Common mistakes and how to prevent them
Tips for Your Tree Care
A List of Common Mistakes that can Damage or Kill your Tree
- Top tree to encourage watersprouts
- Leave codominant leaders to encourage “v” growth and splitting during winds and storms
- Leave crossing branches to rub bark wounds
- Ignore insect or disease damage
- Coat pruning cuts with paint or sealer to slow healing
- Leave broken branches unpruned to encourage pests
- Spray herbicides over tree root area to weaken tree
- Damage roots and trunk with lawn equipment
- Cut through roots when digging trenches
- Plant close to house or obstacle to reduce adequate growing space
- Nail or attach items to tree to damage bark and girdle branches
- Prune randomly to leave branch “stubs”
- Prune flush cuts to reduce wound closure
- Leave tree staked until guy wire girdles trunk
- Leave wrap on to constrict trunk growth and rot bark
- Pile excessive mulch to encourage rodent damage and bark rot
- Put non-porous black plastic under mulch
- Leave ball lacing on to girdle trunk
- Leave wire basket in place to girdle roots
- Leave treated or synthetic burlap on to prevent root growth
- Dig hole too narrow and overamend backfill to discourage proper root spread.Dig hole to deep or fill with gravel
The health of your tree depends on the attention and care you provide; including getting instructions on the maintenance and care of you existing and newly planted trees from a plant center or trained arborist.
Some common tree problems can be avoided by taking care to avoid procedures that can weaken and damage the health of your tree. The Arbor Day Foundation offers 9 Tree Care Tips and Techniques that offer helpful considerations for planting and care of your trees.
