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Having shade trees on your landscaping has many wonderful benefits. Underneath a large shade tree is the best place for a backyard BBQ or for kids to enjoy some much-needed time outside. A shade tree will also keep your home cooler during warmer months of the year.

To get all of the benefits of shade trees, you need to plant the right species and care for them properly.

WY Tree Trimming has recommendations for the best trees to plant for shade, and some expert advice on maintaining your shade trees so they continue to grow healthy and strong.

Planting Trees for Shade

All trees can provide shade, but there are some species that are built for optimal shade. These types of trees typically have a thick, wide canopy that reaches out about as far as it does upward.

In the following paragraphs, we’ve provided examples of shade trees based on whether they would be best planted in your back or front yard.

Back Yard Shade Trees

Shade trees in the back yard are primarily for the homeowner’s benefit. Next-door neighbors and passersby probably won’t see these trees , so they can be planted purely for shade and enjoyment.

Besides just shade, these trees can provide year-round color and some additional privacy.

Here are popular choices:

• Magnolia
• Sugar maple or silver maple
• Weeping willow
• Weeping cherry
• Red oak

If you have the space, a live oak is a fantastic choice. Live oaks are said to be the fastest growing shade trees, and are able to get very big. A mature live oak is able to grow up to 80 feet tall and as much as 100 feet wide.

Most of these back yard tree recommendations get pretty big, so you definitely want to do your research to determine if the tree is going to have enough space to reach maturity.

If there is not enough space, the tree’s root system can destroy your fencing or even your home. You will also have to prune the tree every year to keep it manageable. A tree that is too big for its yard will probably have to be cut down, which is an unfortunate and sometimes costly situation.

Front Yard Shade Trees

In the front yard of your home, you are planting trees for your enjoyment as well, but these trees will be a lot more impactful for increasing value and curb appeal to your home since they can be seen.

Choose shade trees for the front yard that are a little smaller so they don’t overpower your home. These trees should pair with your landscaping in both color and size, while still offering plenty of shade for front yard play and relaxation.

These are some of the shade trees WY Tree Trimming recommends:

Red maple
River birch
Dogwood
White oak
Ginkgo tree

These trees are beautiful throughout the year, and they’ll showcase even more color in the fall months.
Another excellent option for your front or side yard is the ‘Green Giant’ Arborvitae. This hedge-like tree can be planted in a row to create privacy as well as shade.

With these suggestions in mind, we recommend that you plant what you like. In all honesty, any tree can be a “shade tree.” As long as the trees you choose are suitable for the climate in Wyoming, they will provide your yard and home with some shade.

Benefits of Planting Shade Trees

The reasons to have shade n your yard are numerous — there are a few that you likely wouldn’t typically think about.

Shade, Obviously – When temperatures get too hot, you don’t need to run indoors if you have a comfortable, shady yard. Put a chair or hammock below your biggest shade tree and relax outside as long as you want.

Climate Control – Trees can help regulate the temperature in your yard and inside your home. Not only will trees protect you from the glaring sun, but they can also make it feel 10-15 degrees colder below their canopies. This leads to less solar radiation on your home as well, which might result in lower energy costs!

Better Air Quality – Trees produce oxygen and expel pollutants from the air, so there is cleaner air surrounding your home. Arbor Day Foundation research states that one mature tree absorbs around 48 pounds of CO2 out of the air.

Shelter for Animals – If you enjoy bird watching or think squirrels and chipmunks are cute, your shade trees can give them all they will need to build a home, find food and raise babies.

Fun – What child doesn’t want a backyard tree house or tire swing? If you have children, shade trees can provide hours of fun and countless memories.

How to Care for Shade Trees

Maintaining shade trees is easy as long as you’ve chosen the right species for the weather in Wyoming. Healthy trees are strong and hardy after the first few years, needing little attention or care.

Consult a certified arborist from WY Tree Trimming if you have questions about how to care for your trees, or even to help you decide the perfect tree for your property.

After you have decided on the perfect shade tree(s), follow this easy care guide until your shade tree is fully grown.

