preparing-your-trees-for-the-arizona-monsoon-season
Written by webtechs

Preparing Your Trees For The Arizona Monsoon Season

PREPARING YOUR TREES FOR THE ARIZONA MONSOON SEASON

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In Arizona, the period from June 15th through September 30th can be defined as the summer monsoon season. This time of year usually brings extreme heat, which is usually followed by excessive moisture in the air that causes vivacious thunderstorms brought on by very fast winds. Thunderstorms present a lot of hazards that usually strike quickly and with violent force. When preceded by heavy rain, a tree will be even more susceptible to heavy winds. Heavier rains can cause over-saturation of soil, so a tree with healthy roots may have a weaker hold. In some cases, the bulk of the root system can become exposed if the tree falls over. Regardless, there is a lot of preparation you can and should do to hinder potential storm damage to your trees. The best thing you can do is pay attention – watch your trees when heavy winds or rain is coming, and take the proper steps as needed.

BASIC TIPS FOR AVOIDING STORM DAMAGE

Water, mulch, and fertilize your trees correctly and regularly, healthier trees are going to withstand the elements a lot better. This will also help prevent the soil from becoming compacted. Prune annually or semi-annually (sometimes every two to three years, depending on the type of tree) even while they are still young. Having your trees trimmed professionally by someone who understands healthy tree structure is your best thing to avoid problems. Incorrectly pruned trees can lead to splitting limbs and trunks in higher winds.

Proactively take of your trees – any money you spend on the preventive maintenance of your trees will be a lot less costly than replacing them, especially if they cause damage to cars, roofs, or structures when they fall. Clean your yard of any leaf debris or landscaping trash. This will help avoid more work for you when high winds blow debris all over your yard and will help prevent your pool filters from becoming obstructed and burning out.

STAKE YOUR TREES

Staking your trees provides younger trees with the support it needs until its trunk is strong enough to hold the weight of the tree. A lot of trees won’t need to be staked for longer than a year, but stakes should be left for a minimum of one full growing season. When the tree can stand on its own, you can remove the stakes.

HOW TO PROPERLY STAKE A TREE:

  • Use 8-foot stakes or lodge poles. They should be at least 6-8 feet tall and around three inches in diameter.
  • Figure out the general direction of the wind and position the stakes precisely opposite one another, about 2 feet from the stem, staying in line with the wind.
  • Force the stakes vertically at least 2 feet into the soil. Try and keep the stakes the same height above ground. When completed, stakes should stand erect at about 4 feet.
  • Cut two pieces of pliable wire, each measuring around 5 feet long. Use rubber (or use an old garden hose) to create 2, 18-inch lengths. Slide the lengths over the wire and wrap the hose around the tree to help safeguard the trunk from the wire. Draw equal lengths of the wire parallel to the ground and attach them to the top of the stakes. Twist the wires together on the outside of the stake and make sure the wire is nice and taut – clip off any leftover with wire clippers.

TREE MAINTENANCE AND CARE

  • Straightforward care and maintenance can make your trees beefier during periods of rough weather, here are a couple of things to watch out for:
  • Dead wood is unstable because it is brittle, and can’t give or ben under stress as healthy, living tree branches can.
  • Cracks can be evidence of potential branch failures, where there will be splitting sooner or later, so prune as a preventative step to stop more cracking.
  • Decay is a clear indicator of fungal growth or hollow cavities and is a sign of structural weakness.
  • Pests, like the Palo Verde bore, can increase a tree’s health problems, but they typically target trees that are already unhealthy.

Can you see the sky through the tree? Keeping your trees thin is a very important thing to do to “storm-proof” your trees. Sometimes the thicker a tree is, the more vulnerable it is to damage in heavier winds. Even for a tree that is perfectly healthy, if its foliage is overly dense it can pose a safety hazard during inclement weather. A dense canopy won’t allow the wind to pass through easily, and the ability to withstand the wind can cause branches to snap or even bring the whole tree down. This particularly applies to weight at the ends of its branches, which is why pruning only the lower parts of the branches is not enough. The leaves will grow back as the tree endures the monsoon.

