Month: July 2019

The Truth About Tree Topping – Why It’s A Bad Idea

If your landscape is being overrun with tall, fast-growing trees, you may feel compelled to cut off the top.

Known as tree topping, it’s become a common solution for homeowners and business owners struggling to control their landscape.

While tree topping may sound effective, you should think twice before proceeding with it.

Tree Topping vs Pruning: What’s the Difference?

Upon reading the definition of tree topping, many people assume that tree topping is the same as pruning. After all, both tree topping and pruning involve cutting trees to remove some of their branches.

But tree topping goes one step further by cutting the entire tree – typically at the top – rather than just a few branches.

Increased Risk of Infection

Tree topping increases the risk of bacterial and fungal infections by creating large wounds.

When you topple a tree, the top of the trunk will become exposed to the surrounding environment. Cutting off the top of a tree, for example, leaves behind a barkless surface through which infection-causing bacteria or fungus can enter the tree.

Of course, this is just one of several reasons why tree topping is a bad idea.

Less Sunlight

Another reason tree toppling is a bad idea is because it restricts the amount of sunlight trees receive.

Like all plants, trees convert sunlight into energy via a process known as photosynthesis. When sunlight strikes a tree’s leaves, it will convert the sunlight into energy.

Unfortunately, tree topping significantly reduces or even eliminates the amount of leaves on a tree. And without a healthy canopy of leaves, the tree will struggle to produce a sufficient amount of energy via photosynthesis.

Weak Branches

It’s also worth mentioning that tree topping can lead to weak branches.

Trees respond to toppling by quickly growing new branches in an effort to attract more sunlight. Unfortunately, these newly developed branches are typically smaller and weaker than before.

As a result, the branches are more likely to fall during severe weather, which could create a safety hazard for you and your family.

It May Not Regrow

Even if you leave 10 or more feet of the tree’s trunk, it may not regrow after being toppled.

Tree toppling causes significant stress, and when combined with a bacterial or fungal infection, trees often struggle to regrow after being cut from the top.

If you want to keep a tree in your landscape, consider pruning it rather than toppling it.

The Woodsman Company offers tree planting, tree pruning and shrub trimming, tree removal and stump grinding as well as a tree wellness program.

If we can help with any of your tree care needs give us a call at 512-846-2535 or 512-940-0799 or

Request a Quote / Schedule an Appointment

The post The Truth About Tree Topping – Why It’s A Bad Idea appeared first on Woodsman Tree Service.

5 Fertilizing Tips to Protect Against Lawn Burn

Fertilizing your lawn on a regular basis – once or twice a year for most lawn grasses – will provide it with essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, all of which are needed for healthy grass.

It’s not uncommon, however, for fertilizer to have a negative impact on lawns. Certain types of fertilizer can dry out your lawn, a condition known as lawn burn.

You can still apply fertilizer to your lawn, but you should follow these tips to protect it against lawn burn.

#1) Avoid High-Nitrogen Fertilizers

Don’t use a fertilizer with a high ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus or potassium. Nearly all fertilizers are made of these three main ingredients.

Fertilizers with a high concentration of nitrogen, however, are more likely to cause lawn burn than their counterparts.

As the excess nitrogen soaks into the soil, it leaches moisture from the grass.

#2) Use Less Fertilizer

Another tip to protect against lawn burn is to use less fertilizer. A good rule of thumb is to use no more than 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.

Of course, you’ll have to factor the nitrogen content of your fertilizer to determine exactly how much you should use. If your fertilizer has 20% nitrogen, for example, you should generally use about 5 pounds per 1,000 square feet of grass.

#3) Close the Spreader Hopper When Refilling

When using a spreader hopper to fertilize your lawn, make sure it’s closed when you refill it.

You’ll probably need to stop every 10 to 15 minutes to refill the spreader with additional fertilizer.

If the spreader hopper is open, excess fertilizer will spill out. And if you don’t clean it up, it may dry out your lawn, eventually leading to lawn burn.

#4) Water Your Lawn Regularly

Of course, watering your lawn regularly can help protect it from lawn burn.

During the summer, most lawn grasses need about 1 to 2 inches of water per week. If your lawn gets less water during the summer, it will be dehydrated.

Therefore, fertilizing it will only dry it out even further.

#5) Don’t Fertilize If Diseased or Stressed

If your lawn is diseased or stressed, don’t fertilize it.

Stressed lawns are more likely to suffer from fertilizer burn than healthy, unstressed lawns.