Planting Your Shade Tree

The south, west and east of your property always get the most sun, so plant your new trees on one of these areas of your yard. This is two-fold: 1) the trees will create the most amount of shade and 2) they will also receive the most amount of sun for healthy growth.

Trimming Your Shade Tree

Prune during the first year or two after you first plant the tree to help to shape it and help it develop a strong foundation. To be safe, and for the best results, call WY Tree Trimming for tree trimming in Wyoming. A certified arborist will arrive at your home and deliver professional care for the tree.

Watering Your Shade Tree

Watering a new tree is crucial. This will help them form a deep root system and will give the tree more stability over the course of its lifetime.

Fertilizing Your Shade Tree

Homeowners should fertilize a shade tree just like you would any other type of tree in order to support healthy growth. Fertilizer is not a requirement for caring for a shade tree, but it can assist in helping your tree to grow faster and produce more leaves, which are the primary source of your shade.

We hope this information was helpful! Remember, when it comes time to trim or prune a new shade tree, WY Tree Trimming can help! Call us and a certified arborist in Wyoming will visit your home, examine the tree and decide the proper care plan for its long-term health and growth.

Tree pruning is best left to the pros. It’s dangerous work, climbing high up trees, wielding chainsaws and lowering heavy tree limbs to the ground; and it is sometimes dangerous for the tree as well. Trees that aren’t pruned the right way can suffer from a lifetime of damage.

Rather than putting yourself and putting the tree itself at risk, enlist an arborist who is trained and experienced to do it for you.

This will result in healthier trees and a safer environment near your home for many reasons:

• Healthier trees are sturdier and not as likely to cause damage during severe storms
• Maintained trees won’t attract or spread parasites and diseases
• Pruned trees grow more flowers or fruit
• Trimmed trees offer shade and allow air to flow throughout their canopies and your landscaping

WY Tree Trimming highly recommends trimming trees that are near your home or any that are an integral part of your landscape.

Is Tree Trimming Necessary?

It is not necessary. But it is important. Trees are very hardy and grow on their own all over the world, in various different climates and locations, without pruning.

However, there are several benefits of professional tree pruning, so it’s definitely recommended for any trees that you value. This can include sentimental trees, fruit trees and flowering trees or trees that offer an important job for your house, such as shade or home to wildlife.

Tree Pruning Gone Wrong

Tree pruning is a complicated project. You need the correct tools and a lot of information to ensure the project is done right. The majority of homeowners don’t have any of these!

But that’s alright, because there are a lot of companies out there who know how to properly trim trees for an affordable cost to you including all arborists in Wyoming we team up with!

Below are the 5 mistakes people make when they attempt DIY tree pruning that can lead to several tree problems. These are things that a certified arborist from WY Tree Trimming will know, and that’s why their services are worth the price!

Pruning Too Much

When done the right way, tree pruning is an ongoing process. Beginning when your trees are just 2 or 3 years old, they should be maintained by an arborist if you value them and want to keep them healthy.

A big mistake people often make when pruning trees by themselves is cutting too much of the tree all at once. This occurs because they let the tree’s growth get out of hand and try to fix it all at once. Ideally, you should not cut off more than 5-20% of the tree’s crown at the final removal cut. It is much easier to do this during a time of year that the leaves are off, but an experienced arborist will be able to safely prune trees any time of year.

Pruning in the Wrong Place

A trained arborist knows exactly where to cut each limb to prevent damage. This cut should be done just beyond the branch collar, the exact place where the branch connects to the trunk.

Cutting too close to the branch collar exposes the tree to decay, mildew and pests. Cutting too far away from it leaves a stump when the tree recovers. Most DIY tree trimming leads to an improper cut, leaving either aesthetic or structural damage.

Pruning Large Branches

Branches any larger than 4 inches in diameter shouldn’t be pruned unless it is necessary. Cutting off a branch of this size can lead to imbalance in the tree and expose it to insects and rot as the tree recovers from such a large loss.

Conservative pruning every year ensures that the tree service company only has to remove branches that are 2-3 inches in diameter, which produces a more attractive shape for the tree and less chance of harming the tree or exposing it to decay and insects.

