Why Are Mature Trees the Best Choice for Rental Properties?
Once you’ve made your initial renovations to a property, your focus should be on maintenance; whether it’s keeping the interior and exterior in consistent condition through multiple rotations of tenants or by maintaining your property’s comparative advantage through routine upgrades. No matter which focus you maintain, mature trees help.
They don’t require careful attention to foster proper growth.
Most young trees are fragile through the first couple years on the property. Not only do they need to adjust to the soil, weather, and water availability, they are more susceptible to damage from sudden freezes or too much sun. Young trees also need careful pruning to encourage growth in the right shape, especially if they are fruit or flowering trees. Mature trees, on the other hand, are durable, hardy, and already pruned over a succession of years to grow beautifully.
Perhaps even more importantly, it’s easier to place mature trees the correct distance away from the actual building. Young trees will quickly grow out their root system, and many people make the mistake of planting trees too close to their foundation line or pavement. Within a matter of years, they can start to grow into the foundation slab and start tilting the driveway.
They immediately add value to the property.
People like trees in the yard, even if it’s not a feature they’re explicitly looking for. While young trees are cheaper to purchase and plant, most realtors don’t see any impact on prospective tenants’ response to a house. Mature trees are much more memorable, and they tend to add between 10 and 20 percent to the property’s value.
Go to Chambersville Tree Farm here to find the perfect type of low-maintenance, colorful trees for your properties.
Do’s and Don’t’s for Pruning Your Crape Myrtles
Crape myrtles can flourish with very little care. They’re well-suited for the North Texas climate and can grow into a thick, shady plant in no time. But if your crape myrtle is starting to take over your lawn or you want to make sure it stays healthy, here are some tips for keeping your crape myrtles in good condition.
Do:
- Prune the center of the tree. Removing trunks and branches growing in the middle of a crape myrtle allows sunlight to reach every part of the plant and stops it from choking itself. While it can be difficult to reach the middle if you haven’t pruned the tree in a while, and you’ll certainly want to keep a wary eye out for wasps, it’s a quick trick to ensure good growth.
- Prune in winter. Late winter is the season for most tree pruning, but it can be tricky to find just the right moment between winter continuing and summer starting. Aim for February so you can prune without reducing the spring’s bloom. It also makes pruning easier because there aren’t leaves obscuring your vision and you don’t have to worry about wasps.
Don’t:
- Prune crape myrtles down to a small base. While it’s a common practice, trimming your crape myrtles down too far keeps new branch growth weak and unable to support the weight of the blooms. It also means the bark will never turn mottled and leaves your trees looking ugly during the first few months of the year.
Crape myrtles are a great addition to your yard because they can handle a wide variety of care and conditions. Go to Chambersville Tree Farm here to find a few to add to your lawn.
2 Trees That Stand Up Well to North Texas Weather
Trees are a lifetime investment. They’ll grow with your family, they’ll become part of your house, and they will be part of the property for decades. So finding the right variety is important, both in terms of a tree that looks the way you want it to and that can adapt well to North Texas weather. If you’re not sure what type of tree you’re looking for but you want a hardy tree that can grow strong no matter is thrown at it, here are some of the top choices for a North Texas home:
- Cedar elm varieties: Trees can use up a lot of water if you pick a northern species, and that can wreak havoc on your watering bill once the roots start to pull moisture away from your grass and hedges. But choosing a drought-tolerant species like cedar elm is a great solution because it can handle both extensive water shortage and torrential rain. More than that, it can stand up to hail and high winds without extensive damage. The only downside is their susceptibility to mistletoe infestations, which can be easily stopped by an occasional inspection.
- Oak trees: Oaks, especially bur oaks, are well suited to Texas climates and they even benefit the homes they’re near. While you don’t want to plant these trees close to your home because they need a lot of room to grow and spread out, they provide a lot of shade as they age and can keep your house cooler in the middle of the summer. Many oak varieties are native to Texas, so they are equipped for strong sunlight, droughts, and extreme weather, and they also aren’t as susceptible to local diseases or parasites.
No matter what you’re looking for in a tree, local, hardy varieties are the best choice because they’re built for North Texas conditions. Go to Chambersville Tree Farm to look through our available trees and find the right ones for your home.
Where Should You Plant Your New Trees?
Finding precisely the right spot in your yard or lawn for a new tree varies by species. Some local or tropical varieties can flourish in direct sunlight and can handle southern exposure. They can even help protect your house by shading it from the summer sun and lowering your energy bill. But some northern varieties aren’t equipped for the full Texas sun, especially when they’re young, and so might do better along the northern side of your property.
When you’re positioning your new trees, it’s also important to take your foundation into consideration. While hedges and garden bed plants can help hold soil in place against the perimeter of your house and even regulate the soil’s moisture and temperature, the same isn’t true for trees. Planting trees too close to your foundation means the tree’s roots might start to burrow through the slab. Even with root guard, the growth can displace the soil and concrete, which leads to settling and cracking.