Rather than fertilizing your lawn when it’s stressed, identify the underlying cause of the stress and resolve it. Once your lawn has emerged from its stressed state, you can then fertilize it without harming it.

The Woodsman Company offers tree planting, tree pruning and shrub trimming, tree removal and stump grinding as well as a tree wellness program.

If we can help with any of your tree care needs give us a call at 512-846-2535 or 512-940-0799 or

Request a Quote / Schedule an Appointment

The post 5 Fertilizing Tips to Protect Against Lawn Burn appeared first on Woodsman Tree Service.

Reasons Your Tree Changing Colors in Spring or Summer is a Bad Sign

Distressed tree changing colors and dying

Is your tree changing color when it should be green? Tree foliage will change color for several reasons. Some of those reasons may lead to the death of the tree, while others are merely seasonal.

toddsmariettatreeservices.com gathered information on why trees change color, and when a color change signals severe problems with trees.

Deciduous vs. Evergreen Trees

In a very general sense, trees may be classified in one of two categories; deciduous or evergreen. When their foliage changes color, it can be interpreted as:

Deciduous Trees – A deciduous tree keeps its green color throughout spring and summer. During autumn, its leaves will change from green to vibrant yellow, orange, red, or purple before falling to the ground.

This color change occurs as the days shorten and temperatures drop. As the leaves cease their food making process, the chlorophyll breaks down, the green color fades away, and so begins the fall color change and leaf drop spectacle.

Leaf color change on deciduous trees in fall

This process also enables the tree to conserve energy as it prepares to enter dormancy throughout late autumn and winter.

Evergreen Trees – As the name suggests, these trees remain green throughout the year. Typically, they will drop small amounts of foliage as new growth takes its place during the spring and summer months.

While healthy evergreen trees slow down considerably during autumn and winter months, they retain their foliage and green color.

Diseased, Infested, and Dying Trees

When a deciduous tree changes color during spring or summer months, or an evergreen changes color at any time, there is cause for concern. One or a combination of the following may be causing the tree to decline in health or die:

Drought – Drought conditions can happen any time throughout the year, and trees viscerally respond to hydraulic failure.

When there is a lack of water within a tree, the entire crown may be affected in the following ways:

• Chlorosis (loss of color) of the foliage
• Wilting
• Premature leaf drop
• Hardening of branches and twigs
• Self-pruning (shedding of entire branches)

If a regular water supply is not restored to the tree at the onset of drought symptoms, the tree will likely die.

Solution: Maintain a watering pattern throughout the year, increasing the frequency during dry stretches and decreasing during rainy seasons.

Root Rot – Excess water may deprive tree roots of getting the air that they need, leading to decay. To avoid root rot, it is best to only water trees when the soil becomes dry, and to plant the tree in well-drained soil.

Symptoms of root rot are very similar to those of drought, including chlorosis, and premature leaf drop, as both ailments cause hydraulic failure within the tree.

Tree leaf chlorosis and death from disease stress

One of the significant differences between drought and root rot is the destabilization of a tree affected by root rot. Without firm roots to anchor the tree, the lightest of storm activity may cause it to topple.

Solution: Avoid overwatering trees and plants located in poorly drained soil. If root rot has already occurred, contact a tree service professional to evaluate the situation and recommend a course of action.

Heart Rot – Trees are susceptible to heart-rotting fungi that produce a lightweight, soft, spongy, stringy, or powdery heart decay. Signs that a tree is rotting from the inside are:

• Leaf chlorosis
• Wilting
• Premature leaf drop
• Dead and brittle branches
• Mushroom conks growing from the trunk
• Bark abnormalities (swelling, deep cracks, or holes)

While trees are very good at compartmentalizing (isolating) damaged or diseased portions of themselves, some fungi can cause massive amounts of potentially fatal damage before the tree can react.

Solution: The following will help a tree avoid heart rot:

• Promote the tree’s health (watering, pruning, fertilizing, mulching)
• Prune in late fall or early winter
• Avoid bark damage
• Remove storm-damaged branches

Trees with symptoms of heart rot should be evaluated and treated or removed by a tree service professional, as soon as possible to avoid severe damages should the tree topple or collapse.

