York Tree Services blog

Congratulations on your new tree. I hope you will enjoy it for years to come. Of course, in the words of Pepper Provenzano, "When you plant a tree, you plant a legacy." To get the most out of your tree, and to extend the legacy it represents, you will need to help it establish roots in its new home. But be careful to avoid too much of a good thing; if the soil is already moist, adding more water can encourage fungal diseases or other problems, so always test with a finger to see if the top three inches of soil are dry before adding more water. Make sure you are digging through the mulch and checking moisture in the soil.
Container-grown trees face a challenge when first planted because the native soil tends to be different than the container soil. Moisture will quickly soak out of the root ball and into the surrounding soil, causing the tree to dry out quicker than normal. Your role at this early stage is to gradually train the roots to spread into the native soil while keeping the container soil from getting too dry too soon.
After a week or two, the tree should begin to spread into the native soil. Continue to water the root ball as needed, but every two or three days, soak the area just beyond the ball. Think of it as inviting the roots outward. It will probably take longer for the water to soak into clay, so a slow drip might be better than running water out of the hose. You can buy inexpensive soaker hoses that you can circle around the tree for this purpose, but a sprinkler will work fine in most cases if you prefer it. In sandy soils, it may be necessary to water more to allow for the increased drainage.
By the end of two months, you can generally taper off to watering twice a week. You will not need to worry as much about the original root ball, though you should still be aware of times when it is extremely dry and give it a spritz if it reaches that point. Meanwhile, you should be watering a fairly wide area around the tree. The roots that absorb water and nutrients grow outward more than downward; you really don't need to get water any deeper than 18-24 inches.
At the 3-6 month range, continue to taper off frequency and water a wider area. For most of the first year, you will probably want to stick with watering every 4-5 days. In really hot, dry weather, you still might need to water more often. After a year, the tree should be fairly well-established, and you can taper off to once a week. Continue through the second year to make sure the tree is off to a strong start. After two years, you can continue watering once a week, but if you'd like you can just go for a deep soaking once every two weeks or so. This should generally serve you well for the rest of the tree's life, though in times of severe drought even mature trees sometimes need extra water now and then.
Your tree should have started with a three-inch deep layer of hardwood mulch. This blankets the soil, helping to keep moisture from evaporating. Over time, the mulch will decay and become part of the soil. Check periodically to make sure you still have plenty of mulch; it should be a layer 3.5 inches deep, but should not be piled against the base of the tree trunk. It should cover as wide an area as possible. If you are attached to your lawn, it can coexist with your tree, but you should understand that grass is a very good competitor for water and nutrients. Giving the tree a buffer zone with no grass will allow it to thrive where a tree with grass right up to the trunk will merely survive.
As for fertiliser, we do not usually recommend it. Rather than apply a granular fertiliser that applies all of these elements, we prefer top-dressing the lawn in Spring with composted manure, which is mostly nitrogen. A thin layer (¼ to ½ inch deep) spread on the surface of your lawn will invigorate the soil ecosystem. It will also form humic acid as it decays, thus freeing up some nutrients that may be bound up with calcium in our soils due to high alkalinity. This, along with mulch, is all most trees need.
After a year or two, your young tree may benefit from pruning to develop a strong structure. Spending a little money on the tree early can save a lot of expense and stress to the tree later. For example, a quick cut to eliminate a poorly attached limb becomes a huge, expensive project if the tree is allowed to grow for several years without addressing the problem. You may want to hire an arborist to advise you or prune the tree for you when the time comes.
We hope this will help you establish a strong, healthy tree that will outlive us all. If you still have questions, learn more about basic tree care at ​www.yorktreeservices.co.uk

York Tree Surgeons
171a Clifford House 
7-9 Clifford House, 
York 
YO1 9RA
01904 500144

