Imagine what the world would look like without a single tree. It is an image you probably can’t come to terms with. You are most likely aware of the numerous ongoing campaigns about planting trees and recreating forests. The whole fuss simply expresses how important trees are to us.
They are a source of life. We get food in the form of fruits and herbs that are used to make medical drugs from. They have a lot of influence on climatic changes. Plants are a habitat for many animals such as squirrels and birds.
The most commonly noticeable importance is their aesthetic value. They make our environment beautiful. The main focus of this article is on how we can tend to trees to keep them beautiful and healthy. Here are a few practices you should adopt.
1. Plant in the right season
It does not make sense to wait for summer or winter to plant a tree. Winter is way to cold for the seedling to grow. Summer, on the other hand is way too hot. The seedling is likely to droop and dry up in such hot conditions.
When looking for trees for sale in Toronto, it is best to buy trees when the weather is temperate and averagely humid. This can be during short showers of rain or a few weeks after a rainy season when the soil is sufficiently moist. This ensures that the seedling does not die due to extreme weather conditions.
2. Keep off the roots
Try as much as possible not to dig unnecessarily around the tree. If you are making any outdoor structures, try to keep them a fair distance from large trees. A good rule of thumb is to take the trunk diameter and multiply it by 10, This is a good distance to make sure you do not harm the tree roots. If you must build closer, get a qualified arborist in to remove the roots in the proper manner and install a root guard.
In any case, why would you want to build a structure next to your tree? Wouldn’t that obscure the tree and deprive it of its aesthetic value?
3. Sunlight exposure
As you already know, green plants require sunlight in order to make their own food through the process of photosynthesis. For optimum photosynthesis, make sure you plant your trees in an open area where they have maximum exposure to light.
Moreover, if you are planting many trees on the same piece of land, plant them in an arrangement such that branches of different trees do not overlap. This gives each plant sufficient access to sunlight. The higher the rate of photosynthesis, the higher the amount of food the plants will store. Sufficient food storage prevents the plant from dying.
4. Water your tree
Once summer approaches, the soil dries up and there is hardly any moisture in the soil. Only desert trees can and other xerophytes can live on with minimal changes in such hostile conditions. If you notice that the plant is drooping, make an effort to water it.
The most effective watering method is drip irrigation. You do not have to install complicated water systems for this. You can simply fill a few bottles with water and stick the open ends of the bottles into the soil at the base of the plant.
In this way, water from the bottles seep into the ground and replenishes the plant’s water supply. This method also minimizes water wastage. You can always refill the bottles as soon as they get completely drained. Apply mulch by the base of yours trees to prevent moisture from escaping from the soil around each tree.
5. Pruning
This is basically the removal of dead branches and leaves from a tree. The branches and leaves may have died as a result of infestation by pests or plant diseases. It is therefore important to remove them to avoid the pests from spreading onto the entire plant. Cutting off of dry branches and leaves makes the tree greener a simply more aesthetically pleasing.
6. Trimming
You just don’t want your tree to grow wildly. You can always trim branches and leaves to give your tree a particular desired shape. For instance, you can cut the tip of the tree so that the tree doesn’t grow any taller. Instead, it’s branches grow sideways and create a beautiful umbrella shape.
7. Applying suitable Agrochemicals
Do not forget to apply pesticides to reduce chances of infestation. Besides that, if a tree is growing in a place with insufficient minerals, you can add fertilizer or manure to the soil to make the soil richer. This supplements the tree with the nutrients that are in short supply.
There are many measures you need to take in order to guarantee full growth and maturity of a tree.If you really care about trees, avoid cutting them down. Make an effort and add some beauty to the environment by planting a few of them. A tree is a gift of nature. The more we love nature, the more it loves us back.