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Our goal is to provide timely information that applies to the health, beauty and safety of your trees and shrubs.
In This Issue
Preserve Our National Tree
As part of our national heritage, the enduring and mighty oak, with over 60 species sprinkled throughout all 50 states, represents numerous episodes from American history. In order to address the recent problems of sudden oak death, the Asian longhorned beetle and other introduced pests, Total Tree Care arborists would be pleased to assess the health of your oak trees as part of our effort to make certain the oak will forever be a part of America's forests and urban landscapes.
Press Release
Enjoy The Woods At Night
The woods at night are unnecessarily frightening for children and most adults. Spend a memorable evening in the silent, mysterious and beautiful forests after dark. Listen to nocturnal critters. Learn why streams make more noise at night than during the day. Become fascinated with how well your senses work and how much your eyes adjust to the dark. Afterwards when you get together with your companions over a cup of cider, you will all agree that you'll never again be afraid of the woods at night.
Enjoy The Fine Art of Spider Sniffing, an enchanting article by Steve Sandfort, a registered forester and certified arborist. It appears on page 96 of the March 2006 edition of the Tree Care Industry Magazine and was encouraged by the original Boy Scouts Woods Lore Manuals.
The Fine Art of Spider Sniffing
Open House For Our Complementary Partners
On April 22 our partners will tour our facilities and learn about our Landscape Partnership Program.
The program is open to companies who offer professional landscaping, irrigation, architectural and masonry services to their customers.
Learn More
Should You Fertilize Your Trees?
Trees in the forest live in a nutrient rich environment. In urban or suburban settings [where leaves, twigs, and mulch are removed] trees live under high stress due to inadequate moisture, soil compression, physical damage, nearby construction, and competition from turf, other trees and shrubs. They are susceptible to disease and structural damage leading to a shorter life than well-nourished trees.
Quality mulch beds prime the soil for applying sensible amounts of ANSI300 compliant macronutrients (N, P, K) and micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn) on a regular basis. This increases the fertilizer and water-holding capacity of many soils and aids in root zone development.
Organic fertilizers [cottonseed meal, bone meal, manure and chicken litter] slowly release nutrients as they decompose. Inorganic fertilizers [sodium nitrate, ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate] are general-purpose fertilizers, complete with the correct ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
It is desirable to have nutrients available to each tree as growth is about to occur. Growing trees should be fertilized throughout the year with the greatest amounts applied during early spring and summer. When a tree reaches the desired height you may decrease the fertilizer application to once a year. Improve vigor and color, foster growth and improve longevity by following this practice along with proper hydration, pruning, and weeding around tree bases.
The best indicator of whether fertilization is necessary is a soil test before trees are planted and every 3 to 5 years thereafter. A Total Tree Care arborist will analyze the health of your trees and shrubs through a comprehensive root zone soil sample and tissue test when a tree shows yellowing, extremely slow growth, or some other sign that might indicate a nutrient deficiency.
UConn Article on Tree Fertilization
How Large Is the Root Zone to Be Fertilized?
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President's Message
Save Mature Trees. Introduce Them In The Construction Planning Stage
Mature trees provide beauty, natural cooling and a buffer to the wind. Specimen trees cannot be replaced and must be cared for during new construction, renovation, paving, or the addition of a pool, patio, or playscape.
Tree damage on construction sites is caused by diminished groundwater levels, compaction of soil, removal of topsoil, construction material chemicals, harm to the leaf canopy, and injury to roots during trenching. The damage may take four years or more to be noticeable. A weakened tree may eventually die during severe weather conditions or insect infestations. Since much of the damage is "invisible" during construction , neither the owner nor the contractor associates it with construction done years earlier.
Minimize the harmful impact on desirable trees through careful construction planning by property owners, architects and contractors. Owners should hire an arborist before completing building plans. Once your arborist has analyzed your lot, schedule a meeting with your contractor to discuss which trees need the most care. Also include a clause in the contract to cover any future loss of trees should your contractor not follow your arborist's recommendations.
Follow established guidelines to protect trees during construction. For example, site plans can include specifics on traffic flow and parking. Construction fencing should be placed at the dripline of the tree where water droplets fall to the ground from the edges of its canopy.
Rather than cut down a majestic tree to allow for an easier construction project, let a Total Tree Care arborist advise you about options for saving valuable trees in lieu of starting over with new plantings when construction has been completed.
Luke Williams,
President
Learn More About Saving Trees During Construction
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