Stay Safe while removing old trees

Your tree can get to the point where you can’t keep it any more and have to say good bye to it. Of course the decision of cutting off your own tree can be really difficult but sometimes you have no other option left. If your tree gets too close to the house, or it gets fatal plague of some pest or gets too much diseased than you have to get rid of such tree either happily or un-happily. Tell your heart that you are doing no good with your hand grown tree if you are allowing it to suffer in such worst conditions.

Planning the removal once you have decided to remove it is very important. I am unable to count that how many windows I have seen broken or cars I have seen crushed just because the concerned guys haven’t planned the removal effectively. One should decide well that in which direction they want tree to fall. Another important thing in planning is the measurement of tree so that one should make sure that it falls clear of any thing else.

Next step after planning is to mount up the tree and fasten two long ropes near the top. Don’t anchor them in the direction in which you want the tree to fall towards but in the opposite direction. This will help you in adjusting the direction in which the tree is going to fall. This Of course can keep tree from leaning in any dangerous direction.

Now its time to start chopping!!!

You are not sensible if you are thinking that you can chop the tree with manually operated axe. A manually operated saw can take your years to cut off a tree, so you better use a chain saw. Quit the plan of cutting tree if you don’t have chain saw and of course you can borrow it from your neighbor or any one easily. You can rent or buy one from home improvement store if no one around has it. But that is MUST!

Take care of your eyes while chopping as any wood chip can easily hit your eye. Use proper eye and face protection for that. One of my friends blinded his right eye while chopping the tree. I hope my readers will learn from this huge mistake. Power tools can be dangerous for your exposed body parts so be sure to protect yourself completely before using them.

Never cut straight lines into the tree.

Always cut side ways “V ” into the tree because it has some special significance. This is because if you cut the straight line, the tree will end up rolling to one side or the other. Cutting the tree in V will help it to fall in same direction you want. The tree can lean few feets in wrong direction while falling because of human imperfections but that’s where those ropes come which you have tied to top of tree. Use your friends and strongly pull the ropes to line it back up with desired path. You can easily complete this whole process is not more than an hour.

Stump of the tree is hardest part to remove. You can make use of your options here; rent out a stump chipper that will entirely wipe out the visible section of the stump. If you do not want to do this then I am afraid you have to spend several hours digging it out. You can make use of your kids here because kids normally don’t feel offensive when they are assigned digging tasks because they do this with their friends all day long. This is my tried and tested method. I asked my kids to do digging and I had the full stump out in under a week. My stump was not more than 1 foot in diameter and if your tree has stump bigger than that then you may have to think for an alternative!!

Prune your tree today for its better tomorrow

You will be well familiar with the term ‘Pruning’ if you are new in tree growing world. It’s a very common term which is used mostly by veteran growers. My case was bit different because I was not familiar with this term even after several years of my entrance in tree growing world. It was not like I had not heard about ‘Pruning’, I heard about it lot but never asked someone what pruning actually means. I don’t know why I always felt very uncomfortable asking any one about this term. Now I think if I had asked about it earlier, it would have benefited my initial tree growing experience a lot. I was bit prideful to ask and that pride was the reason of my many great endeavors. Now I think I could have saved many disasters of my initial tree growing experience if I had just once asked someone about pruning.

Pruning, this term actually means cutting off un-needed and dead branches to ensure growth of flowers. If you don’t remove un-needed branches it will create a lot of un-balancing of energy between dead and alive tree branches. May be tree starts giving more energy to dead branch as compared to the branch which is bearing more fruit and desperately needs lot of energy. Moreover, pruning helps in keeping the tree in beautiful shape. All branches remain even and tree does not weighed down on one side. Remember, if you don’t prune the tree properly it can cause the tree to crook on one side forever!

Start pruning today:

If you are thinking that you will prune your tree after it will start giving fruits then you are wrong and making a big mistake. Your tree needs your attention all over the year no matter whether its fruit time or not. Always keep your tree even and uniform by doing proper pruning. If you do proper care and pruning of your fruit tree before it starts to give fruits, you will see the results will be immensely awesome. A man walking in the street can easily tell whether the tree has been pruned frequently or not by just looking at it once!