In order to better protect your house and help your tree grow to its full potential, make sure you plant large trees over twenty feet away from the perimeter, medium trees fifteen feet away and small trees at least ten feet away. The same is true in regards to your driveway, since roots can lift up the slabs and make your driveway uneven.
Go to Chambersville Tree Farm to find the right trees for your yard and expert advice on where to place them so they grow healthy and strong without damaging your property.
Tips For Growing Great Pond Cypress Trees
There are many types of great trees to grow in North Texas. One of the most popular of these is the Pond Cypress. Here’s what you need to know about taking care of this gorgeous tree.
Pond Cypress Trees Need Shade
If you plan on planting this kind of tree, you need to make sure it gets a little shade to keep it healthy. While it can do quite well in full time, partial shade helps keep it from getting a little too hot. That’s why they work so well when planted by each other as they can provide shade to the lower areas of neighbor trees.
Drench Their Soil
After planting these trees in 3-4 inches of organic mulch, their soil needs to be drenched with water. Cypress trees typically require a pretty hefty load of water, particularly in the spring time. During this season, they go through their growth spurt. After drenching their roots, they should be fine with an occasional watering.
Fertilizer Needs Are Low
One nice thing about the Pond Cypress is that it doesn’t need a lot of fertilizer. A single fertilization once a year should be more than enough. Add one inch for every drunk diameter. Once the tree is quite strong and has reached an adult age, it probably doesn’t need any more fertilizer for the rest of its life. Those needs will vary depending on your area’s soil.
If you are interested in planting these gorgeous trees in your yard and need care tips beyond these, don’t hesitate to contact us. Our experts can help you get the best looking Pond Cypress trees in all of North Texas.
Planting Around Your Trees
Trees not only provide shade to your landscaping, they can add a magical bit of majesty, as well. As beautiful as they are, though, they generally only continue the palette of greens, browns and grays. Planting around the base of those trees can bring some color to the landscape, or, if you opt for foliage over flowers, those plant contribute texture to the aesthetics. There are some important things to remember before you start digging, though.
First Rule: Do No Harm
When you are planting beneath trees, you have to consider both the needs of the new plants and those of the trees. The tree roots may be exposed or near the surface, so be careful when you start digging, so you don’t injure them. And dig individual holes for each plant, rather than digging out the whole area.
Also, those roots need oxygen to keep the tree alive, so don’t smother them! Don’t build raised beds or pile on heavy loads of soil. Instead , after you dig the individual plant’s hole, add a little compost in it before the plant. After all the plants are in, add a thin layer of mulch – no more than 3 inches. Leave at least 1 inch between the mulch and the trunk of the tree, as well
Even better, consider a container garden for under your trees. Not only does this prevent damage to the trees’ roots, it allows you to move cold-sensitive plants indoors during the winter or to change them out easily.
Prepare the Area First
Even shade-loving plants need a little sunshine to thrive, so trim back the lower branches of the tree to allow the light through. You want to plant at least 1 foot inside the tree’s drip line, so use that as a guide to choose the branches to trim or remove.
Smother any existing grass by covering it with wet newspaper and then a light layer of mulch. This may take awhile, so plan ahead before purchasing your new plants.
Choose the Best Plants
Whatever variety of plants you choose, go with the smallest ones available. This allows for less disturbance to the ground and to the roots.
Opt for native plants as much as possible. They have already adapted to the growing conditions in your geographical area, so they are more likely to do well, and they will need less care over time. If natives aren’t an option, check the light, water, and soil requirements carefully when selecting plants.
Ground covers, like hosta, sweet woodruff, and Spanish bluebells make good choices, as do sage, periwinkle, violets, lilies, ferns, and primrose. Impatiens add a blaze of color, as well, and they are relatively easy to care for.
Hostas are great choices for adding texture to the plantings, either by themselves or as filler with other plants. The foliage color varieties seem nearly endless, including white with green edges, olive green with white edges, and even gold with dark green edges.
Fringed bleeding hearts have beautiful pink flowers and blue-green foliage, and Dicentra exima will continue to bloom through the summer.
You might also opt for annuals like caladiums, salvia, violas, begonias, and violas. Or, if you prefer a bushier planting, oakleaf hydrangea and azaleas are lovely around a tree.
Are you ready to expand your landscaping? Contact us for tips and suggestions for the best trees for your yard.
Understanding How Staking Impacts Tree Health
Staking is a common practice where support stakes are placed beside young trees to help stabilize them as they grow. While a good asset on its own, improper staking or stakes left in place for too long can cause a lot of damage to a developing tree.
