Learn how to maintain your evergreens and make them look good.
The advantage of evergreen shrubs and trees is that your lawn will have greenery all year round. There is a proper way for you to plant evergreens however so that they do maintain their beauty and live a long healthy life. Not only how you plant them , but where you plant them will have a lasting effect, they require minimum maintenance and are of the easiest to take care of.
Fortifying the evergreens by mulching and watering will avoid any injuries inflicted by drying out effects cause by sun and winds, cold temperatures, and keeping up with a periodic prune and trim will keep the evergreen looking a beautiful deep green and healthy.
When you decide to plant evergreens, it will give your property a welcoming look that lasts all year round, many homeowners however think that just by planting the right trees and plants will be the only thing they have to do to achieve the beautiful lawn they seek.
The truth is that they also need proper maintenance and care, if they don’t receive either or, they can go the other way and problems can arise which will dry them out and soon you’ll have a half dead plant that takes away from any aesthetic beauty it once brought to your lawn. This is why it’s critically important for anyone who has a lawn to learn about proper care and maintenance of evergreens that are already there or are newly planted. Yes evergreens are much less work than their counterparts, and they are a hardier tree and shrub, however they do also require a level of care and maintenance to bring that beauty you want to your lawn.
PROPER CARE AND MAINTENANCE FOR EVERGREENS
Mulching and Watering:
the soils moisture levels are of importance when it comes to evergreens being able to cope with dry and winter conditions. When you use shredded bark or wood chips to ad much around the base of the tree where the drip line is, this will slow any evaporation from the surrounding soil.
When mulching, it’s always a good idea to add organic matter to the mix to add some needed nutrients to the soil , such as compost etc. All these nutrients will benefit the shrub or tree in the long run. Be sure to stay on top of watering during dry time like fall and summer, also if you live in an area that the ground doesn’t freeze, you can also water during the winter as well.
Fertilizer:
Though evergreens require far less fertilizing than deciduous species, they do actually benefit from good fertilization. This will aid in proper growth, colour, size of needles etc.
If you are considering adding some fertilizer, it’s a good idea to go with a complete fertilizer, one that has more nitrogen than potassium or phosphorus. And it’s always better to fertilize between spring and summer. When summer is halfway done, a slow release fertilizer can be applied and be sure to not fertilize if there is a drought going on and make sure to stay on top of watering.
Pruning:
Evergreens are generally only in need of running for correcting purposes. Removing of broken, diseased, dead or damaged branches. Or to establish a leader for the shrub a tree, a leader is the top part of the tree. Generally evergreens will have a leader that is dominant on its own, however sometimes there are two that pop out, in this case its good to remove one.
It’s always good to note that when pruning it should be done outside of the branches collar and not where it’s too close to the trunk. When it’s done on the collar, this will minimize any decay from getting into the trunk. Early fall and late summer pruning is a big no no, as this may promote new grow which won’t have enough time to harden before the cold rolls in.
Evergreens bring year round beauty and enjoyment to the landscape of your property. It’s of crucial importance to know how to properly maintain and care for your evergreen trees and shrubs so that you get the most out of them. Sometimes it isn’t a bad idea to hire a professional to do the maintenance for you either.
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