Always first look for those branches which are not alive any more or diseased. Of course it is not difficult to recognize which branches are not healthy. Such branches will not have any fruits and will be discolored or de-structured. Just chop off such branches as they are doing no good to your tree. Sometimes the dead or diseased branch does not look obvious but it will be obvious after some days when whole tree will be giving flowers except those branches.

What more you have to look for:

Also chop off the branch that is too close to other branches. If the end of the branch is right next to other branches, it can be dangerous for your tree as it can end up crowding each other out. In such case remove the smaller branch and let the longer branch grow openly. Do same if there is weigh balance problem with your tree. It is very natural that tree sometimes starts growing more branches on one side and become crooked in no time.

That’s all about the basic knowledge of pruning. These two are only the basic types of branches which should be pruned. If your tree is very old the branches which require pruning can be many. For the first 3 years of a tree’s expansion it requires pruning that follows more “formative” guidelines. Once your tree is well established you will need to use “regulatory” pruning to see it in the shape you like. You can make use of lots of pruning guides available in the library. Just pay a visit to your local library and you can pick any type of pruning book you want.

Different fruit tree diseases and their prevention

If you guys have any experience of growing plums, cherries, peaches or any other rough fruit tree like that, you would have a clear idea that such fruit trees are exposed to diseases more than any other type. No doubt that the fruit of such trees are extra-ordinarily delicious but the hard fact is that it is so difficult to maintain such fruit tree healthy and diseases free. Thus, it can be a challenging task for any one to grow these fruit tress.

Deadly Brown Rot:

“Brown Rot” is the disease that is most common. In this disease, the leftover fruits catch fungus after the harvest season is over. This not only distorts the beauty of your fruit tree but it can also affect the newer fruits. So if this disease dominates your tree you become unable to eat any fruit of the tree unless you enjoy eating fungus. Proper air circulation is the thing that can help remedy this problem and of course frequent pruning is the only thing that can ensure good air circulation. Brown rot is caused because of moisture collection in the tree. Remember; don’t leave any fruit on the tree and the ground at the end of picking season.

Another worst disease:

Cytospora canker is another disgusting fruit tree problem that affects the branches. In this disease, sticky gum pops out of the bark with lot of callus. Some specific pathogens which enter the tree through old wounds results in this disease. The best solution to avoid this problem is to prune all the sprouts that occur at end of summers. Don’t ever try to heal the wounds using the dressings bought from gardening stores. Just let them heal naturally! The artificial healing only makes your tree look un-natural nothing else.

Not over yet! Black Knot

A very common disease in plum trees is Black Knot. It is actually those rough growths or tumors that are visible on branches of the tree. Just cut the effective branch immediately and never ever use that branch for mulching purposes. This disease can again affect the tree in no time if it is within a specific remoteness.

Cheery leaf spot, a cherry disease:

“Cheery leaf spot” is a common disease of the cherry tree. This disease takes birth in the old dead leaves that are gathered on the ground. So the remedy to disease is simple. Keep clearing the area under your tree frequently and just don’t let old dead leaves to be accumulated. Well, if you are a bit late and you can see the signs of this disease then you have to destroy all the raked leaves before any thing worse takes place. You can use these dead leaves as mulch also.

Don’t take time more than 2 weeks to pick up all the ripen fruits. Check your tree daily for the ripe fruits and pick up those also which have fallen of the tree. Pick up those also which are rotting on the tree or have just started rotting. This will keep away the bees and wasps from your tree.

So if you are fond of growing fruit tree then prepare your self to face different kinds of worries and diseases. But as we all know taking precautions helps a lot and same is the case here. You can avoid many fruit tree diseases by taking necessary precautions. There may be some diseases that have hit your specific area so watch out for them also. You can avoid them by taking necessary measures and steps.

How to plant a tree?

If you have decided the tree you want to plant and the right spot for that tree, you are ready to plant it. Special care must be taken while taking the plant from nursery to home. Try to place the tree in the standing position if it is in a pot so that it reaches home safely. Now when the tree reaches your home safe and sound, the process of planting it begins.

First of all, have a look at the bundle of roots of your plant. This will help you understand the width and depth of the hole. Dig a hole twice as wide as the bundle of roots and a little more deep than that. More space in the hole is left to add extra soil at the end. Well taking it positively, the extra space in hole is left to put back the soil which you dug out as you will find that extra soil useless at the end.