The Roots
When a tree is supported externally for longer than it needs to be, it can discourage the spread of roots which will anchor the tree as it grows. This lack of anchoring can make a tree very susceptible to being blown down in high winds or otherwise uprooted.
The Trunk
The trunk of the tree accounts for most of its structural support. Each species of tree has a trunk taper that is designed to support the weight of a fully grown tree but only if the taper is allowed to form during growth. When a tree is staked too high or the stakes are left on too long, then the tree may place all of its energy into growing taller instead of adding the necessary diameter around the base of its trunk. As a result, its weight may not be evenly supported once the stakes are removed. Staking a tree too tightly around the trunk can also restrict movement which can make the trunk inflexible in high winds and prone to snapping.
For more about what you can do to help keep your trees healthy, contact us at Chambersville Tree Farm. We’re proud to supply North Central Texas with quality, organically grown trees at competitive prices.
Understanding The Impact That Oak Galls Can Have On Tree Health
Assessing and treating diseases and pests that negatively impact the health of your trees is important. One particularly unsightly condition that many common types of oak trees are afflicted by is known as an oak gall.
What are oak galls?
Oak galls are round tumor like growths found on various species of oak trees. The abnormal growths can appear on the leaves, stems, and branches of the tree. Normally, oak galls are just an unpleasant looking nuisance, however, the health of the tree may be impacted in more extreme cases, leading to branch dieback.
What causes oak galls?
Oak galls are the result of infestations of gall causing insects and mites. These insects inject chemicals into the tree, which produce a reaction, resulting in the formation of the galls. The galls serve as a source of food for the larvae of gall producing insects.
How to rid your tree of oak galls?
Luckily, reducing the impact that this ugly problem can have on your trees is relatively simple. The best way to restore your oak trees to their former beauty is to simply remove the galls. This can be achieved by shearing or cutting afflicted branches, stems, and leaves.
Upon removal, the galls should be places in trash bags and thrown out, as they may contain eggs or larvae, which could cause the problem to reoccur if left nearby.
You may be tempted to use an insecticide to attack the problem at its source. This method is not recommended, as it will do little to combat the situation. Insecticides may also be detrimental to other insect populations which are considered healthy and normal for oak trees.
If you have any further questions or concerns related to oak galls, or other issues related to the health of your plants and trees, please Contact Us today!
Signs You Need To Visit A Tree Nursery
Have you been checking out your trees lately and wondering if it might not be time to visit a nursery? There are several signs that it is time to replace your trees with newer and younger ones. Here are just a few of the most common.
Your Trees Aren’t Aging Well
If your trees are getting old and showing signs of decay, it is probably a good idea to visit a tree nursery. The experts here can help you find a great tree that is young and full of vigor. They can even deliver and help you successfully plant the tree.
Tree Diseases Are Striking The Area
Various tree diseases often sweep through an area and cause severe damage to these beautiful items. If your area is suffering from these diseases, there is a chance your older trees may be susceptible to them. Thankfully, getting trees from a nursery helps here by giving you access to younger and healthier trees that can more easily handle serious diseases.
Insect Populations Are Increasing
If there are a larger number of insects in your area this year, there is a good chance your trees may be in rough shape. That’s because older and dying trees often attract various insects. Often, these insects lay their eggs in the trees and cause severe damage. Getting new trees can help replace your older and damaged ones.
So if you think it’s time to visit a tree nursery near you, don’t hesitate to contact us today. We can help you find the kind of trees you want and will even provide you with many other services, such as tree trimming and maintenance procedures.
5 Benefits of Trimming Your Trees
It’s important to trim your trees regularly. Trimming has many benefits, both for your tree and for you. Here are a few reasons why you need to have your trees trimmed.
Remove Unhealthy Branches
Trimming your tree and removing dead branches will allow healthy branches to grow in their place. Trimming your tree will also allow you to remove branches that are infected. Diseased branches can damage your entire tree.
More Sunlight
Trimming your tree will thin out the upper canopy and provide more sunlight to the lower branches. This will improve their overall health. In addition, there will be more sunlight for grass and other plants underneath your tree, which will keep your lawn visually appealing.
Improve Tree Structure
Trimming your trees will help your trees develop. By trimming strategically, you can remove even live branches to enable healthier branches to develop. Young trees benefit even more from trimming.
Safety
Dead branches can easily fall off and damage or injure yourself, your kids, your guests, passersby, your house or your car. Trimming your tree and removing these dead branches prevents that from happening. It’s also important to remove weak branches that can get thrown around during a heavy storm.
Prune Your Fruit Trees
It’s especially important to prune your fruit trees. More sunlight and a healthier tree will result in thicker, larger and tastier fruit. In addition, the fruit on the bottom of the tree will improve as well; you won’t have to climb dangerous heights in order to pick the upper fruits.
If you would like to learn more or come by and shop our trees, contact us today!
