Tree Care: Separating the Truth From the Common Myths

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Planting trees in your yard is one of the many activities that you can do to help the environment while living in comfort. Everything gets oxygen, shade, and even food, if you decide to plant something that bears fruit or nuts.

However, people sometimes end up killing their trees unknowingly simply because they believe in certain myths. The following are a few of them.

Pruning is Only Done for Growth 

It’s practically common knowledge that people prune trees and other plants to encourage them to grow a certain way. After all, it’s part of the technique used in growing miniatures. However, one should know that it also serves many more practical purposes.

For example, if one of your plants has a disease or is dead in one part of it, you may ask an arborist in Salt Lake City to remove that part and save the rest of the plant.

You Need to Water Them a Lot 

Since they’re large plants, most people think that they would need a large amount of water daily to stay alive. However, that’s not the case. In fact, it’s actually more likely for cultivated plants to be overwatered than given too little.

Too much water contributes to a number of ailments, including root rot and the proliferation of certain pests. You only need enough for a deep soak every once in a while. In the meantime, you can check for moisture by seeing if a screwdriver can be pushed easily into the soil around it.

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You Should Stake Them When Young 

Saplings look pretty frail, so a tendency of some people is to tie them to a stake to prevent them from being blown away. But will it make any difference in the quality of their growth? You might not know it, but it’s actually much better for trunk growth if you leave a tree to grow on its own.

They end up being sturdier than the ones with stakes, and often, those that do have them end up being damaged by poorly-used ones.

They Naturally Ruin the Man-Made Landscape 

When roots show up above ground, people often blame the trees for structural damage. However, tree roots are normally more inclined to grow deep rather than stay on the surface. There are a number of contributing factors to the phenomenon that are also caused by people.

One of them is poor planning of the structures around the tree. Another is watering them too shallow early on, leading them to depend on irrigation. Also, when they get into pipes, it’s mostly because those were already leaking beforehand.

Trees may prove to be somewhat of a challenge, but taking care of them is rewarding in more ways than one. That’s why it’s best to educate ourselves on how we should properly take care of the ones we have. Don’t just believe what you think would be common sense, and look up the facts.

You may not know that you’re already doing more harm than good to them. If you don’t have the time, then at least get yourself the help of a competent arborist.

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