Smooth the hole with a layer of fertilizer or any compost after you are done with digging the hole. Now you are going to put the tree in the hole carefully. Do not forget to spread out the roots evenly as it will help fruit tree to be strong and steady. Now fill the extra soil in the hole without leaving any space. Use all the extra soil to fill the hole, even if the hole is already filled. It is better to fill the hole even higher to the ground level than leaving dirt on the floor. This is because the level will be surfaced later when you water your tree.

You are going to dense the soil now but before that check if the tree is vertical or not. Remember if the tree is not vertical, it may eventually fall down. If you feel that the stem of the tree is not completely straight, tie it by stakes with the help of rope so that it may not bend later. But also make certain that you do not tie the stem tightly as it may affect the tree’s growth. This will help the stem to be straight in few weeks. Once it is sturdy and able to bear any weather, you can remove the stakes.

Now mulching must be done around the bottom of the tree. Protection of your tree is another big task especially if you live near some forest. Put a fence around your tree to save it from animals. Your fruit tree will start to give fruits in 3 to 4 years. Sometimes the fruit tree gives that much fruit to bend down the stems with heavy weight. To avoid such situation, you must pick out some fruit after some time to lighten the burden. If the burden of the fruits is more than a stem can carry, it will break down.

Your fruit tree might not bear sufficient fruit some year, but this is normal. Trees are known to take some holidays when they love to produce no or very less fruit. Fruit trees might also be attacked by pests but this is controllable. Move away any dead leaves or any decaying material from the tree otherwise they will attract pests to them and to the tree finally.

Pruning your fruit tree in winter and spring is another major step to keep your tree healthy. If it is hot and dry, water the tree twice every week. Do not hit your tree with a lawn mower or weed eater not even by accident as this will damage the tree’s growth badly. The accurate amount of water and sunlight is the key to get a healthy fruit tree.

Be sure which orange tree suits your area

The options of growing fruit trees expand immensely, if you live in places like Florida or California because fruit trees survive perfectly in such hot and humid sub-tropical zone. In fact, if you properly watch out for pests you can grow almost any type of fruit tree. Take all the necessary measures to prevent pests from taking over your beloved tree. Orange tree can be a great option to start with because they are very easy to maintain also because the fruit is very delicious. No fruit can compare orange fruit in its sweetness, juiciness and unique flavor.

Too much height:

A very important thing to consider while planning growing orange tree is its height. Remember, an orange tree can grow 50 feet in heights towards its later years. So always plant the little tree in an open area so that it always will have lot or room to expand in any way. I did not know that orange tree expands so much, so I made a very crucial mistake. I planted it in a very congested place and after few years I had to renovate my yard extremely. Readers will not believe, I took out a complete shed in order to provide room to my tree which it needed desperately. So proceed with caution right from the start.

Always plant the orange tree in fine sand with great drainage. Moreover, always keep the soil very deep because orange tree reaches un-imaginable size and thus it requires strong support from down below. Its roots develop extensively and if you have got shallow and easily saturated soil then modify it or skip this plan and move to another tree.

Let us expand on few great orange types:

• “Washington Navel” is the most famous orange type and it is actually a wonderful result of mutation of other oranges. It originated in Brazil around 1820, and had moved on to Florida within fifteen years. It is widely available genre of oranges world-wide. The major characteristic of this type is its intense flavor not the juiciness. You may get other types with lots of juice but you can’t find any other type better than this in flavor. They don’t need too much water and thus most easily maintainable.

• “Trovita” is another great citruses type invented in the early 1900s at a lab in California. So, of course it’s a result of mutation too. Its flavor is not very intense and it has a lot more seeds than Washington Navel. However, it was designed to be more compliant to harsher, hot and dry environments that would not be acceptable for other types of orange. There are many other types now a days in Florida which are mutations of Trovita.

• The most popular orange type in South Africa and the southern USA states is “Valencia”. The Valencia is intensely flavored and full of juice. Valencia oranges completely dominated the orange market almost 20 years ago because of its popularity. It was invented in china and has very less seeds, may be not more than one or two. Another subgroup of Valencia oranges is the “Rhode Red Valencia” oranges and they were invented at labs in 1960s.The tree of Rhode Red Valencia is extremely hardy and long and the fruit it gives are more juicy and less acidic than the standard Valencia oranges.

