3 Common Tree Care Myths To Be Aware Of
Posted on: 30 November 2016
There is a lot of erroneous information floating around where tree care is concerned. While much of this information is relatively harmless; other things may end up causing a lot of damage to a tree. If you would like to improve your knowledge about how to best care for your trees, read on. This article will expose three blatantly incorrect myths.
You should always stake a young tree.
It is certainly true that young trees are more fragile and vulnerable than mature trees. In certain cases, this may mean that staking is the best way to provide a sapling with the support it needs to grow strong and tall. This is especially true if you are planting a particularly delicate species of tree, or if you happen to live in a wind-prone area. Yet for most trees in most places staking is not really necessary.
The problem here is that unnecessary staking can actually lead to a number of more distressing issues. For one thing, the wires tied around the trunk to support young trees often end up digging into the tree and causing significant damage. Not only that, but staking prevents the tree from establishing a broad, deep root system. Swaying in the wind is useful to young trees, as it stimulates them to develop thicker, stronger trunks. Because they are not able to sway properly, staked trees often end up with weak and brittle trunks.
Always select the largest tree at the nursery.
When purchasing a sapling at the nursery, many people succumb to the mistaken tenet that bigger is always better. They assume that, the larger the young tree, the better its chances of surviving once planted in their yard. Unfortunately, this is simply not always the case.
This has everything to do with the root system of potted trees. As you might assume, a larger sapling will have a larger root ball inside of its plastic pot. What you probably don't realize is that this large root ball is not a useful thing. It will ultimately make it more difficult and time consuming for the tree to establish a root system once planted in your yard. As a result, larger nursery trees are more prone to succumbing to drought while attempting to build out their root system.
You should always seal a pruned branch.
Common wisdom holds that chemical pruning sealers are the best way to protect a pruned branch from disease. Such sealers are painted onto the end of the branch soon after cutting. Yet these sealers actually increase the tree's difficulty in recovering from its wound. So long as the pruning was accomplished in an appropriate manner, a tree is more than capable of healing itself.
In order to avoid these myths and mistakes, contact a professional tree service to help you in choosing a tree and caring for it.
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