In most of the cases, you require professional assistance when you want to keep your garden area free from unsightly tree stumps. When it comes to trying to remove the stump of a big old tree, just cutting it is not enough. Moreover, it becomes quite hectic to uproot the entire tree from the ground. That is where stump grinding comes to the rescue.
Most of the tree arborists associated with the services of tree stump removal use heavy equipment for grinding purpose. However, you can make it a DIY task and take the initiative to grind the tree stumps. Diversified techniques are applied for operating different stump grinders. Before going for it, check out some of the general guidelines that experts follow while carrying out the grinding task.
Take proper safety precautions
Stump grinding can prove to be dangerous and harmful if you avoid taking necessary security measures. As per the expert suggestions,
· You must wear sturdy boots, full-length trousers, goggles and gloves.
· It is utmost important that you avoid taking your body too close to the grinding blades.
· Moreover, it will prove to be safe if you trim down the grass around the stump before you start the grinding.
· It is also necessary to remove small rocks, twigs and landscaping elements that are near the stumps before you start the work.
Cut down the bigger stumps
Before you begin grinding the stump abruptly, you should note that it is not an appropriate way to grind a giant trunk. Utilise the services of the professionals for tree removal to trim down the branches of the tree and remove the trunk from the base. Using a chainsaw is crucial at this point. As experts suggest, you should lower down the stump as much as you can until it comes on a level with the ground. It does not only make the process smoother but also helps in minimising the risk of accidents.
The right technique of stump grinding
It is necessary to follow the instruction manual of your grinder minutely before starting the equipment. Experts instruct to grind the stump with the help of the following steps,
· Place the wheel of your grinder on the stump and start it.
· You have to move the cutter sidewise to enable the blade can cut through the stump evenly.
· Once the first layer is removed, start grinding the next layer following the same technique.
· You need to repeat the removal of the layers until you the entire stump is ground.
It is not the end of the process as you need to carry out a thorough inspection. You are required to make sure that the stump is entirely cut through, and now it is at least ten centimetres below the ground surface.
Cover the hole
Don't let the gap remain open for too long. As soon as you are finished with the grinding part, cover the hole and make it even with the ground. Soil and grass seeds will be the perfect options for filling up the hole. If you need any more advice, assistance, or wish us to take care of it for you, give us a call.

​York Tree Surgeons
171a Clifford House 
7-9 Clifford House, 
York 
YO1 9RA
01904 500144

A York Tree Surgeon (or Arborist) helps to treat sick or indeed damaged trees. They also remove dead ones that could be problematic. The treatment of a sick tree could involve anything from removing parts, to removing fungus and bacteria with insecticides. They also help to remove branches which may pose a falling hazard.

This article is to help understand just a few of the roles they fulfil:
Pruning
Tree surgeons spend a large proportion of their job cutting back trees which may be causing a falling risk, or growing too closely to powerlines etc. This is a delicate job which needs a lot of consideration in order to avoid stressing the trees. This job is of particular interest to power companies who employ tree surgeons to prune trees growing near power lines in order to keep their network running.
Removal
Tree Surgeons often have to deal with fallen, or dead trees. The may have to felled due to proximity to a house, or because they are dead and present a falling risk. Once felled, they have to be cut into manageable sizes. Only then can the roots and stump be removed, which can involve stump grinding, a lot of digging, or the use of chemicals.
Treating Bacteria and Fungal Infections
There are many different bacteria and fungus types that can do serious damage, no matter how large. A tree surgeon will be able to detect and diagnose any of these problems with your tree, and recommend a suitable solution. Anitbiotics and fungicides can be applied directly to the trunk or leaves depending on the problem.
Grafting
This is a specialist technique which a tree surgeon will be able to advise on. It can be as straightforward as trying to grow a new tree from an existing cutting, or the joining of two struggling trees to form one.

Tree surgery is a highly specialised job, and should only really be undertaken by professionals. If you would like receive a free tree surgery quote and you're in York give us a call.

​York Tree Surgeons
171a Clifford House 
7-9 Clifford House, 
York 
YO1 9RA
01904 500144