If your tree is dying, learn more about what you can do at toddsmariettatreeservices.com/my-tree-is-dying-what-do-i-do/

Anthracnose – Anthracnose can attack a tree (fruit trees are more susceptible) at any stage of its growth and can affect leaves, stems, pods, fruits, and roots. The symptoms of anthracnose are:

• Small irregular yellow, brown, or black spots that expand and merge together on foliage. Severe infections can affect entire portions of the crown.
• Cankers on stems and branches that cause extreme defoliation and rotting of fruit and roots.
• Fruits develop sunken circular spots that darken with age, eventually producing gelatinous pink spore masses.

Signs and symptoms of anthracnose tree disease

Solution: The following can help prevent an anthracnose infection:

• Promote your tree’s health (watering, pruning, fertilizing, mulching)
• Transplant only healthy seedlings
• Remove and destroy infected tree parts
• Harvest unripe but mature fruits
• Plants species that are resistant to anthracnose disease
• Keep the landscape free of weeds

If your tree has become severely infected with anthracnose, the best containment of the disease may be the complete removal and destruction of the tree. Hire a tree service professional to evaluate the tree’s situation, and risk to surrounding vegetation before deciding on a course of action.

You can learn more about tree diseases and treatment at toddsmariettatreeservices.com/5-marietta-ga-tree-diseases-identification-treatment/

Insect Infestation – Severe infestations by honeydew-producing aphids, leaf-consuming caterpillars, trunk burrowing beetles, and other opportunistic insects can lead to a tree being overstressed and dying. Symptoms of an insect infestation may include:

• Chlorosis of the foliage of a portion of or the entire crown
• Wilting and leaf drop
• Damaged or eaten foliage
• The appearance of sooty mold on infested foliage
• The presence of ants (colonizing and tending to aphids)
• Severe premature leaf drop
• Burrowed circular holes in branch or trunk bark

Tree leaf damage from insect infestation

Solution: Upon detection of an insect infestation, the infected and surrounding trees should be treated and protected with:

• Insect traps (tree bands, ant traps, beetle traps, etc.)
• Neem oil spray
• Insecticide

In cases where beetles and other burrowing insects are involved, a tree service professional should be contracted to survey the tree, property, and surrounding landscape to attempt to gain full control over the infestation.

Climbing Vines – If left uncontrolled, climbing vines are capable of ascending to the top of a tree and spreading across its crown. As the vine spreads its foliage, it absorbs the sunlight otherwise intended for the tree, leading to the following:

• Leaf chlorosis
• Wilting
• Premature leaf drop
• Nutrient deficiency (weakened health)

Climbing vines can girdle and kill trees

When vines take over the canopy of a tree, you may see green, healthy foliage (from the vine) mixed with wilting or dying foliage (from the tree). As the tree weakens, it will become susceptible to insect infestation and disease, compounding its health decline and hastening its death.

Solution: Sever the vine from its root system near the ground and let it die off. However, don’t try to remove the vine from the tree. As the vine was climbing, it anchored to the tree’s bark, any attempt to pull the vine down may severely damage the bark, resulting in the girdling of the tree.

To learn more on how to save your tree from clinging vines, read toddsmariettatreeservices.com/saving-trees-clinging-vines/

Trees Changing Colors

Is your tree turning yellow or brown when it’s supposed to be green? There are several reasons that trees will change color, and many of those reasons may indicate serious problems that can kill the tree.

In this article, you discovered why trees change color in the fall, and problems that may lead them to change color and suffer leaf drop in the spring or summer months.

While it is normal for deciduous trees to change color in the fall, ignoring an off-season color change or leaf drop can lead to the death of your tree.

Sources:
https://www.esf.edu/pubprog/brochure/leaves/leaves.htm
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/chlorosis/
http://www.oisat.org/pests/diseases/fungal/anthracnose.html
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/be_careful_where_you_spray_that_stuff

Todd’s Marietta Tree Services

200 Cobb Pkwy N Ste 428 Marietta, GA 30062
(678) 505-0266

The post Reasons Your Tree Changing Colors in Spring or Summer is a Bad Sign appeared first on http://www.toddsmariettatreeservices.com.

Top 7 Ways To Manage Your Tree Roots

Trees add significant value to cities, neighborhoods, and homes. Research shows that trees can enhance the image and attractiveness of a property, which is why your approach to developing it should give priority to preservation of the existing trees. Cutting down trees should be done only as a last resort.

Tree roots, on the other hand, are a completely different story. Roots of certain trees can penetrate and compromise sewer systems and pipelines. They can lift driveways and walkways as well as even topple walls and entire structures.