Topping the Tree

Tree topping is no longer a type of pruning, and for good reason! With this service, tree trimming companies would cut the top off of the tree to achieve the desired height. It was not attractive nor beneficial for the tree, so the vast majority of arborists do not practice tree topping currently.

As a DIY tree pruning, you may think this is an easy way to lower the height of your tree with only a single cut, but once you have cut the top of a tree off, there’s virtually no chance it will ever regain a natural shape.

The Solution? Call WY Tree Trimming

Your tree may never recover from poor pruning.

Doing this job yourself might seem like a good way to save money, but you could end up with way more expenses trying to revive damaged trees, so it’s really safer (and more economical in the long run) to hire a certified arborist in Wyoming from WY Tree Trimming.

Limbs aren’t going to grow back. The tree will grow more, but not in the same places, which causes strange shapes that could require years to fix. The tree could look bad for the rest of its life, all because of just one trimming error.

Bad pruning could also cause death of the tree. Cutting off too many limbs (and, therefore, leaves) can inhibit the tree’s photosynthesis process, which means it won’t get all of the water it needs or enough carbon dioxide and sunlight to continue growing.

Cutting off too many branches could also send the tree into a state of shock. Shock isn’t always permanent, but it takes a great deal of care and patience. Even with the right care, a tree experiencing shock may still die.

Avoid all of these tree trimming mistakes and call WY Tree Trimming to speak with a tree care specialist in Wyoming able to devise a plan to ensure your tree continues blossoming and looking beautiful for years to come!

Trees are living things, so it stands to reason that they can get “sick” like humans and animals. A disease or other tree issue might take a little while to show appear due to the overall size of the tree, and once symptoms become clear, it could be too late to restore the tree.

A professional arborist from WY Tree Trimming can diagnose and treat tree issues so that you have a much better chance of keeping the tree. Learn about our service here. Not only can an experienced arborist prevent a tree from dying, but they can also help trees get more healthy growth and bloom more flowers or fruit with professional tree pruning.

Have you ever noticed a tree on your lawn that has always seemed OK but suddenly looks like something is wrong? In the next paragraphs, we’ll describe some of the most typical tree problems and what these symptoms mean.

If you notice any of these things on any of your trees, act fast to have the best chance of saving the tree and the ones nearby it.

Tree Diseases & Common Problems

These 7 things are the most typical issues addressed by experienced arborists in Wyoming. The moment you think one of these things might be wrong with your tree, call someone with the knowledge and tools to help!

Tree Diseases

Leaf Rust – Leaf rust is a fungus that is very common in both plants and trees. The name comes from the yellow and brown spots this disease causes on the leaves.

Leaf rust is dangerous because it prevents the leaves’ photosynthesis, the process by which it breathes. Leaf rust can be tended to with fungicides and selective trimming of the affected leaves. It might be recommended to remove whole branches with leaf rust.

Witches’ Broom – This common disease creates a large mass of twigs, dead leaves and branches that look like a broom shape. It is caused by pests, unusually rainy weather or fungus. The formation of a clump of twigs and leaves is the tree’s reaction to infection or harm.

Some cases of Witches’ Broom are fatal for the tree, while others are just considered a growth malformation. An arborist can tell you for sure.

Mildew – Mildew is a fungus that grows on just about anything in moist conditions, but even after the wet conditions are over with, mildew can continue to thrive. Mildew usually appears as a powdery texture, usually white, and it usually grows on the leaves of a tree first.

The trick to treating mildew is to use a fungicide that contains sulfur. This will eliminate the current mildew and stop future mildew on the tree. You may also need to trim the tree to remove limbs, fruit, flowers and leaves that were affected by the mildew

Gall – Gall is a type of tree disease that happens when pests or rodents build small nests on the leaves or branches of a tree to lay their eggs in. Most galls are not dangerous for the tree, but they are not attractive.

Gall will appear as bumps on the tree, in varying sizes. They can be white, brown, gray or some color in between.

You do not have to treat the tree if there are galls, but they can inhibit the growth of recently planted trees. Treat galls by killing the insects. You should also clean out from under the tree after the leaves fall off, since this is where the insects live during winter.