TREE CARE & REMOVAL SERVICES PHOENIX

Phoenix Trim-A-Tree offers tree removal services in Phoenix, Arizona. For tree pruning or tree trimming in Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe or Chandler. Contact us today!

A lone Ash tree growing out of a limestone pavement at Malham
Written by webtechs

Arizona Ash Tree Care And Diseases

ARIZONA ASH TREE CARE AND DISEASES

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Arizona Ash trees do very well in the Arizona climate and there are in excess of 65 species in the state. Read on to learn more about how you can care for these magnificent trees and treat any diseases they may encounter.

SPECIES OF ASH TREE

Here are come of the most common and popular Arizona Ash Trees together with their latin names you cna find in the state of Arizona.

  • SINGLE LEAF ASH – Fraxinus Anomala
  • SHAMEL ASH – Fraxinus Uhdei (Aka. ‘Tropical Ash’)
  • RAYWOOD ASH – Fraxinus Oxycarpa
  • LITTLELEAF ASH – Fraxinus Greggii
  • GREEN ASH – Fraxinus Pennsylvanca (Aka. ‘Water Ash’ Or ‘Swamp Ash’)
  • GOODDING ASH – Fraxinus Gooddingii
  • FRAGRANT ASH – Fraxinus Cuspidate
  • FANTEX ASH – Fraxinus Velutina (Aka. ‘Rio Grande Ash’)
  • CHIHUAHUA ASH – Fraxinus Papillosa
  • ARIZONA ASH – Fraxinus Velutina (Aka. ‘Modesto Ash’ Or ‘Velvet Ash’)

CHARACTERISTICS OF ASH TREES

The ash tree is a deciduous tree, meaning they shed leaves at the end of the growing season with the majority of ash trees drop their leaves within about 2 weeks of the end of the growing season. They generally produce seedlings throughout the entire year or once a year in large numbers.

Most ash tree species will quickly grow, resulting in having fast shaded areas. When trees grow quickly, it often results in surface roots. Ash tree roots tend to grow near the surface, making them tolerant to rocky soils and alkaline soils. Basically, you should expect to require trimming ever few years to keep ash tree’s healthy with a good branch structure. If trimming is ignored, it can cause weak growth and breakage. This is bad for multiple tree trunks, because they will eventually fall and could cause damage. Instead, establishing a single central trunk during the tree’s youth is best.

Prior to planting your new ash tree, there are things to consider. First, you want to ensure your yard is large enough to contain it, because ash trees grow quick, and large. The majority of ash trees mature at 40ft to 50ft, but there are species that get over 80ft high, and they all have round, full canopy’s.

DISEASES

Like various plants, the Arizona ash tree is open to diseases that include, cankering, fungal infections of differing kinds and mildew as well as rust diseases, webworms, leaf scorch, carpenter worms, mites and borers, not to mention verticillium wilt, a soil born fungus. Trees that are planted and still growing that endure a poor environmental condition have a higher vulnerability to problems like these, making it significant to ensure fertilizing and watering are done adequately to keep the tree’s defense up.

MAINTENANCE OF ASH TREES

Well kept ash trees provide an outstanding addition to your Arizona landscape. However, if you allow your ash trees that are not taken care can end up being an eyesore. There are ash tree species which have a slight drought resistance, but the majority of ash tree varieties will require plenty of water. To create the best setting for ash trees, flood irrigation should in installed. At the very least a garden hose should be used for a deep soak one or two times a month. In addition, you may desire fertilizing the ash tree often. There are two benefits to mulching your ash trees. First, it enriches the soil as organic matter is broken down. Second, the mulch retains moisture from the watering to maintain wet soil for longer periods. Although ash trees are not particularly simple to care for, having a healthy ash tree is worth the effort. When well cared for an Arizona ash tree provides great shade, and they are sure to improve your landscape.