It can be easily concluded that an orange tree are great things to get planted. The input it requires is too little while the output it gives is fairly large. Its your turn to plant an orange tree just don’t hesitate and pick the variety that attracts you most and then give it a go. But be sure the type you are choosing is compatible with your area otherwise you will be just wasting your time on nothing. Spend your money and time on the right thing !! Bundle of wishes…….

What is the Ideal Place for your fruit tree?

Deciding the precise place for your tree before planting is an imperative task. The most important thing to consider is its surroundings. There might be any thing which will come on its way while it is growing. It can be a building, path way or an electric line if it grows too tall.

This article lists the things that must be considered before planting a tree so that the chances of propagation of a fruit tree without any disturbance remain maximum. For that reason, you must always do some homework to know the species of that fruit tree before growing it. You must be aware how long and wide it will end up eventually. There are three sizes of a fruit tree: dwarf, semi dwarf and standard. Dwarf trees require an eight-foot diameter to grow. Semi-dwarf trees grow up to fifteen feet wide and standard trees can grow up to thirty feet wide. Pruning the fruit tree once a year is necessary to keep its growth as it should be.

Sunlight is necessary:

Sunlight plays major role in the growth of a fruit tree but make sure that your tree is getting the correct amount of sun light. Remember right amount of the sunlight is very crucial for the survival of your fruit tree. Do not place your tree where it is getting too much sunlight every time of the day. Also do not plant it where the sun light is being blocked by other things. Both are equally dangerous for a fruit tree.

Plan well the place of your tree:

Another thing that you must consider is whether the place you have chosen for your tree is easy for watering, pruning and harvesting? Suppose if the tree is much closer to the fence of your home, it might throw fruits and leaves in your neighbor’s yard to offend them. Watering tree is another issue. If you have got the sprinkler system, either place the tree where the sprinkler could reach or where your hose might access it.

Soil should be compatible:

Suitable soil is no doubt an essential to get a good fruit tree. Your soil might be excellent but the important thing is if it suits your tree or not. You need to think about many things like the nutrients in your soil, the soil’s texture, enough moisture and proper drainage system. If the drainage system is not there, it might drown your tree. If your soil doesn't own above mentioned qualities then the chances for your tree to grow well and produce good fruit are very thin. If you want to check all these qualities of your soil, just take a little portion of it to the lab. They will take some money and give you result in just a few days. Do not worry if the result is bad. To add nutrients in your soil, just fetch some fertilizers from your local nursery. Show them result and they will give you the correct fertilizer to kill any deficiency in your soil.

Give it a go then:

If you have gone through all above listed steps, you are ready to go and get a fruit tree for you. While buying a tree, keep in mind the place you have already chosen for the tree. Make sure you are not one of those, who will end up removing the adult tree just because they did poor or no planning.

First tree experience is not always good!

No one is perfect in any thing and the only thing that makes some one perfect is experience and practice. Same is the case when you talk about growing a tree as there are so many mistakes people do during there first tree growing experience, which haunt them for years and I am of course one of them. I bet if there was an award for being the most immature person to ever attempt growing a tree, I would win!

I always envisioned so many ideas for a perfect place in my lawn which is least traveled area and that is a gap between my house and my fence of about 5 feet. Once I decided to provide a beautiful shade in that area so that my family could use it as a little picnic paradise........!

Finally I decided to start this little paradise with a nice apple tree. Of course there was a great risk involved of apples falling on our heads but still I carried on my plan. The romantic and poignant vision of sitting under the shade of apple tree attracted me a lot and I drove my self to nursery. I had no idea then about the healthy trees signs and I just spent the required amount of money and had the tree delivered right to my house.

I was so excited that I dig the hole right after the tree was delivered. I relaxed after finishing the job of planting the tree. I estimated that I could easily dig a hole in not more than one or two hours but I was wrong. Once you start digging the hole it progresses so slowly than you had expected. That process was so hectic that by the time I actually got the hole big enough to fit the ball of roots, I undoubtedly didn’t feel like digging another few feet around the perimeter as most tree planting guides propose. I was not able to lift the tree across the yard alone so I called my neighbor and with his help I succeeded in dropping the tree in that hole. Time of filling in the hole started then…!

