Tree care tips from an experienced tree surgeon in Wimbledon

1.   Watering Your Trees

Now, for the majority of a trees’ life, manual watering will not be needed to help a tree thrive and keep at optimum health. Saying that, there are two scenarios contrary to this rule. Firstly, is during the early stages of a tree’s life. Imperative is watering during the first two seasons after planting. Make sure to water a healthy volume weekly. Secondly, and timely for how the weather has been recently, is, when long spells of dry are due to occur. During prolonged dry periods we recommend watering your trees around 5-6 watering cans a week. The water should be evenly dispersed around the base of the tree and applied all in one ‘watering session’. This amount of water should be sufficient to soak all the way down to the deepest parts of the root growing system.  Soil type and tree species will add variation to this, but 5-6 cans is a good general rule of thumb to begin with. Monitor and alter volume depending.

2.   Use Mulch

Much is a wonderful addition to help your trees continue to thrive. Applied to the surface of soil around the base of a tree at about 4” deep and made up of many and differing components, this is a versatile organic material that really can work wonders. We suggest using a Mulch made out of leafy foliage mould, old wood chips, newer bark and completely rotted manure that is fully biodegradable. With benefits of care, health, and maintenance. Mulch works in a combination of ways, but examples of how it can benefit your trees are: supressing weeds that would otherwise compete for nutrients or helping to retain moisture. Whilst placed around the base of a tree it is worth noting the mulch should never come into contact with a tree stem. Mulch really can help to reduce the time you need to dedicate to maintaining your trees, give it a go and see how it benefits your outdoor space.

3.   Weeds Vs Young Trees

Remember! Your outdoor space is its own micro ecological system. Just like in the macro there is questions over the availability of resources. This question holds true for the living things battling it out trying to survive and even better thrive, in the place it calls home. Any plants, weeds, grasses, shrubs and hedges within a 1.5ft-2ft radius of a tree will be fighting it for resources and nutrients. When a tree is older and more established it will be dominant enough to steal what it needs, being able to provide some back via by-product. However, when it is in its infant stages and at key points of development it needs extra protection. So, try and keep that radius intact whenever possible.

Weeds being the worst culprit need special attention. In particular during spring when weeds attempt a growth spurt. Hand weeding is a safe and relatively easy method you can apply in your garden to help protect those younger trees when needed. However, if you don’t have the time or energy needed, we can always help provide similar services as part of one of our tailor-made packages!

Home Care Vs Professional Care

We just wanted to provide those of you in Wimbledon, with some safe and easy methods that can be applied throughout your outdoor spaces. Especially in celebration of National Tree Day and in light of the cost-of-living crisis, we wanted to give back a little bit of free advice that can go a long way in both: boosting the bank whilst giving your trees a little boost too. Saying that, there sadly is only so much that can safely be achieved by an untrained professional. If you are lucky enough to be in a position to consider seeking professional help, we offer many services that can go that one step further to the advice provided here in saving trees from competition and making sure they thrive in their habitat. From several pruning methods to professional weed removal and overall tree maintenance. There is so much we offer at above all tree care that can help your trees grow above all the rest. Head over to our services page to get more detail on what we offer.