Congratulations! You live in, arguably, the best state for enjoying the outdoors. With its wildlife, mountains, and natural spaces, Colorado is an unbeatable choice. Still, all that ruggedness creates some unique challenges when it comes to tree care in your yard. Fortunately for you, Oak Arbor Care has drawn from years of experience to create The Ultimate Guide to Colorado Tree Care.
Why tree care is important
Don’t think twice about planting trees in your yard. After all, it is scientifically proven that the time spent among trees and greenery lowers stress levels and normalizes blood pressure. Treetops attract birds to your yard, which creates an oasis of natural harmony right outside your door.
Mature trees can increase the value of your home by 7-19%! However, if you don’t know what you’re doing, tree maintenance costs may catch you by surprise. Don’t learn the hard way. Oak Arbor Care will let you in on the secrets.
7 Secrets of Colorado Tree Care
1. Check the Tree Stats
When choosing a tree to plant, be sure to learn a bit about the tree variety you are interested in. Check specifically for the typical height and width measurements. It is such a disappointment to have to remove a lovely, full-grown tree because it unexpectedly encroaches on your neighbor’s property! If you have questions about specific tree varieties, feel free to reach out to Oak Arbor Care at 720-899-0329. Our arborists love talking about trees.
2. Planting
After you’ve done your research and decided on your perfect tree, it’s time to plant! Be sure you learn from trusted resources so you can give your tree the best head start right from the get-go. Read this simple and comprehensive guide, or chat with an expert arborist at Oak Arbor Care at 720-899-0329.
3. Trimming
Maintaining trees, shrubs, and climbers involves trimming throughout their lives. During the first years of a tree’s life, trimming serves to encourage development and shaping. This improves the quality and size of leaves and stems, improving the appearance and health of the tree. In the case of fruit trees, trimming ensures that the growth does not violate the formation of the fruit. The final goal of trimming is to have a stable and solid tree. For more tree care ideas, check out Oak Arbor Care’s tree pruning page.
4. Eco-friendly Maintenance
While there are many synthetic tree care products available, eco-friendly tree care methods encourage the symbiotic relationships already existing in nature. Natural enemies organically decrease the population of harmful organisms.
For example, birds will naturally mitigate many tree pests. To manage an insect infestation, an environmentally-conscious homeowner might install birdhouses to attract the small birds that will eat the pests. They would also set up stakes to attract the large birds that will manage the small bird population. This way, the birds will do most of the work for you.
Another eco-friendly technique is to plant wild flowering plants near your trees. These flowering plants will attract the insects to themselves instead of the trees.
Various non-chemical and mechanical methods can also be used to destroy pests. These include adhesive tapes around the trunk and colored adhesive boards.
Sometimes, damage caused by game, wet snow, or cold can appear on the trunks in early spring. First, the branches should be trimmed until smooth. After that, the open wounds that remain on the plant (which are danger zones for the penetration of various diseases) must be coated with quality and natural vaccine resin.
For an organic, all-natural approach to tree fertilizer, check out Oak Arbor Care’s exclusive compost tea.
5. Feeding
The first early-spring feeding is very important for the trees. This is when they absorb the necessary elements for their most intensive spring growth. It may seem to us that the vegetation has not started yet, due to the cold days. In reality, the plant is preparing food at the root. Oak Arbor Care has an exclusive feeding routine developed to meet this particular need.
6. Seasonal Care
Most damage to trees is caused by spring frosts, which can damage or destroy flowers, buds, and young fruits overnight. In addition, severe winter frosts can cause the bark to crack and the blossoms to die. If frost is predicted, young trees should be protected from the cold with cobweb foil, jute, or layers of newsprint. This will completely cover the trees and enable them to retain warm air.
Standard tree care involves trimming once every two to three years. Winter trimming is done during the dormancy of the vegetation. Oak Arbor Care performs this service from autumn to spring until the buds start emerging. This is most often done in early spring, right after the severe winter colds have passed.
Summer trimming is done during the growing season. At this time, any adverse effects of winter trimming are corrected. Also, the illumination of the canopy is improved. This ensures the quality of flowers, fruits, and germination of fruiting buds for the next vegetation. This is mandatory for some breeding forms if you have an orchard.
7. Relocating
Sometimes, despite thorough planning, a tree needs to be removed. However, a lesser-known option is transplanting.
A young tree tolerates cuts on the root and canopy more easily, takes root better, regenerates faster, and develops a better new canopy. The larger and older the tree, the harder it is to transplant, and the less likely it is to be readmitted after transplanting. It would be ideal to transplant a tree by the seventh or eighth year of life, but some species can be transplanted even at the age of fifteen years. The conditions for transplanting trees are determined not only by the age of the tree but also by its species.
Transplanting older trees can be done in the fall, winter, and spring. This depends primarily on the weather or climate conditions and the capabilities of each individual. However, the best results are achieved in the winter because the vitality of the tree is not disturbed due to physiological dormancy. Additionally, the soil is better kept around the roots, which allows transplanting with a larger sod. A winter transplant allows the root to regenerate faster and produce better vegetation the following spring.
If relocating a tree feels daunting, professionals like Bark & Branch offer their help and ensure a successful transplant. As always, Oak Arbor Care is honored to help, as well.
The best tree care nearby
Equipped with Oak Arbor Care’s ultimate guide, you can effectively maintain the trees under your care. However, if you’d rather leave the job to a tree expert, Oak Arbor Care would be honored to offer our assistance. If you appreciate word-of-mouth referrals, check out our 48 5-star Google reviews. Here’s a recent review from Jessee Kirkland:
“Hands down the best tree trimming company out there! Very honest and reasonable pricing. Extremely knowledgeable, respectful, and friendly owner & crew. I had received quotes for our massive cottonwood to be trimmed/removed from multiple companies and not only did these guys beat all the other quotes, they were able to fit me into the schedule 2+ months ahead of any of the others. Couldn’t have asked for a better experience from a tree trimming company. Will definitely be using these guys again in the future for any additional tree trimming/removal!”
Family-owned and operated Oak Arbor Care provides top-rated tree and plant care services to Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley, Johnstown, Longmont, Berthoud, Mead, Boulder, Erie, Lafayette, and Niwot. We are known for our quality work and our eco-friendly approach. For a free estimate, call 720-899-0329 or submit our quick and easy contact form.