Even though we grind stumps, here at Indiana Stump Grinding we aren’t exactly tree huggers, but we love trees. Trees can be a place of some of our most cherished memories. I still remember all the time my Grandpa and I spent under the shade tree in the summers talking about life, whittling and shooting. They provide oxygen for us to breathe, they clean the air, block traffic noise, provide the best child playground, and can substantially increase your property value. Trees are awesome. Let’s try to take care of them.
Keep trimmers, weed eaters, lawn mowers on other things away from the lower part of tree. These things can badly damage the the tree when they cut the bark possibly causing the tree to have sub-par health. Just use good mulch around the tree to create some distance from these potential damages. Just don’t pile the mulch up right against the tree trunk. This can cause rot or disease.
Keep heavy foot traffic and loads away from the roots. Roots do not like compacted soil.
Get a professional arborist inspection. There are many things that we don’t have the room or knowledge to discuss here that could be effecting the health of your tree now or in the future that a good arborist can help with. Old trees generally have a high value. An arborist inspection once and a while may be worth it.
It is preferable to NOT hang anything from a tree you would like to take the best care of. If you must hang something from the tree use drill and anchors instead of wrapping a rope or chain around the limbs or trunk. Wrapping ropes or chains around parts of tree can significantly damage the bark and possibly cause poor health for the tree.
Use a soaker hose to water tree when there are drought conditions present. Long periods with no water may be very stressful or damaging to your old tree friend.
In conclusion there are many reasons you may want to take care of your old trees. If neglected we may loose these old trees well before their time. So make sure to at least take the simple steps to avoid the heartbreak of losing an old beautiful tree.