Other Tree Problems

Incorrect Trimming – There’s a science to tree trimming, as well as many types, and if you aren’t sure what to do, you could damage the tree beyond recovery. Consider the type of tree, season and other factors. Under-pruning (or a lack of pruning at all) can be just as big of an issue. Only a certified arborist should be trusted to prune trees to keep them healthy.

Lack of Water – Young trees can be significantly impacted by drought. If you plant new trees, you will probably have to supplement how much water they get from rainfall. A tree that doesn’t get enough water can have its growth inhibited. The first sign you are likely to noticed is scorched or dry leaves. Find more tips for new trees here.

Too Much Sun – Do some initial research before planting trees in a full-sun area of your property. Many types of trees can handle it just fine, but too much sun can become a problem for any tree if the sun is harsh for a long period of time and rainfall is light. A tree that is getting excessive sun needs even more water to fight against wilting, drooping leaves.

Certified Arborist Services in Wyoming

An experienced arborist from WY Tree Trimming will be able to quickly identify what’s happening with your sick tree and come up with a plan to rescue it.

Here is what an arborist is trained to do:

• Inspect trees from the ground and from the limbs of the tree if necessary. Getting into the canopy is typically necessary to identify exactly what is creating the symptoms.
• Treat your tree with additives and fertilizers in the soil or products sprayed on the leaves. The arborist will have expert knowledge about the disease impacting the tree and the best treatments for it.
• Trim trees to eliminate dead or diseased branches and to assist healthy growth. Even if heavy trimming is needed, they will know how to remove branches so that the tree survives both the issue and the trimming process.
• Remove the tree from your yard if there is no chance to save it. The worst case scenario is that the tree is dying, and cutting it down is the only choice to protect your property and surrounding landscape.

Arborists can also educate you about the other trees that you have om your property and how to best maintain them so you don’t find yourself in the same situation again.

Some tree diseases look very similar to one another, requiring a professional eye to correctly determine and treat the issue. If your trees appear to be dry, disfigured or dying, call a professional arborist from WY Tree Trimming for an inspection before it’s too late for your tree.

When it comes to the question, “What season is best for tree tree pruning?” The answer is sometimes indirect.

Tree type will dictate when many species are able to be trimmed, along with pest population and activity, local tree and plant diseases and other plants and trees nearby.

With the assistance of a certified arborist in Wyoming, you can determine which season is optimal for pruning your trees to prepare them for success next season and every year after that.

Best Season to Prune Trees

Without any other context, WY Tree Trimming recommends tree trimming in the winter. This would be sometime from November to March in most areas. This season is optimal because trees are typically dormant, so pruning will lead to a minimal amount of harm, if any.

There are many benefits to pruning trees during the winter:

Lower chance of pest damage and disease – Pests and plant diseases are largely inactive in the winter. During the remainder of the year, anything from insects to fungus can affect a newly trimmed tree because the tree will be the most vulnerable and these issues are more common when there is warmer weather.

Easier to see the shape of the tree when there are no leaves – Leaves prevent your arborist from seeing the complete shape of your tree. When tree branches are bare, it is a lot easier to identify diseased or dead branches and branches that are touching versus those that are just close together.

Trees have time to heal before spring – By doing this major pruning during the winter, your trees will have many months to build up callus tissue on the tips of the remaining branch collar. By the spring, you’ll hardly be able to notice where the branches were cut off, and the tree will be able to focus its energy to produce new leaves, fruit or flowers instead of healing new cuts.

Less chance of harming surrounding landscape – Most of the surrounding trees and greenery will also be dormant, so there is a lower risk of them. Most of the time, a tree is surrounded by annual plants in the warmer months, but there are no plants to be disturbed during the winter since these annuals already died out.

Do All Trees Need Trimming?

Yes, all trees will benefit from routine trimming. Tree pruning each winter is good for the trees, but it is also a precaution for the safety of your landscaping and your family. Let us explain:

Trimming Makes the Tree Stronger

Dead and diseased limbs are cut off, as are stubs that are susceptible to pests and disease. Limbs that can rub against each other are also trimmed so that they don’t weaken one another or cause an open wound on the tree.

