Fall/Winter 2015

Fall Landscape Prep 101

Fall is a good time to inspect, restore, and prepare your landscape for not only the coming winter but for next spring as well. Follow these tips for a prosperous growing season in 2016.

Prune Some Species Of Trees

Fall is a good time to prune your trees, especially of dead, dying, diseased and broken branches. Consult with your arborist before you start pruning. It may be better to wait until winter, and even early spring prior to bud break, to prune certain species of trees.

Inspect Trees For Stress

Fall is an opportune time for an arborist to inspect your trees for stress. All of our arborists have training in tree risk assessment while some have also undergone a new qualification known as TRAQ through the ISA (read article here). Trees that are showing indications of declining health are more prone to failure in extreme weather conditions. Various fruiting bodies, known as conks (see image) could be an indication of severe heartwood or root decay and are typically in bloom in the fall season. If you spot these fruiting bodies, please don’t remove them yourself. Rather, call your arborist or photograph it and send it to us for identification; some are more harmful than others.

Install Additional Support

Many trees need additional support to reduce the risk of structural failure. The most common reason is the presence of one or more co-dominant stems or v-shaped crotches (see image). Cabling and bracing can sometimes be used as a solution in combination with pruning to reduce the chances of failure. Ask a certified arborist to inspect your trees to see if this is an option. Not all structural defects can be mitigated in this way.

Prepare Your Lawn

It is best to pay attention to your lawn while it is still green to help it withstand winter and return with more vitality in spring. This includes testing your soil, core aerating your lawn to allow air, water and nutrients to penetrate, over-seeding to fill in bare spots, and top-dressing your turf with a layer of organic high-grade compost and sand mix.

Schedule your complimentary seasonal inspection with your Almstead arborist, if you haven’t done so already. This is the best first-step you can take towards getting your landscape ready for 2016.