Planting trees is a hobby for some and an urgent necessity for others. With global warming becoming more and more problematic as the years go by, many of us have been incentivized to grow a few trees to help aid in the fight.
However, what many people don’t realize is that some of the things they’re doing to take care of trees might end up being harmful to them! Some things are fairly obvious, and others you may have been doing ever since started thinking that it was beneficial.
Before you start unknowingly killing off your trees, read over this list of eight things that you may be doing that can harm your leafy friends!
Mulching Too Near
Mulch is crucial to have in your garden if you want to drive off weeds and absorb excess moisture that may negatively affect your plants. However, putting mulch too close to your tree’s trunk can suffocate it because it covers the root flare.
Try keeping the mulch around a food away from your tree or 6 inches away if it’s a young sapling. That way, it doesn’t inhibit the tree from gaining moisture and nutrients from the soil around it!
Filling Trees With Concrete
It might sound dumb at first, but a lot of people still actually do this. Filling a tree with concrete to help with its structural integrity during times with strong winds doesn’t help the tree in any way.
If the tree’s cavities are damaged, it will heal on its own, and you don’t need to damage it even further by pouring comment in it!
Over Planting Trees
A lot of people say that the more trees you have, the better. We’re already short on trees, so we should do our best to plant even more so that we can cover up the hole that we left on our ozone layer. However, planting too many trees in one location can be counterproductive!
They will be fighting for water and food, and some might even get covered up and lose out on a lot of sunlight. Take into account how large a tree is going to grow and space it strategically to avoid this from happening.
Salting Near Trees In Winter
In a lot of cities, salting during winter is a norm that everyone follows to keep their roads clear. However, salting near a tree can prove to be fatal. Salt in the soil doesn’t encourage life and will kill off your tree and any other plants nearby.
The Use Of Pesticides & Weedicides
Using pesticides and weedicides may remove pesky bugs and weeds away from your garden and your tree, but these have the potential to harm your tree. Use mulch instead and natural pest repellants to get rid of weeds and bugs so that you don’t end up damaging your tree.
Improper Pruning
If you’re inexperienced and don’t know how you should approach pruning your tree, don’t do it! Make sure to ask your local arborist or do extensive research on the internet. Know what tools you should use and which parts you should prune. This is crucial for the plant’s survival, and you can potentially kill it if it goes wrong.
Tying Dogs To The Tree
This may seem obscure at first, but tying a dog to your tree can actually be quite harmful. Dogs can tug against the tree and damage the bark. When the bark is exposed, it becomes more susceptible to diseases and insects.
Do yourself a favor and look for a different spot to tie down your dog, unless you want to end up with a deceased or infested tree on your lawn.
Hanging Bird Feeders With Nails &/Or Screws
You may have thought about adding a bird feeder to your tree once before. Do yourself a favor and get a bird feeder that doesn’t require you to attach it using nails or screws. Better yet, get a bird feeder that doesn’t need to be connected to a tree in the first place!
Penetrating the bark of the tree can put it at risk of infestation or diseases. Not to mention the fact that the tree will eventually grow around the nail, which makes cutting it down incredibly dangerous at a later date!