Fortunately, there are many different ways to manage your roots without the need to cut down the whole tree. Here are the top 7 ways to deal with tree roots:

1. Mechanically Cutting the Tree Roots

Using a mechanical auger is one of the most common techniques used to deal with tree roots. It is a mechanical approach that involves sending a powered auger down a sewer line. It has a rotating head that’s covered in teeth and the rotating action cuts and clears roots.

2. Using Mulch

If you have exposed roots in your yard, you can try applying mulch – preferably wood chips – underneath your tree. Doing this helps level out the area while keeping the roots cool and moist and allowing them to breathe. However, avoid putting more than 4-inches of mulch.

3. Root Barriers

Root barriers are steel or plastic membranes used to physically present roots from growing beyond the barrier line. They are particularly effective, especially if installed proactively when the tree is still young and roots don’t require pruning.

4. Chemical Control

You can use certain chemicals to kill off roots that grow beyond their bounds. For instance, copper sulfate crystals can be highly effective for this. The copper creates a “poison” zone in the soil around the structure you want to protect from the evasive roots.

5. Air Gaps

You can also control root growth effectively by creating a “dry” zone between the tree that has invasive roots and the structure you wish to protect. The zone is excavated and filled using materials that dry fast, should have very large pores filled with water, are impermeable to root penetration, and have poor water holding capacity.

6. Baiting

Roots naturally grow towards areas with healthy and moist soils. Baiting refers to providing these ideal growth conditions in an area away from the structure you want to protect. The process is at times not completely practical, but it can become workable under special in-ground containerization.

7. Using a Hydro Jetter

Using a hydro jetter is an effective but possibly expensive way to clear tree roots from sewer lines. The machine uses pressurized water and a pump. Once the hydro jetter has finished doing its job, you can flush your sewer line with a chemical to get rid of roots that might still be present.

Final Thoughts

Trees add value to a property, but their roots can definitely be a nuisance. If you want to get rid of tree roots effectively without cutting down the tree, try any of the methods discussed here. If you don’t know how to deal with trees or their roots, call our certified Portland Tree Service experts

This post first appeared on https://rhtreeservice.com

How is Your Tree Fighting Global Warming

Forest trees are carbon sinks fighting global warming and climate change

Did you know that your tree is part of a global carbon sequestration system that sustains breathable air for the human race? In fact, without trees, life on earth as we know it would cease to exist.

72tree.com gathered essential information about the role of carbon sinks and how keeping your tree healthy plays a vital role in combating global warming and sustaining breathable air.

What Are Carbon Sinks

A carbon sink is a natural system that absorbs, uses, and stores carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Technically, you could say that anything that absorbs more carbon than it releases is a carbon sink.

Earth’s principal carbon sinks are:

Trees and Plants – Trees and plants use carbon dioxide captured from the atmosphere for their photosynthesis (food making) process.

Oceans – The oceans play a significant role in storing carbon dioxide. Some marine life will capture the gas for photosynthesis, while some of the gas simply dissolves in the water.

Soil – As plant life dies and decomposes, a portion of its captured carbon dioxide is transferred to the soil.

Nearly a quarter of the carbon dioxide humans have released into the atmosphere has been absorbed by trees and plants. As atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase, so increases carbon fertilization.

Carbon Fertilization and Tree Growth

As atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase, more is available to convert to plant matter through photosynthesis, and trees can grow more. This increased growth is referred to as carbon fertilization.

Trees fighting climate change as carbon emmissions rise

Because of carbon fertilization, trees will continue to grow larger and for more extended periods, as long as their necessity for water, sunlight, and nutrients (primarily nitrogen) is met. If a tree is missing just one of these necessities, it will not grow regardless of the abundance of the others.

Tree Planting and Forest Conservation

Tree planting and forest conservation are vital activities towards the reduction of mankind’s carbon footprint, as trees are remarkably efficient at carbon sequestration, they provide up to 30% of the global action required to stop climate change.

In fact, a single healthy tree is capable of releasing around 6,000 pounds of breathable oxygen over 50 years. That’s about the oxygen consumption of 4 people per year.

With 3.04 trillion trees worldwide and a world population of 7.53 billion, trees alone produce approximately 4,845 pounds of oxygen per person per year. While this number seems reasonably sufficient, carbon emissions are on the rise around the globe, leaving the ominous question of “How long can our trees sustain our oxygen requirements?”

