Trees provide natural shade and beautify yards, so they’re desirable landscaping features. Learning proper tree care ensures they remain healthy and don’t become a liability to your home, family, and neighbors. Unfortunately, many inexperienced homeowners tend to make these common mistakes when learning to care for the trees on their property.

How Do Homeowners Accidentally Hurt Their Trees?

1. Improper Mulching

Adding mulch around your trees, especially those recently planted, provides insulation, so the soil can stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Mulch also helps the roots retain more moisture and reduces weed growth, which can sap essential nutrients from your growing tree and attract pests.

However, incorrectly applied mulch can lead to pest infestations, diseases, and decay. Rather than layering the mulch against the tree, place it in a donut ring around the trunk. Ideally, it should be three to four inches deep and extend to the drip line of the branches—the outermost circumference of the canopy.

2. Pruning Too Much or Too Little

At least once a year, typically late fall to early spring, pruning should be performed to remove dead or overgrown branches and stems. Forgoing this tree care risks dead limbs falling and endangering those below. It also inhibits tree growth, as heavy branch coverage prevents sunlight and air circulation from reaching the tree’s interior and trunk. 

Conversely, pruning several times a year cuts away healthy branches or leaves open wounds. Both of these situations make trees more susceptible to pests and diseases. 

3. Topping 

Topping involves cutting all the major branches off of a tree, leaving it with blunt ends and no secondary branches, to prevent it from growing taller. Most tree care professionals don’t recommend this approach because it harms the plant’s structural integrity. 

Removing all or most of the foliage reduces the tree’s ability to absorb energy from the sun, so the remaining branches begin to die. Additionally, topping often involves improper pruning that leaves branches with open wounds to become breeding grounds for bacteria. 

Ensure your trees’ well-being by turning to Sherwood’s Tree Service. For nearly 50 years, this family-owned company has provided residential and commercial tree care services to Honolulu, HI, and all of Oahu. Their expert crew handles stump and tree removal, trimming, pruning, and lot clearing. Call them at (808) 537-9705 any time of the day for assistance, and visit their website to learn more about their services.