The following is a guest post by Rodney Southern.
Knowing how to prune or remove problem trees is a vital part of being a homeowner. Trees are a wonderful part of having a lawn. Your children may enjoy a tire swing while you take advantage of a nice shade tree to create a reading nook. But trees are constantly changing and growing, which means you have to take care of them, if you want a healthy yard. Trees can also create problems in certain situations. What do you do then?
What constitutes a problem?
Tree branches that extend over your roof will drop leaves that can clog your gutters or break and damage your roof. Trees with dead branches could be dangerous if they break and fall on children or pets. Overgrown trees take up too much space and create too much shade. There are many reasons why you may decide it is time to either prune those trees or have them removed completely.
The first step is knowing what kind of trees you have on your property and what is causing the problem. Some trees are subject to a variety of diseases and molds, which make it nearly impossible to prune and save the tree. Insects may have destroyed the structure of the tree, leaving it to die from the inside out. Other trees, like the Lombardy Poplar actually send off what are known as suckers which create a poplar-like small shrub several feet away from the actual tree. Other trees may just be overgrown and unruly. Once you know what you have, you can begin to research the best way to handle your issue, whether you need to learn how to prune or remove problem trees.
When should you prune?
If your trees simply need pruning in order to grow better and fit better within the space you have for them, you can either tackle the job yourself or hire a professional. Pruning should be done very carefully and with the proper tools to prevent injury to yourself or the tree. Typically pruning is done at the end or beginning of the growing season. This is the opportune time to trim back growth, cut away dead areas, and treat for diseases and insects. During the growing season, any pruning performed should involve nothing more than trimming back fast growing branches to keep new growth contained.
Can you remove a tree?
In the process of researching how to prune or remove problem trees, you may find yourself wondering whether you are really qualified to remove that 100 year old oak tree that sits at the corner of your yard near your house. Unless you are an experienced tree worker, the answer is probably no. Amateurs should only remove trees that are located far from buildings and electrical wires to avoid damage, injury, and even death. Safety is a major concern when removing trees as well as getting rid of the unsightly stump. Most of the time it is best to hire a professional for tree removal.
Once you have figured out what the problem is and decided on a solution, deciding how to prune or remove problem trees is the easy part of your conundrum.
Rodney Southern is a long time content writer specializing in a wide array of niches both online and in print. His work has been featured on sites such as Yahoo.com, The Sporting News and numerous others over an eleven plus year career. He also runs his own website on diabetes called Dashing Diabetes. He was the National Call for Content Winner for 2008. Southern resides in Greensboro, NC with his wife, Julie, and identical twin daughters, Valerie and Brooke.
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