Like all organisms, trees can develop illnesses and afflictions that inhibit their ability to thrive. While it’s best to hire a professional tree care service for effective sick tree treatments, property owners must know which signs to look for in their plants. Tree care best practices also foster healthy growth.
Georgia Tree Company proudly offers diverse tree care services, including risk assessments. See what our expert tree service in Milton, GA, says about caring for unhealthy trees below.
Factors That Make Trees Sick
Trees can get sick in multiple ways, such as:
- Viruses
- Bacteria
- Fungi
- Insect infestations
- Physical damage
People can also directly and indirectly harm trees. Poor tree care and improper trimming often lead to the need for treatment for sick trees.
How To Know If a Tree Has a Disease
How do you know if a tree has a disease? Luckily, trees usually display physical symptoms of a disease or condition. When inspecting the trees in your yard, look for discolored or wilting leaves not caused by weather or seasonal changes. Dead branches, foliage loss, and visible damage to the tree’s bark or roots also indicate potential illness.
Common Methods for Treating Sick Trees
You want to maintain your plants’ health after getting sick tree treatment from a professional tree care service. You can do so by following these tips.
Avoid Pesticides
If your tree has a pest infestation, you might consider applying a pesticide to solve the problem. However, these harsh chemicals can cause issues for treated trees and your property while they kill targeted insects.
Pesticides come in various levels of toxicity. The more toxic the treatment, the higher the risk of the chemicals harming your trees or leaching into the soil, damaging other plants. For the best results, have a skilled arborist treat the infested tree using appropriate methods to minimize risk.
Use Fertilizers Carefully Around Trees
Apply fertilizer to the soil to add beneficial nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus into the earth for plants to absorb. However, don’t apply fertilizer too close to a tree’s root zone, as it can force the plant to become dependent on the fertilizer’s nutrients. The chemicals in some fertilizers can also kill soil-based organisms that help trees thrive.
Prune Trees Correctly
Trees sometimes need pruning, but you must do it correctly. Pruning requires strategic cuts to remove dead, dying, diseased, or encroaching branches.
Late winter and early spring are the best seasons for tree pruning. Trimming trees during other times will make them susceptible to more damage.
Contact Our Experts for Quality Tree Health Restoration
If you notice signs of a sick tree in your yard in Milton, Georgia, don’t wait to contact Georgia Tree Company. As a licensed, insured, and certified tree service with years of experience, our professionals can provide the best sick tree treatments to help your plants heal and recover. Besides sick tree care, our crew also offers tree removal, trimming, and pruning services.
An expert tree analysis from our crew is best for reviving sick trees—call (404) 990-0010 for a free estimate with Georgia Tree Company.