Kitchener Tree Care: Maintain a Healthy Pine Tree With These Tips!

A pine tree is a type of evergreen that keeps its foliage all through the year. This does not mean that a pine tree is indestructible. Disease or damage could necessitate tree removal in Kitchener. On the other hand, taking care of your pine tree can keep it healthy and beautiful for many years to come. Here are some tips to help you take care of your pine tree properly.

Don’t Prune the Tree Unnecessarily

There are times when it may be necessary to prune your pine tree. For example, pines are softwood trees that are particularly susceptible to damage from ice, snow, or wind. Returning your tree to health may require pruning the damaged limbs. It may also be necessary to prune a pine that has structural defects, such as branches in the midsection that grow excessively long. You may be able to improve air movement through the pines through crown cleaning or thinning.

However, you should not prune pine trees just to achieve the shape you want from them. Pine tree branches tend to sprawl out more compared to other evergreens that are more conical. Young pine trees are sometimes pruned in the nursery to give them this shape and make them more attractive to customers, but this is not a practice that should be continued after purchasing and planting the tree.

Water Trees Appropriately

Pine trees need water several times a week when they are young and when conditions are dry. On the other hand, too much water can be counterproductive for growing pine trees, or evergreen trees. Avoid planting pine trees in any area of your yard that is excessively wet or prone to flooding. It is much easier to add water to the ground as needed than to take it away once it is already there.

Apply Mulch Strategically

Mulch has many benefits. It helps to prevent evaporation so your tree has more moisture. It suppresses weed growth. Organic mulch eventually breaks down into nutrients that replenish the soil and provide a tree with more of what it needs to grow.

However, when planting young trees, there is another benefit to mulch. A layer of mulch that covers an area of one foot to 1-1/2 feet from the bottommost branches helps to create a protective barrier between the branches and the grass of your lawn. Without that barrier, you could accidentally damage the branches with your lawn mower. As your tree grows, you need to continue to extend the mulch layer further out so the barrier remains effective. Otherwise, the tree will outgrow it before long.

Hire Tree Services To Protect Your Tree

Pine trees are susceptible to diseases and parasites that can negatively affect their health and appearance. Sometimes, the trees die as a result. Some species of pines are fairly hardy and resistant to such diseases, and in many cases, the diseases themselves are treatable.

However, just because tree diseases are treatable doesn’t mean that the treatment is something you can handle on your own. Tree care services are trained to diagnose the problem and provide the necessary treatment correctly so that your tree becomes healthier and stronger. With the help of professional tree care services, your pine tree may stay healthy and beautiful for decades.

Tree Removal in Kitchener From Martin’s Tree Service

Sometimes, your best efforts are not enough to keep your trees healthy. They can sustain irreparable damage from storms, which is difficult to predict, let alone prevent. Even a healthy tree eventually comes to the end of its natural life span. We provide all different types of tree services, including tree removal services. Learn about our expert removal and clean-up in more detail.