I was so happy at my efforts and admired my self for long while looking at the perfectly planted tree. I was patting my back with full happiness when my 3 year old daughter came and said something that crushed my spirits. I still can’t forget the way she said “Daddy, that tree stands up like grandpa!” My father was a great man and most of you would be wondering why this statement of my daughter disappointed me. The reason is that my father’s back has been deteriorating lately and he is unable to stand up vertically straight. I shook my head and noticed closely the tree I had just planted and found out that my daughter comment was very much right.

Anyways, I did not care about that problem a lot and thought that tree would naturally outgrow its posture problem. I checked the tree every day to determine whether it had improved its posture or not but that never happened and my spirits kept on dropping. I was so badly disturbed that I started ignoring the tree. Of course, I could not remove the tree from my yard so I did what I thought was best, I started pushing it out of mind. I was so embarrassed on my efforts that I decided that I would pack up my luggage and flee the state if any problem ever came about from leaving the tree there.

Three years went by and I completely kept on ignoring that an apple tree ever existed in my garden when one day I heard a loud crash. I rushed out to see the problem and what I saw was un-imaginable. My tree had grown to such an un-manageable size that that it had taken out my gutter and part of my neighbor’s enclosure. That was of course unbearable and immensely embarrassing so I did exactly what I thought. Yes! I moved out of the state within few days.

Ensure the survival of your young fruit tree

Image via Wikipedia

Some people think that keeping a fruit tree healthy is very strenuous and time-consuming job but if you want to get healthy fruits from it you have to properly maintain your tree. One can maintain a complete list of vital things he or she needs to do in order to make sure the plant is growing healthy.

First off, never harvest all of the fruit on the tree at once and secondly, pests should be kept away from the tree. Moreover, there should be a proper check on the soil. A young plant catches the diseases very easily so make sure that you do proper care when it is in early stages of its life. Let’s talk about these all advices in detail.

• Never harvest all of the fruit at same time: If you are planning that you will harvest all the fruits at the same time when they will be ripen up, you are doing no good to your tree. The combined un-bearable weight of all the fully grown fruits can snap the branches. So remember, collect some of the fruits before they are ready to harvest so that the branches of your tree stay safe.

• Plant your tree in fertile soil: Your fruit plant needs nutrients and the only source of nutrients a tree has the “Soil”. So make sure that the soil in which you are planting your fruit tree is full of those nutrients which it needs. Remember, planting the right tree in right kind of soil is a key to healthy growth of your tree. Make sure you won’t plant a fruit tree which likes damp soil in a dry soil and of course also not the other way round. Do a good research on the type of nutrients which your plant needs and then modify your soil accordingly before planting.

• Watch out for pests: Have a proper look on places around your tree where pests could be hiding. Old piles of brush, old leaves, weeds and any place where any kind of matter is decaying is normally the house of pests. Use repellents and bug sprays to clear off the places around your tree. Some harmful pests may be hiding under the soil, completely out of your sight. So, change the upper level of your soil after few weeks in order to maintain a healthy fruit tree.

• Plant your tree correctly: Make sure your tree is perfectly vertical when you plant it, otherwise it would grow very abnormally in the later stages of its life. A healthy tree is always stable and you can ensure the stability of tree by spreading its roots properly while planting it. There will be a sharp increase in life of tree as a result of spreading out of roots because it ensures maximum intake of underground water.

• Do better care of tree when it is young: A young tree is not so stable and powerful and strong winds can shake its base easily. So one should tie it to stake so that it can survive fierce winds. And don’t tie it very hard as it will stop the tree trunk to grow openly. A young tree should also be fenced properly so that if there are any animals around, they can not eat its newly grown barks.

If you properly follow all these advices you will have a joyful experience of growing a healthy and full of fruits tree. Just try to learn from the mistakes of others so that you won’t do the same mistake! Final words, always keep on doing research about your tree at different stages of its life so that you keep getting on knowing what it exactly needs at that specific time……Happy Gardening!!!

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