Along with rising carbon emissions, trees and forests, do not always act as carbon sinks. In fact, massive carbon releases by trees may occur at any time when triggered by:

• Deforestation
• Tree and plant decay
• Forest fires
• Wildfires
• Volcanic eruptions

Forest wildfire causing trees to release massive amounts of carbon

Suffice it to say that as long as carbon emissions continue rising, and the global tree population is threatened, the delicate balance of carbon sequestration and oxygen production can easily slide in the wrong direction.

Tree and forest conservation is one of our best weapons to fight global warming, and it starts in your yard. Keep your trees healthy by making sure they:

• Are planted in the right place
• Have the best soil type for the species
• Have sufficient water
• Are fertilized before their growth period
• Are seasonally pruned
• Are properly mulched
• Inspected annually for disease and infestation

Tree planting to fight global warming and for forest conservation

Learn more about planting trees at 72tree.com/tree-planting-guide/

When living near or visiting a forest, you can participate in its conservation by:

• Camping in only designated areas
• Removing or disposing of your trash properly
• Building fires in designated fire-pits
• Fully extinguishing fires before leaving
• Disposing of matches and cigarette butts properly
• Not discharging fireworks
• Reporting suspicious activities
• Notifying park rangers of dead or dying trees
• Avoiding all activities that can physically harm trees

Learn more about forest conservation and preventing wildfires at redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/wildfire/how-to-prevent-wildfires.html

Camping and forest preservation wildfire prevention

Your Tree, Climate Change, and Global Warming

It may be hard to imagine, but by keeping your trees healthy, you are actively pushing back against climate change and global warming. The human race owes its breathable air to the global population of trees, as they sequester carbon dioxide and release the oxygen we breathe.

In this article, you discovered the function and importance of carbon sinks, how your tree plays a significant role in global oxygen production, and how healthy trees and forests help to stop climate change and reverse global warming.

By keeping your trees healthy, you are actively participating in the reduction of atmospheric carbon dioxide, thus slowing climate change and global warming.

Sources:
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/CarbonCycle/page5.php
https://www.americanforests.org/blog/forests-carbon-sinks/
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/carbon-dioxide-fertilization-greening-earth
https://www.conservation.org/stories/Pages/14-forest-conservation-facts-you-need-to-know.aspx
https://www.npr.org/2015/12/26/461095807/tree-counter-is-astonished-by-how-many-trees-there-are

This article was first published on: http://www.72tree.com/how-is-your-tree-fighting-global-warming/

What is the Foundation of a Healthy Tree?

Healthy TreesWhat is the foundation of a healthy tree? If you want a tree to have a healthy trunk with strong roots and branches, then the foundation for that is… regular tree pruning by a knowledgeable and experienced tree care provider. Big Foot Tree Service has plenty of tree experts who can prune the trees on your property so they’ll stay healthy and live a long time. All too often, people ignore their trees only to find that they’re unhealthy and even dying. “Preventative maintenance” can save tree owners a lot of money and headaches.

The Telltale Signs of a Healthy Tree

What are the key signs of healthy trees? They’re the ones with just one main tree trunk that’s straight and stable. Healthy trees produce new yearly growth– and this occurs on both the trunk and the branches. Speaking of branches, they should look and be “full.” In other words, when it’s time for them to have leaves, they should have abundant leaves. They shouldn’t be broken or dead.

Lots of leaves– lots of healthy leaves– is important. That shows the tree is doing well. Leaves should be the “right” color for the season. They shouldn’t be irregular shapes or stunted. There shouldn’t be bare patches. Also, look for bark that’s not loose or peeling (except on trees where that’s normal like birches and maples). When you look at a healthy tree trunk and its bark, you won’t see fungi, cracks, large holes or dead branches.

In order to keep a tree healthy, it’s a good idea to have a professional look at it on an annual basis– kind of like a doctor’s check-up. Experts from Big Foot Tree Service can come to your property and assess the health of your trees. Pruning services are affordable.

Did you know Big Foot Tree Service covers several areas throughout Northern New Jersey? We cover Bergen County, Essex County and Passaic County, just to give you an idea of our geographic reach.

Please call 973-885-8000; we can provide free estimates. Our company cares about the health of trees. We do our best to ensure trees live long and healthy lives. That said, if you have dead trees on your New Jersey property and need them removed, we can do that too.

This post first appeared on https://www.bigfoottreeservice.com

French Drain vs Trench Drain: Which Is Right for My Landscape?

If your landscape suffers from poor or nonexistent drainage, you should consider building a drain.

When rainwater accumulates in your landscape, it can drown plants while eroding the soil in the process. By building a drain, you’ll encourage rainwater to flow down and away from your landscape, thereby preventing problems such as these.