TREE TRIMMING AND REMOVAL IN PHOENIX

If you own a property in the Phoenix Valley our team of trained, licensed, and insured tree cutting professionals will cut down and remove your tree safely and affordable. Every one of our skilled technicians understands our safe tree removal and cutting protocols and work together to get the job done quickly and safely. Keeping your property in the best condition possible while removing the tree is also our top priority. We remove the tree, clean up the mess, and leave your property in great condition.

Palm Trees
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Palm Tree Maintenance

PALM TREE MAINTENANCE

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With over 2,000 different species of palm trees it is important to realize how to take care of them. It is vital to take care of the roots of palm trees as they do not grow deep into the ground. The majority of palms have single trunks. This point at the top of the trunk as well as the tissues surrounding it are known as the terminal bud. if this is damaged, the palm tree may die. As the roots do not thicken, they are less likely to damage utilities or sidewalks.

SOIL

The compacted soil found in many urban areas will not have the ingredients needed for a palm tree to live well. Palm trees obtain a bulk of their nutrients from the top soil and the top of the ground – this means proper fertilization is required.

WATERING REQUIREMENTS

New palms will need water twice per week for the first six months. Enough water needs to be added to penetrate eighteen inches of soil. If the soil is of a sandy type, extra water will need to be added to ensure moisture is maintained. For older plants, watering demands will depend on the climate. Often in summer, they will need watering at least twice per month, and once every six weeks or so during the colder seasons.

PRUNING

Palm trees usually shed their fronds naturally. Only yellowing/browning/old fronds should be removed. Never trim too close to the trunk of your Palm. The bark is easily damaged and the resulting wounds are entry points for insects and disease. As a frond emerges, the oldest frond dies. The age that a frond may attain will be determined by many factors.

POTENTIAL PESTS

THRIPS – North America’s thrips make up an extremely large family of insects. Of the plant feeders alone, there are 264 species. And some of these species have a taste for palm trees, feeding on flowers and leaves by puncturing the surfaces to suck out sap. Thrips are not lethal to palms but the feeding of the adults can discolor and wilt leaves. In addition, in intensive infestations their unsightly black droppings can become noticeable on leaf surfaces.

ROYAL PALM BUG – Royal Palm Bug feeds on only one plant, the royal palm, and the female lays one egg a day during the spring. The bugs rarely kill the host tree but the damage they do can be unsightly and they are difficult to control given the height of mature royal palms. These insects are the only North American members of the Thaumastocoridae family.

PALMETTO WEEVIL – The Palmetto Weevil can be found throughout Florida, as far west as southern Texas and as far north as South Carolina. It is North America’s largest weevil. This pest has a taste primarily for the Cabbage Palm (sabal palmetto) although it will infest Saw Palmettos (serrenoa repens) and, occasionally, Canary Island Date Palms (phoenix canariensis), Washington Palms (washingtonia), Royal Palms (roystonea), and some coconut palms.

PALM BUDWORM – The budworm is beetle whose larvae feed on the flowers of a range of fan palms. The caterpillars are about an inch long and a pink-green in color.

GIANT PALM BORER – The borer is a large and quite ugly beetle whose larvae have a taste for the wood of the Washingtonia and Phoenix varieties. Borer grubs can live inside a palm trunk for up to nine years before exiting as beetles through quarter-sized holes.

CABBAGE PALM CATERPILLAR – Cabbage palm caterpillars, found throughout Florida, target the cabbage palmetto almost exclusively. They rarely kill palm trees but the insects do destroy the trees’ blossoms. They are a nuisance to humans as well because they often enter homes looking for suitable places to pupate. Control by insecticides is possible under certain circumstance if carefully managed.

