HOW TO KEEP YOUR TREES HAPPY

Often trees need to be shown a bit of ‘tough love’ in order to prosper. What are the best ways to prune, trim and shape your favourite trees without damaging them? And why now is a great time to fertilise them.

MULCH

A few warm days in a row and it won’t be long before the soil around your trees has begun to dry out. Don’t wait for summer to think about keeping moisture in the soil, spring is a great time to mulch deeply around your trees, out to the drip line. This is really important for trees with fibrous roots that lie close to the surface, like many palms. Organic mulches break down and reinvigorate the soil, so mulching should be done each season.

If you don’t have a bed around your tree, make sure to keep the grass around it trimmed. & avoid hitting the tree trunk with trimming line when tidying your lawn as this can let disease in, or you can use a grass shear instead.

EQUIPMENT

Before you begin shaping, pruning, lopping and sawing, it’s a great idea to ensure the equipment you use is sharp. Like your skin, clean cuts heal quicker and therefore protect the trees and shrubs from injury and disease. Use vertical cuts as they don’t catch water (less chance for disease).

Sterilising or disinfecting your cutting tools between trees will also help prevent any transfer of potential diseases.