TIP #1
Keep Construction and Heavy Traffic Away From Your Trees. Construction that uses heavy machinery can cause soil compaction. This increases the density of the soil making it hard for the roots to grow. Soil compaction will subsequently weaken your tree by lowering the amount of nutrients it can take up from the soil. This will in effect smother your roots, and can cause the tree to decline.

TIP #2
Put Mulch Down Under Your Trees.

Mulch helps in many ways:
Mulch helps retain moisture around your tree in droughty times. Mulch helps prevent other plants from growing around your tree. Other plants (even flowers) can compete with your tree for water and nutrients.

Mulch protects your tree from lawnmowers and weed-eaters than can damage the bark of your tree. Exposed wood can lead to insect and disease infestations, because the protective bark is gone.

Place the mulch around the base of the tree, covering the area at least two feet out from the trunk for the small/young trees and at least six feet for older trees. The mulch should also be four inches thick and pulled back so that there is no mulch against the stem of the tree (for disease and insect control). Remember, the shape of the mulch does not have to be circular - some people like to have it tear-drop or rectangular shapes to ease their lawn maintenance.

You can use woodchips or partially decomposed plant materials for your mulch. Let Embark (713-462-3261) do your tree work and we'll leave behind our woodchips for your mulching project.

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