Trimming trees each winter is also a great way to get an expert’s opinion on your trees so that early signs of decay, disease and pest problems can be spotted and dealt with as soon as possible.

A Well-Maintained Tree Serves Its Purpose Better

When a tree is overgrown, it’s hard for water and nutrients to reach every branch. This can leave the tree looking weak and sick and definitely not doing what it’s meant to do.

Pruned trees, on the other hand, blossom more fruit, healthier leaves and offer better shade. They are much fuller and healthier and less likely to create landscaping issues. So regardless of why you planted a new tree, routine trimming each winter will maximize the results you desire from it.

Trees are More Beautiful After Trimming

If the curb appeal of your landscaping is important to you, tree trimming is a necessity! Trimming trees gives them an attractive, uniform shape and size. This is very important if you have a lot of similar trees on your property.

Cutting off lower branches and upper branches that grow at improper angles improves the overall beauty of the tree while also strengthening tree health.

Less Chance of Falling Branches

Tree pruning – from a professional – helps the remaining tree branches to grow healthier and stronger. Therefore, storms and high winds won’t affect your trees the way they would an unkempt tree. Your home and family will be much safer living under and around pruned trees.

Another safety issue for overgrown trees is that they can impede the view of traffic lights, road signs and driveways. Tree trimming, crown raising and other professional tree care services will keep the tree at a manageable size and stop it from blocking various views.

Call WY Tree Trimming for Tree Trimming

Hiring a professional arborist in Wyoming gives you access to their expert knowledge on tree pruning. We recommend relying on their expertise if there are trees on your property that you’d like to keep healthy for awhile.

An arborist doesn’t just look at the current situation. Instead, an experienced arborist will take the time to inspect your trees and study their unique scenario (including their location and other factors that could put them at risk of disease or infestation). After collecting all of the information, an arborist will suggest a long-term plan based on your trees’ needs and stick to that course of action until the goals for your trees are achieved.

This plan might take years to implement, but rest assured, it will result in healthy trees that you and your family can enjoy for many years to come.

This type of annual care will result in healthy tree growth, help your entire property fight off plant diseases and improve fruit or flower production from trees. It will also fortify your trees so there is not as much risk of falling trees or branches.

Being proactive about tree pruning will save you a lot of money too. Preventative care is far more cost-effective than the cost of emergency tree services, storm damage cleanup or restoring a sick tree of a disease that has spread out of hand (and one that was easily preventable).

If you care about the health of your trees and the curb appeal of your landscaping, trust a certified arborist for tree trimming and maintenance from WY Tree Trimming. Find our service area here. We work with arborists across the entire state of Wyoming. Call now!

Tree pruning in Wyoming is a landscaping service that beautifies and reinforces your trees so they are able to fight off insects, diseases and inclement weather – and look good doing it!

Pruning should be performed if you want a healthy tree, but it has to be done properly by someone who has experience in what they’re doing. Like a certified arborist from WY Tree Trimming. Homeowners may be able to prune and trim trees safely while they are still small, but you also may do permanent harm to the tree in the process.

To safely prune trees, you need to know all of the following:

• When is the best time to prune your types of trees
• How much of the tree can be pruned at a time
• Where to cut each branch so you do not damage the tree

Pruning too much off of a tree could kill it or cause structural damage, but minimal pruning done annually benefits trees in several ways. Pruning helps to improve the appearance of trees, makes them healthier, eliminates dead or diseased branches and assists in fruit or flower production.

For the best results, pruning must be performed each year, but as trees mature, you may be able to go two years between major pruning services. Regardless of how often you have your trees trimmed, be sure your arborist is qualified to do the type of tree pruning your trees need. This won’t be a problem if you call WY Tree Trimming in Wyoming!

Types of Tree Pruning Methods

There are 7 different ways to correctly prune a tree so that it grows healthier and stronger each year.

Depending on the shape, type and health concerns of your trees, one pruning method might be more effective than another, but each technique has distinct benefits to consider.

Crown Thinning Your Trees

Crown thinning is common for older, overgrown trees in Wyoming. This process eliminates weak branches within the crown to allow more light and air flow throughout the crown. Air flow is important for disease prevention.

