It’s a new year once again, which means I have a new growth ring that tells a story of all my experiences in the past year, both good and bad. The past year was full of exciting moments, spending most of the afternoons watching little Johnny having fun playing with the swing his father placed on one of my stronger branches. I can only hope to become stronger this year so I can continue to support little Johnny’s weight as he swings back and forth with glee.
My list of resolutions this year is modest; I just want to be able to grow in peace. I would like to provide shade to anyone who needs it, provide a stable home for my avian friends, and bear fruits for my human companions to enjoy.
But in order for me and my fellow trees to realize our New Year’s resolutions, we’re going to need all the help we can get from our human friends. Here are some of our resolutions that we hope you can help us achieve this year.
New Year’s Resolutions – From Your Tree
Give me mulch and I promise to become healthy, grow bigger, and provide a beautiful green glow to your garden.
Not a lot of humans are aware of the importance of mulch and the process of mulching when it comes to the health and development of us trees, especially those who are newly planted and are still getting acquainted with their new surroundings.
So why do we need mulch?
- Mulch helps to insulate the ground soil we stand on, providing a strong buffer from fluctuating hot and cold temperatures.
- It helps to retain water and moisture in our root system, thus keeping us well-hydrated and healthy.
- Mulch helps combat weed growth, effectively eliminating our main competition for water and nutrition.
- Mulch reduces the negative effects of compaction common in urban environments.
This year, if you promise to take care of our mulch needs, we in turn promise to provide you with thick foliage for shade, strong branches for your kids to climb, and sweet, juicy fruits for the entire family to enjoy.
Keep us well-hydrated and we will develop into a healthy and vibrant tree you will be proud of. Your neighborhood will be thanking you for it.
Tree watering is a crucial part in our development, especially for those of us who are newly planted or have just been relocated to a different environment. Even though a lot of our kind tend to live for decades, if not hundreds of years, during our formative years, we do need your help when it comes to hydration.
So how do you effectively provide us with our daily watering needs?
- For trees that are newly planted – It is important to give us water immediately after we are planted. Our roots are still getting acquainted with the ground and the new soil composition; we need all the moisture we can get to firmly attach ourselves to our new environment.
- The first couple of years are crucial for our development – The first two growing seasons is quite challenging for most of us, especially for those who need an extensive amount of water and moisture to grow and develop.
- Hot summers are especially difficult for us – During the hot summer months, we spend most of our energy growing, producing buds near the end of summer. This occurs during what is referred to as lignification. Trees do most of their growing in the early summer. In late summer they store up reserves to begin the growing process again the following spring. During this time, we need all the help we can get from our human companions. lack of water reduces our leaves ability to produce sugars through photosynthesis and remain cool through the process of evapotranspiration. In severe cases our leaves may wilt or even fall off to prevent further water loss.
- Proper mulching can go a long way in maintaining root moisture – Heat and drought can cause our root system to dry up, preventing us from getting water and moisture from the soil. You can avoid this by covering the top soil with wood-chip mulch in order to maintain ideal temperatures underneath and sustain moisture and water in the soil.
Prune me right and I will grow into a lush and vibrant tree that will enhance the beauty and elegance of your yard.
Every once in a while I will require a good pruning to establish and maintain good health and structure especially if I am young tree. As I mature pruning will help me remain healthy and beautiful. Be sure to have a goal set before establishing a pruning plan, never prune without an objective, remove dead, diseased and crossing branches so that I can heal properly and not waste energy on problematic branches. Please use proper pruning practices to ensure all the pruning cuts heal properly, don’t remove too much foliage or you may cause more harm then good especially if I am mature.
Happy New Year! What are some of your New Years resolutions for 2017? Comment below.