When you think about caring for your trees, what sort of tasks come to mind? Many people think about trimming their trees, fertilizing them, and perhaps applying insecticides if bugs become too abundant. All of these measures are important, but did you know you can also care for your trees by caring for the land, in general? Here's how.

1. Keep leaves and twigs cleaned up.

As leaves and twigs fall from your trees, make sure you rake them up and dispose of them. Letting leaves and twigs sit around for too long can be problematic in a few ways. First, these leaves can trap moisture against any roots that rise above the top of the soil. This can cause the roots to begin rotting, which would negatively impact the tree's health. Second, certain infectious fungi can replicate in the leaves and then infect the tree. A lot of leaf spot diseases proliferate in this way. 

2. Make sure the land drains.

Trees need water, right? They do, but there is a limit to how much water they can tolerate. If too much water accumulates in the soil around the tree's roots, this can essentially drown the roots and cause the tree to struggle. Younger trees may even die if their roots stay too wet for too long. So, examine the land around your trees, and make sure it is draining well. If you frequently see puddles and pooling water in the area after rainstorms, you may want to have some ditches dug or install some drain tile.

3. Keep weeds under control.

A couple of weeds here and there won't have too much of an impact on your tree, but you do want to avoid letting the area become too overrun by weeds. The weeds can pull moisture and nutrients out of the soil that the tree would otherwise be able to use. Trim around your trees every couple of weeks. Just make sure you do not hit the trees' trunks with the weed trimmer, as the wounds this causes can be hard for the tree to heal. Remove the weeds closest to the tree trunks by hand, if needed. Talk to a tree care company to help you examine your landscape and recommend additional measures for improved tree health.

Tree care is essential to a happy and healthy tree. Contact professionals in your area to see how they can help.  

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