How Do We Take Care Of Trees?

In many cases, the trees that surround a house are what give it a "homey" feel. The trees and other vegetation that surround the house, as well as the shade that they give; however, there are occasions when it is a particular shadow that a single tree throws through an open curtain. As a result, understanding how to properly care for trees is essential for a homeowner.

You could have seen your grandfather or father "cleaning up" a tree when you were a child, but you probably didn't pay too much attention to what they were doing or how they were doing it. Because the climate and surroundings are not the same as they used to be, proper tree care appears to be more necessary today than it was in the past. There are businesses out there that focus on tree maintenance and landscaping and provide homeowners with tree maintenance consultation services.

Is there really that much more complexity involved in caring for trees than there was when grandpa trimmed his trees? We have the answers to some of the more often asked issues concerning tree care. Because there is a correct way and an erroneous way to "clean up" your trees if you want your trees to continue to be alive and lovely, casting that shadow through an open curtain. Check this list of affordable Perth Arborist  to help you decide which services to choose.

10 Ways To Keep Trees Healthy

When a plant in your garden has a disease, it will be one of the most mysterious occurrences that can take place there. How did it happen? Will it become widespread? Will every one of my plants perish? What are some ways I can get rid of it? When it comes to warding off illness, one of the most fundamental concepts to grasp is something known as the disease triangle (drawing, right). The presence of a host plant, a pathogen (such as a fungus, bacterium, or virus) that is capable of attacking the plant, and environmental factors (such as humidity or drought) that favour the illness are the only conditions under which disease can occur.

Because the disease cannot occur if even one of these factors is missing, preventing it requires eliminating at least one of the three sides of the disease's triangular environment. Instead of sitting about and waiting for a problem to arise in your garden, you should think of a good offensive as the best defence possible against disease. The following list provides ten different ways in which you can rid at least one side of the disease triangle and maintain the health of your plants.

1. Examine Plants Carefully Before Buying

The most effective strategy for controlling disease in your garden is to keep it from getting there in the first place. No one wants a bonus in the form of a sickness when they buy a new plant because nobody wants that kind of bonus. It can be challenging to determine whether or not the plant you want to purchase is healthy because it can be difficult to discover what a healthy plant should look like.

It is a smart notion to amass a selection of books, periodicals, and catalogues that illustrate what a healthy specimen appears to be like. Do not bring a plant into your home that has dead areas, rotten stems, or insects on it. These issues can quickly spread to your healthy plants, and once they have taken hold, it can be challenging to eradicate them completely.

Always evaluate the quality of the roots of plants, in addition to evaluating the tops of the plants. In a garden centre, one does not frequently witness customers engaging in this activity, despite the fact that it ought to be a typical sight. Put your hand on the top of the dirt while holding the plant stem between the fingers of your other hand. Invert the container carefully and gently shake the plant to loosen it.

It is possible that you may need to release the roots from the pot by tapping the edge of the pot against a firm surface. The roots of a plant should be robust, often white, and evenly distributed throughout the root ball. Roots that are dark in colour or mushy in texture are not a healthy sign. It is only a matter of time before a plant dies from a rotten root system, even though the tips of the plant appear to be in good health.

2. Use Fully Composted Yard Waste

It takes different amounts of time for different components in a compost pile to break down into compost. It's possible that some of the materials have decomposed to the point where they can be used in the garden, while others have not. Composting properly generates high temperatures for an extended period of time, which, in turn, kills any pathogens that may be present in the material.

Plant debris that has been infected but has not been through this process will reintroduce diseases that could potentially affect your garden. You should avoid utilising yard trash as mulch under sensitive plants and you should avoid incorporating potentially contaminated garbage in your compost pile if you do not know for certain how the conditions of your compost pile are currently.

3. Keep An Eye On Your Bugs

The damage caused by insects to plants goes well beyond being merely cosmetic. Damage caused by insects offers an entrance for pathogens like viruses and bacteria to enter a plant, which is typically necessary for their transmission. There are some insects that can act as carriers for viruses, moving them from plant to plant as they go from host to host. Aphids are one of the most common carriers, and thrips are responsible for the spread of the impatiens necrotic spot virus.

This virus has emerged as a significant challenge for commercial producers over the past ten years. A disease known as aster yellows (shown on the right) is transmitted by leafhoppers and can infect a wide variety of host plants. Another technique to put a plant under stress and make it less able to defend itself against disease is to have it be attacked by insects.

4. Clean Up In The Fall

Even if you reside in an area with a temperature that is more temperate than extreme, fall is the perfect time to clean out the garden. This is not only an excellent approach to prevent diseases from appearing in your garden, but it is also a useful method for managing problems that have already appeared.

It is possible for diseases to survive the winter on dead leaves and other debris and then attack fresh leaves as soon as they sprout in the spring. Diseases such as iris leaf spot, daylily leaf streak, and black spot on roses are some examples of conditions that can have a significant impact on plant health if the dead leaves are not removed every fall. Be sure to remove any stems and leaves that you have left over from the previous season in order to make room for the new growth that will occur in the spring.

