I See The Light: Protecting Your Garden And Home After Removing A Tree
Posted on: 27 October 2015
If you have to remove a tree in your yard because it's so diseased or damaged that it can't be saved, schedule a time to walk through your yard and the part of your home next to the yard. You need to identify all the potential ways in which removing that tree -- and thus letting more sunlight hit that part of your home and yard -- will affect your property. The changes will be less drastic if the tree is on the northern or eastern side of the home, but you will still need to take protective steps lest you end up with higher utility bills and a dead lawn.
Extra Sunlight in the Home
Depending on where the tree is relative to your home, you could lose a lot of shade when you remove the tree. Before you remove the tree, observe that side of your home to see where the tree's shadow falls. If any of it covers the house, or even just a part, assume the rooms on the other side will become a little warmer. Add awnings to the windows to shade them from sun, and add blackout curtains on the inside of the room (despite the name, blackout curtains come in many colors and styles).
Shade for the Garden
Removing the tree will almost certainly expose your yard to more sunlight. Plants that prefer shade or partial shade can suffer, especially if the new amount of sunlight is in the afternoon when days are at their hottest. You may want to erect a temporary shade in the yard that will cast an adequate shadow on the plants in question until you can find a fast-growing replacement hedge or tree.
As for the lawn, if you have one, it may actually start doing better. Lawns like sunlight, so increasing the amount the lawn gets may make it less temperamental. However, lawns can become sunburned and dry out if the light is too hot and the water too meager. Continue to care for the lawn as normal but look for brown spots where the grass may be dying. The increased sunlight may be causing the water you give the lawn to be evaporating more quickly. Try watering earlier in the morning or late in the afternoon so the water can soak into the soil. If that doesn't work, replace the grass in that area with a species that is more drought-tolerant -- it will be able to handle the higher evaporation rate.
If you'd like more tips on how to protect your garden from a sudden increase in the amount of light it's getting after you remove a tree, talk to tree removal companies and nurseries for ideas for temporary shade and replacement plants. It may take some adjusting, but you can continue to have a great garden and cool home after the tree is long gone.
For professional tree removal services, contact a company such as Chudy Tree Care.
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