This pruning technique also eliminates branches that are touching so they no longer rub up against one another and snap or cause weaker areas that can be an access point for pests. Branches that grow at strange angles are typically cut off during crown thinning.

Crown Raising Your Trees

This pruning technique only removes branches and limbs at the lower part of the crown so limbs start higher up on the trunk of the tree. Allowing low branches to get too large makes them hard to remove, and they can draw nutrients from the top of the tree, which leads to less fruit and a weaker tree.

There are several reasons you might want to raise the crown of a tree. Often, it is done in order to clear the line of sight for automobiles and pedestrians, but it can also be done to free up space for landscaping under the tree.

It is a common method for overgrown trees that are too close to homes and buildings.

Crown Reduction

Crown reduction lowers the total size of the tree’s crown from its exterior edge. It shortens branches horizontally and vertically to maintain the tree at a manageable size. By reducing the crown size, you can remove the need to cut the tree down because it won’t interfere with traffic lights, power lines or street lights.

Even when the tree isn’t near structures like these, crown reduction can make the tree look much better because it removes irregular growth. This is a great idea for trees that are different ages but you want to look consistent.

Crown Cleaning

Often known as deadwood pruning, crown cleaning is a minimally invasive trimming technique that removes dead, snapped or diseased limbs so that the remaining parts of the tree may continue to grow normally. These branches can only create problems over time.

Crown cleaning helps to make the tree look a lot better, and it stops limbs from rubbing together. Plus it is a safety practice that reduces the likelihood of branches falling, because healthy branches do not usually fall.

Crown Restoration

Crown restoration is an advanced trimming process used on trees that have been significantly damaged (either by weather or vandals). It should only be performed by a certified arborist who knows where the tree is going to grow in the future and roughly how long it’s restoration will take.

Unlike most other tree trimming services, crown restoration occurs over a longer time period with conservative trimming that reshapes the tree. Your arborist will have a definitive plan to restore the tree, but also must be flexible as the tree begins to grow and reshape on its own, working with the tree’s new growth.

Vista Pruning

If you want trees that add to the overall beauty of your landscaping, you are probably interested in vista pruning. The goal of vista pruning is to help to make the tree more visually pleasing from a particular viewing point.

It entails many tree trimming techniques including crown thinning, crown cleaning and crown reduction – anything that makes the trees look prettier. Remember, though, that a professional is not going to sacrifice the health of a tree, so the focus of vista pruning is still to create strong, healthy trees.

Espalier Pruning

Espaliered trees are heavily pruned to grow flat up against walls or a trellis. It is a different style of tree pruning that is sure to attract a lot of attention to your yard. Espalier pruning must begin when the tree is very young and then continued very routinely throughout the tree’s life span.

Some of the benefits of espalier pruning include allowing maximum sunlight to get to the trees, as well as making it much easier to produce fruit.

Professional Tree Pruning in Wyoming

Tree trimming can be harmful to a tree, your lawn, and, of course, for you! WY Tree Trimming highly encourages professional tree trimming over attempting DIY.

Aside from the many dangers of tree trimming, you can do a lot of damage to a tree if you don’t know how to prune it properly. Excessive pruning is one of the most typical errors made by homeowners trimming their own trees.

Trees in Wyoming that get annual care from a professionals are much better off, and hiring an experienced arborist from WY Tree Trimming to care for the trees on your property is a choice you won’t regret. Locate your town in our service area. We work with arborists across the entire state of Wyoming!

Planting trees on your property has many benefits. Trees create summer shade, filter polluted air and increase curb appeal and property value.

Once full-grown, trees are very simple to care for: another benefit! They are hardy and tend to grow despite minimal care. But, if you want to ensure your trees reach their potential, they need more effort.

Lack of care for growing trees might lead to rotting, disease, under watering or pest problems.

The good news is that tree care isn’t too difficult, but you do need a little information to do it correctly. Research the new trees you plant in order to know what they need. Then care for them and watch them bloom.

Below, we’ll describe the five best practices on how to plant a new tree and seeing it thrive. You probably are aware of the basics, so let’s dive a little deeper and lay out how to complete each step correctly.