5. Apply The Correct Fertiliser

When feeding plants, you need to be careful because applying an excessive amount of any fertiliser might damage the roots, diminishing the plant's capacity to take up water. As a consequence of this, the plants will be more fragile when subjected to the stresses of drought, cold, and heat. The absence of nutrients causes plants to wither and become more susceptible to illnesses like leaf spots, whereas a robust plant is better able to fend off infections. Another factor that can contribute to a plant's stress level is an excess of one of its essential nutrients.

You can obtain reliable data on the nutritional composition of your soil by having a test conducted on it by the agency responsible for agricultural extension in your area. If you do not have it, feeding your plants will likely be an exercise in guesswork for you, and you run the risk of giving them an excessive amount of one nutrient or not enough of another.

6. Plant Disease-Resistant Varieties

Plants that are disease-resistant are those that may become infected with a particular illness, but they are able to successfully fight off the sickness rather than succumbing to it. For instance, some varieties of tomatoes are coded as "VFN resistant," which indicates that this particular variety of tomato is resistant to the fungus Verticillium and Fusarium as well as nematodes.

If you start looking for these codes on flowers, you are likely going to be dis­ap­pointed because disease resistance is rarely identified on plant tags. If you start looking for these codes, you will probably be dis­ap­pointed. However, this does not imply that disease resistance is not present in a large number of floral cultivars. There are a lot of companies that specialise in roses, and many of them provide plants that are resistant to diseases such as powdery mildew and black spot. Planning for a  tree lopping, pruning, wood chipping, mulching, palm removing & stump grinding? At Tree Amigos, you can find high quality and affordable arborist services for your needs.

You can get assistance from personnel of nurseries as well as fellow gardeners in determining which types of numerous plants are the hardiest or most disease resistant. There are also catalogues and reference books that can detail the plants and kinds that are resistant to specific illnesses.

7. Prune Damaged Limbs At The Right Time

It is preferable to prune bushes and trees near the end of winter as opposed to waiting until spring. During the winter, damaged branches run the risk of being infected, which makes it possible for diseases to take hold even when the plant is dormant. The prevention of disease transmission to new growth by means of late-winter trimming. In spite of the fact that storms in the late winter can do more damage, it is still preferable to prune back a damaged limb than to neglect it until spring has arrived. Always make sure to use tools that are sharp in order to make clean cuts that will quickly heal, and always cut back to healthy, live tissue.

8. Choose And Site Plants Appropriately

If you place a plant that prefers shade, like an azalea, in direct sunlight, it will have poor growth and will be more susceptible to attack from pests and diseases. A crape myrtle that has been affected by powdery mildew.

Utilizing plants that are suited to your growing zone and location is essential to having gardening success. If you place a plant that prefers shade, such as an azalea, in full sun, it will not grow well and will be more susceptible to being infested by pests and diseases. Having previously owned a crape myrtle tree that was planted in a location where some of its leaves were constantly in the shade. Only this portion of the plant was affected by the powdery mildew condition.

When a plant is attacked by an insect or illness, it will activate its defence mechanisms, which are analogous to the immune system of a human being and will go into action. When plants are under stress, they are unable to react with their full strength to ward against diseases or recover from those they have already contracted. Therefore, plants that are under stress are at a greater risk of succumbing to these conditions.

9. Water Properly

It is a good idea to water your garden; but, given that many illnesses require water just as much as plants do, the manner in which you water makes a significant amount of difference. A great number of the pathogens that can be found in the soil and the air require water in order to travel, thrive, and reproduce. Choose ways of watering that reduce the amount of moisture that is absorbed by a plant's leaf so that you do not provide the ideal environment for the illnesses that cause these problems. This is achieved with the use of soaker hoses and drip irrigation. Hold the plant's leaves out of the way while you water the roots if you are using a hand watering method.

Since the majority of leaf issues are made worse when the leaves are damp, sprinklers aimed at the canopy are the least prefered method of watering leaves. If you decide to go with this strategy, you will need to water the plant at a time when the leaves will lose their moisture fast but the roots will have enough time to take it in before it evaporates.

When it comes to watering your plants, it is important to keep in mind that more water is not always better. Roots that are suffocated in soil or containers that are saturated with water are more likely to become infected with a fungus that causes root rot. This makes the roots an easy target for the fungus.

10. Don’t Crowd Plants

When plants are grown in close proximity to one another, they produce their own humidity, which can encourage the development of diseases such as powdery mildew. When determining how far apart to place transplants, exercise extreme caution and keep a close check on already established plants to track their progression as they grow and spread. When plants are grown in close proximity to one another, they produce their own humidity, which can encourage the development of diseases such as powdery mildew (shown on the right), rust, and downy mildew. Increasing the airflow around your plants is one way to bring down the high relative humidity they are experiencing. This also makes it possible for the leaf to dry out more quickly.

Plants that are cultivated too closely together often have worse development because of the increased competition for space, light, water, and nutrients. These delicate plants have a greater risk of being consumed by many kinds of pests. It is also possible for illnesses to spread when an infected leaf comes into contact with a healthy leaf. This can happen when the two leaves come into contact with one another. This is an instance that takes place more frequently when the plants in question are situated in close proximity to one another.