trees on your property is a choice you won’t regret. Locate your town in our service area. We work with arborists throughout the entire state of New Hampshire!

Planting new trees on your property has many benefits. Trees create summer shade, filter polluted air and increase curb appeal and property value. Everyone should plant trees.

Once full-grown, most trees are very easy to care for: another benefit! Trees are strong and tend to grow even with minimal care. But, if you want to help your trees reach their potential, they need more effort.

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

The good news is that caring for trees isn’t all that difficult, but you do need a little information to do it right. Educate yourself with the trees you plant in order to know what they need to succeed. Then properly care for them and watch them bloom.

Below, we’ll outline the five best tips on how to plant a new tree and seeing it thrive. You likely are aware of the basics, so we’ll dive a little deeper and lay out how to perform each step correctly.

Tree Care Tips for New Trees

These five tips will not only help keep your trees alive, they’ll help them grow much faster, resist strong gusts of wind, fight off diseases ,insects and pests and produce more leaves, buds or fruit.

Water Your Tree

New trees need more water than older ones. The trees you plant on your property are no exception.

The root ball of the tree and the soil all around it should be kept moist, but don’t let it get soaked, as this can cause some of the roots to rot.

The best practice is 4-10 gallons of water per week. This includes rain water, and although it’s hard to get an exact reading, a rain gauge can get you close enough to supplement the remaining gallons. Your new trees will need this much water every week for the first 2-3 growing seasons.

Mulch Around Your Trees

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

Place mulch 3 inches away from the tree trunk and spread it around to cover the ground underneath 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 substantially.

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

Fertilize Around Your Tree

Fertilizer provides several nutrients that your land’s soil may not naturally have. Most new trees can benefit from fertilizing, but you need to be using the correct products and do it at the right time in order for fertilizer to be most beneficial.

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

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

Follow through with these things in the first few growing seasons after planting a new tree, and then reconsider your watering, mulching and fertilizing as the tree gets older. As seasons go on, there will be tree care projects that are more important for new trees.

Trim Your Tree

Tree trimming is very important – but very tricky – in the initial years after you plant a new tree. As the tree grows, you may see several small branches take off, attempting to become the tree’s trunk. You may think this means that the tree is healthy and that it is growing well, it can actually result in a weak tree over time.

Early trimming shapes the tree into what it is going to look like when it is much larger. As small limbs emerge from the lower trunk, they must be cut off so they don’t steal water and nutrients from the upper branches.

As long as there are trees on your land, they need to be pruned routinely. When the trees get too large for you to trim them safely, you can trust NH Tree Trimming to do it for you.

Monitor Your Tree

Growing trees are at the highest risk for damage, disease and pest problems. But you’re never completely safe from these issues. As your tree gets larger, watch it closely for evidence of disease or poor nutrition, including the following:

• Leaf color changing out of season, especially leaves turning yellow or brown
• Premature leaf falling, regardless of whether leaves appear healthy or sick
• Wilting, despite adequate watering
• Individual branches or limbs dying
• Bark peeling off

These signs likely mean a health problem. The tree is probably going to require professional care if your goal is to save the tree. An experienced arborist can typically diagnose the problem by simply looking at your tree, although they will do testing if deemed necessary.

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

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

Of course, you could already have a full schedule and don’t want to take on these additional lawn care projects. In some cases, homeowners don’t have the physical ability or the tools to give their growing trees the appropriate care.

No matter the situation, it’s ok to contact a tree service for the care of new trees. A certified arborist in New Hampshire can consult with you about the best course of care for each tree species you plant. They enjoy sharing their expertise and skills with homeowners planting new trees on their land, and can be the difference between trees struggling and trees that thrive.

Call NH Tree Trimming now for information on routine tree care in New Hampshire – including tree trimming – for new trees and old trees. A local tree service can determine the best plan for your trees! Locate your city in our service area here.