Tree Care Tips for New Trees

These five tips will not only help keep trees alive, they’ll help them to grow faster, resist extreme gusts of wind, fight off diseases and pests and create more leaves, flowers or fruit.

Water Your Tree

New trees need more water than older ones. The trees you plant on your land are no exception.

The root of the tree and the soil all around it should be kept moist, but don’t let it get too wet, as this can cause some of the roots to rot.

The best practice is 4-10 gallons of water each week. Rain water also counts, and although it’s difficult to have an exact reading, a rain gauge can help get you close enough to add the rest. Your trees need this much water every week for the initial 2-3 growing seasons.

Mulch Around Your Trees

Mulch is more than an attractive landscaping material. It actually helps protect new trees, especially the roots. But laying mulch the wrong way can result in rotting and decay – so much so, that it’s possible that the new tree will not survive.

Place mulch exactly 3 inches away from the tree trunk and spread it around to cover the ground under the longest horizontal branch. For new trees, this isn’t going to be very far, but as the tree grows, your mulch area will grow substantially.

Keep the mulch at least 2 to 4 inches thick in all areas around the tree. Be attentive in spreading it out consistently and far enough away from the tree trunk so it does not stop air flow around the trunk.

Fertilize Around Your Tree

Fertilizer provides the nutrients your land’s soil might not naturally have. Most new trees will benefit from fertilizing, but you have to use the right products and do it at the correct time in order for fertilizer to be most impactful.

The ideal season to fertilize is during early spring. Sometimes early summer also provides the right conditions (comfortable temperatures and moist soil), but don’t count on it.

If you are unsure about which fertilizer to use, speak to a tree care professional for advice. Slow-release fertilizers are usually a good idea because they feed trees over a period of time rather than all at once.

Follow through with these tasks in the first growing seasons after planting a new tree, and then reconsider your watering, mulching and fertilizing as the tree grows larger. As seasons go on, there will be additional tree care projects that are more important for new trees.

Prune Your Tree

Tree trimming is very important – but very challenging – in the first years after you plant a new tree. As the tree grows, you will see many little branches take off, competing to become the trunk of the tree. While you may think this shows that the tree is healthy and growing well, but it can actually lead to a weak tree in the future.

Early trimming helps to shape the tree into what it is going to look like when it gets much larger. As tiny limbs emerge on the lower trunk, they must be cut off so they don’t pull water and nutrients away from the branches at the top of the tree.

So long as you have trees on your property, they need to be trimmed periodically. When the trees get too large for you to trim them safely, you can count on WY Tree Trimming to do the job for you.

Monitor Your Tree

Young trees are at the highest risk for damage, disease and pest issues. But you’re never truly safe from these things. As your tree gets older, monitor it closely for evidence of disease or poor nutrition, including the following:

• Leaf color changing out of season, especially leaves turning brown or yellow
• Early leaf falling, despite whether these leaves look healthy or sick
• Withering, regardless of proper watering
• Individual limbs dying
• Bark peeling off

These signals indicate a health issue. It is likely going to require professional maintenance if your hope is to keep the tree alive. An arborist can typically diagnose the problem by simply looking at the tree, although they will perform testing whenever necessary.

If you identify the problem quick enough, you will probably be able to save the tree from dying. Being proactive is the best course of action to protect your new trees.

The steps above are simple yet effective. Don’t underestimate the importance of the basics! When your new trees have proper care, combined with sunshine and barring any severe, damaging weather, the chances are good that they will survive and will look beautiful!

Of course, you could already have a very busy schedule and don’t want to take on these additional lawn care projects. In some cases, homeowners don’t have the physical ability or the tools to give their growing trees the appropriate care.

No matter the situation, it’s ok to hire a tree service for the care of new trees. A certified arborist in Wyoming can consult with you about the best course of care for each type of tree you plant. They love sharing their expertise and skills with people planting new trees, and they can make the difference between trees that struggle and trees that thrive.

Call WY Tree Trimming now for information on routine tree care in Wyoming – including tree trimming – for newer trees and old trees. An arborists will determine the best plan for your trees! Locate your city in our service area here.