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The typical homeowner won’t think about tree care incredibly frequently; they will instead focus on caring for their garden. In reality, however, tree care is crucial, even if none of your trees are currently unhealthy. Tree care primarily consists of pruning, aerating the soil, fertilizing, and removing pests. While there is another option for some of these tasks, organic tree service provides the perfect alternative. It is all natural and gives your trees everything that they need to flourish.
Some people are hesitant to opt for organic tree care because it can sometimes be slightly more expensive and take more time to see results. Despite this, the benefits far outweigh any negatives associated with organic tree care. If your trees produce fruit, the resulting fruit should be chemical free, giving you better quality, more nutritious, and tastier produce. No matter whether the tree is fruit-bearing or ornamental, however, you will be greatly reducing the environmental impact of your tree care. Organic tree care involves all-natural substances so they will not negatively impact the area.
This means that not only is the soil on your property healthier, but even the air on your property is less contaminated. Organic care helps reduce animal and insect death, soil poisoning and contamination, water pollution, toxic runoff, and topsoil loss. In other words, opting for organic tree care instead of other methods helps you do your part to protect the planet.
Both fertilizers and pesticides typically contain harmful chemicals. These will run off into the water and may actually hurt your trees in the long run, while providing quick results that seem positive. Pesticide residue, for example, is a major concern. You can greatly reduce this issue by opting for organic pesticides and fertilizers instead. There are options to buy them in your local store or online, or you can ask your tree care company if they have organic supplies on hand to use.
Using a traditional pesticide, for example, will end up killing all insects near your trees, whether they are harmful or beneficial. Chemical pesticides have been linked to the collapse of bee colonies and both chemical pesticides and fertilizers will decrease the nutrients found in plants, whether they are a tree or something small. This in turn negatively impacts the entire ecosystem.
It is also fairly easy to make your own organic fertilizers and pesticides and there are many different recipes online. In some cases, you may even be able to rely on other methods. Chickens, for example, help reduce the number of insects when they are allowed to forage beneath fruit trees. You can also repel pests using kaolin clay, which is completely natural.
Neem oil is a very popular organic pesticide, particularly because it will kill the harmful insects, without any negative effects on the beneficial ones, provided you apply it correctly. You usually turn neem oil into spray by mixing it with organic liquid soap, but you can also buy pre-mixed organic pesticides with it. You can also make your own organic pesticide or insecticide using citrus oil, cayenne pepper, mineral oil, eucalyptus oil, garlic and onion, chrysanthemum flowers, chile peppers, or tobacco.
One of the most popular organic fertilizers is compost tea, which involves filling a bucket with compost and water, steeping it, stirring it, and straining it. You can also make your own natural and organic fertilizer using fireplace ash, vinegar, fresh grass, banana peels, egg shells, seaweed, coffee grounds, weeds, human urine, molasses, manure, worm castings, or fish tank water.
The first step to taking care of your trees organically is selecting the right ones. When you are choosing which trees to plant, you want to consider every single factor, including soil and the location. A tree professional can help, and they will generally suggest you stick to native trees as they will require less maintenance, limiting the amount of fertilizer you need as well as limiting water consumption in dry climates.
Selecting a native plant will also help you because you won’t need to provide them with a great deal of care after their first two to three years. Despite this, they will be able to thrive in the area, providing shelter and food for local wildlife. It also eliminates the risk associated with introducing any new species to the area, especially if they end up being invasive. Talk to an arborist or other tree expert to pick the right pine, hawthorn, oak, sumac, birch, or maple for your property.
Instead of relying on harmful chemicals to keep your trees alive, organic tree care instead uses non-invasive and non-harmful methods that humans have been using to cultivate trees for centuries. In order to naturally extend the life of your trees, take time to ensure that the roots are healthy. Prune off any unhealthy roots when you transplant your tree and encourage new ones to grow by removing interferences such as twine, burlap, and wire baskets. Be sure not to plant the tree too deep as this is one of the most common reasons for unhealthy trees. You can always have a professional transplant your trees for you if you don’t feel comfortable caring for and organizing their roots yourselves.
Organic tree care is essentially any type of care and maintenance for your trees that doesn’t require harmful chemicals. This means that basic care, such as pruning, will be part of organic as well as inorganic tree care. Pruning is done to thin out trees when necessary, but it doesn’t change the shape or character of the tree. If your tree has a cavity, the organic method would be to simply remove the decayed material, without harming the living tissue or adding foam or concrete to fill the gap. Cabling and aeration are also regular parts of organic tree maintenance.
Those who rely on organic methods to care for their trees will avoid pruning paint or wound dressings as some experts have said that these chemical and unnatural methods actually slow healing. The tree needs to be exposed to air in order to heal.
To ensure your tree care remains organic, be sure to ask your tree maintenance company if they use organic products or if they have them available. Most tree companies will at least have a small supply of organic fertilizer and pesticides to use on request.