Al's Tree Service

Landscaping Around Your Trees

Most homes have a few trees in the yard. Since they provide shade when it is too hot outside, it is only right that your landscape around the trees to make part of the beautiful scenery.

The first thing you have to do is get in touch with an arborist, a tree care service, or even a forester. This is because planting around trees the wrong way can damage the roots and kill the tree. Once they have established a protected root zone, you will be able to plant flowers and shrubs without any problems. Nearly any Buffalo tree service can advise you on how best to plant around your trees.

Instead of planting these on the ground, you can use planter boxes which do a great job of reducing mower damage. If you do decide to use these, be sure to maintain the soil at the original level and that the installation edging materials do not cut the tree roots.

The water requirements for plants and trees are very different. For instance, grass and plants have to be watered daily or three times a week. While the tree on the other hand only needs one application.

To prevent this from happening, you should also construct an irrigation system that is able to cater to the needs of both. You can make this happen by putting the water lines in one corridor outside the protected root zone.

But if it has to go through, make sure bore a hole only two feet below grade. Again, the improper way of doing this will compromise the tree’s stability and health.

But what if you suspect that something is wrong with the tree? For that, you will have to inspect the base of the tree or contact a tree service to help you to determine what the problem may be.

All trees have a natural root flare located at the base. If there is no flare and there is an excess fill, this has to be removed in order to save the life of the tree. Some of the work can be done by hand while the rest is done with a machine.

So if you want to landscape around trees, it is best to lay a 2 to 4 inch layer of organic mulch at the base of the tree and then extend this outward to the protected root zone. Examples of these include wood chips and shredded bark. They must not be piled up against the tree trunk because this keeps the bark wet that leads to the growth of bacteria and fungi.

You must not also use landscaping fabrics or sheet plastic underneath mulch because they prevent oxygen and water from going to the roots of the trees.

It is advised to prone out dead, low, and rubbing branches. You must never pull on the healthy ones because this will reduce the tree’s ability to withstand heavy winds.

Irrigation must be done in the absence of precipitation. This should be done regularly during the fall until the ground freezes with periods that allow the soil to dry.

If you follow the tips mentioned, you will soon have a nice yard that surrounds a tree. Of course landscaping around trees is just one way to make your yard look good. But as this case has shown, planting flowers or shrubs into the ground and watering them is not as easy as it looks because you also have to pay attention to the needs of the tree so both will be able to live.