There are two primary types of drainage systems, however: French drains and trench drains.

What Is a Trench Drain?

Also known as a slot drain or strip drain, a trench drain is a type of water-drainage system that’s characterized by the use of a narrow channel.

To construct a trench drain, you must first dig a narrow channel to divert rainwater away from your landscape. Of course, the channel must be dug at a downhill angle so that gravity will naturally guide the rainwater.

After digging the channel – about 3 to 5 inches deep should suffice – you’ll need to place a drain liner in it. The top of the drain liner should feature a perforated surface.

When it rains, water will seep past the liner’s perforated surface and into the trench drain, at which point it will flow away from your landscape.

What Is a French Drain?

Also known as a blind drain or rock drain, a French drain is a type of water-drainage system that’s characterized by the use of a gravel- or rock-filled channel in which a perforated pipe is placed.

French drains have been around for centuries, and in that time, little has changed regarding their design.

To construct a French drain, you’ll need to dig a channel, followed by placing a perforated pipe inside the newly dug channel.

You can then fill the channel and cover the perforated pipe with gravel or rocks. The gravel or rocks will act as a filter, ensuring that only rainwater makes its way into the perforated pipe.

Choosing Between a Trench Drain and French Drain

You can use either a trench drain or French drain to improve the runoff of your landscape. Of those two water-drainage systems, however, most homeowners prefer the French drain.

When compared to trench drains, French drains are easier to construct and, more importantly, are less likely to clog with debris.

Since the top of a French drain is covered with gravel or rocks, only rainwater will enter the pipe. As a result, you don’t have to worry about pine straw, leaves or other debris clogging it.

The Woodsman Company offers tree planting, tree pruning and shrub trimming, tree removal and stump grinding as well as a tree wellness program.

If we can help with any of your tree care needs give us a call at 512-846-2535 or 512-940-0799 or

Request a Quote / Schedule an Appointment

The post French Drain vs Trench Drain: Which Is Right for My Landscape? appeared first on Woodsman Tree Service.

How to Control Tree Suckers in Your Landscape

Tree suckers are a nuisance for many homeowners and green thumbs. Also known as basal shoots, they consist of new shoots that emerge from the base of a tree’s trunk.

They are called “tree suckers” because they literally suck and consume valuable water and nutrients, restricting the main tree’s growth.

Once tree suckers begin growing, the tree will receive less water and fewer nutrients, resulting in increased stress and potentially death.

You can control tree suckers in your landscape, however, by following a few simple steps.

Don’t Harm the Tree’s Roots

When mowing your lawn and tending to your landscape, use caution not to harm the tree’s roots. Trees often grow suckers in response to root stress.

If you accidentally hit a tree’s exposed roots mowing the grass or tilling the soil, you may discover new suckers around the base of its trunk in the following weeks.

Thankfully, you can prevent this from happening by using caution not to strike or otherwise harm the tree’s roots.

Water Around the Tree’s Trunk

Some people believe that watering a tree will leave it susceptible to suckers, but this isn’t the case.

Watering a tree can actually deter suckers by encouraging healthy growth and development (of the tree, not the suckers). When trees are dehydrated, they’ll become stressed and, therefore, more likely to develop suckers.

To discourage suckers from growing on your trees, make sure they well-hydrated.

Prune New Tree Suckers

You won’t always be able to prevent tree suckers from emerging.

When you discover new suckers, though, you should prune them as soon as possible to keep them in check. The longer you wait to remove suckers, the more harm they’ll cause on the tree.

To remove tree suckers, use a pair of clean and sharp gardening shears.

You want to trim the suckers as close to the tree’s trunk as possible without cutting the trunk. Keep in mind that suckers may regrow, so you’ll need to check the tree in the following days and months.

Watch the Trunk When Grafting

If you’re planning on grafting a tree, you should closely monitor the trunk to ensure that no suckers emerge.

Of course, grafting involves splicing one tree’s roots onto the roots of another tree. When grafts fail, the over-stressed tree may sprout suckers.

But as previously mentioned, you can easily remove suckers by pruning them with a pair of gardening shears.

The Woodsman Company offers tree planting, tree pruning and shrub trimming, tree removal and stump grinding as well as a tree wellness program.

If we can help with any of your tree care needs give us a call at 512-846-2535 or 512-940-0799 or

Request a Quote / Schedule an Appointment

The post How to Control Tree Suckers in Your Landscape appeared first on Woodsman Tree Service.

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