DISEASES

LETHAL YELLOWING – Lethal yellowing is a disease first noticed in the Caribbean region of North America about 100 years ago. However, it was not until the 1950s and a devastating outbreak in Jamaica and the Florida Keys that the economic consequences of lethal yellowing were recognized and intensive research begun.

GANODERMA BUTT ROT – Ganoderma butt rot is a relatively new and lethal disease of Florida palm trees. It is caused by a fungus, Ganoderma zonatum, which invades the base or butt of palm trees up to a height of three to four feet above the ground. The disease was first discovered in Florida in 1994 and in only a few years it has spread to infect palms throughout the state. At this time, it cannot be said with certainty that there are any palm trees resistant to ganoderma butt rot.

FUSARIUM WILT – Fusarium wilt is another palm tree fungus. signs of wilt are fronds wilting, losing their green luster and, finally, dying. Once a tree is infected, there is no cure and the diseased tree may have to be removed.

BUD ROT – Bud rot is caused by a fungus which causes the heart fronds of a palm tree to wilt and die. Tree death can occur soon afterward. California and Mexican palms are the most vulnerable.

Source: https://www.bgi-usa.com/palm-trees-101/

TREE TRIMMING AND REMOVAL SERVICES PHOENIX

Phoenix Trim-A-Tree offers tree removal and trimming services in Phoenix, Arizona as well as Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe or Chandler, contact us today!

Palm Trees
Written by webtechs

Do Palm Tree Trunks Grow Back If You Cut Their Trunks?

DO PALM TREE TRUNKS GROW BACK IF YOU CUT THEIR TRUNKS?

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Palm trees do not require a lot of maintenance throughout a lifespan. However, skinning the trees just once per year is crucial to the overall health of the plant. Read on to learn why you should skin your palm tree.

SINGLE-TRUNK PALMS

When it comes to severing off the growing tip or better know as the ‘crownshaft’ of any single-trunk palm species, this will effectively terminate the tree altogether. The trunk will not be able to sprout a new growing tip in place of the old missing crownshaft. And without the extra foliage to synthesize the incoming light, the palm soon grows weak and starts to rot. If you do end up having to cut off the top of any single-trunk palms, the next move would be to simply plant a new tree.

Some examples of single-trunk palms include the Mexican fan Palm, Royal palm, Christmas palm, and the Cabbage palm. These are all great options to choose from when deciding which single-trunk palm to grow.

CLUSTERING PALMS

Clustering palms are incredibly unique and grow multiple trunk stems, which means you can shave away some trunks without ending the plants’ life. If the individual palm trunk is removed solely, it will not be able to heal itself. Even if you cut off the trunks near the root level, suckering explodes from this level and will eventually sprout and develop into new healthy palm tree trunks. The suckering process and rejuvenation will only happen in the case of a healthy clustering palm. On the other hand, diseased or distressed palms may not create new suckers and may eventually end up dying.

PALM TREE TRUNK WOUNDS

Naturally, Palm trees lack cambium – which is a layer of tissue behind the tree bark that creates the growth rings in the tree. Any wound inflicted to the trunk of a palm tree cannot repair itself, meaning these wounds will remain with the palm for the rest of its life. The wounds can and most likely will become dry and brittle unless weather conditions are full of rain or high humidity. Insects and fungal infections can penetrate the palm and cause massive damage to the plant’s articular system, as well.

PRUNING

When it comes to the pruning aspect of the palm tree, there are crucial factors that come into play during this process. First, it is important to never sever the downshaft on a palm. Another tip is to remove just the right amount of fronds. Also, never introduce any sort of diseases to the plants. Palm pruning can certainly be hard to manage and is better left to the professionals. If you do decide to proceed with pruning the palm yourself, go ahead and remove only the broken fronds that are entirely dead with no color left to them.

TREE TRIMMING AND REMOVAL SERVICES PHOENIX

Phoenix Trim-A-Tree offers tree removal and trimming services in Phoenix, Arizona as well as Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe or Chandler, contact us today!

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