Understand the pruning needs of mature trees and the proper pruning techniques for their care. Pruning is the most common tree maintenance procedure. Although forest trees grow quite well with only nature’s pruning, landscape trees require a higher level of care to maintain their structural integrity and aesthetics. Pruning must be done with an understanding of tree biology. Improper pruning can create lasting damage or even shorten the tree’s life. Because each cut has the potential to change the growth of the tree, no branch should be removed without a reason. Common reasons for pruning are to remove dead branches, to improve form, and to reduce risk. Trees may also be pruned to increase light and air penetration to the inside of the tree’s crown or to the landscape below. In most cases, … [Read more...]
What to consider when planning a garden
Planning a garden for the NZ climate and weather conditions requires expert advice. Your very own garden is a very good addition to your home's property. We all love eating or dream about eating produce from our home grown garden :) And spending time planting flower beds, young trees and shrubs. I know my dream home was always the nice house with garden to spend my weekends outside in the sun.Important conditions to consider when planning a garden.Important condition number one is the type of soil and its composition - The most important condition to planning a garden is the composition of the garden soil. It's very important all the soil has plenty of nutrients and minerals. Speak with your local gardening expert or arborist. Important condition number two is the existing … [Read more...]
How to create a garden for the New Zealand habitat
How to create a garden requires expert advice and we have this blog post just for you :) Just like people, gardens can come in many forms. There are no hard and fast rules about how to create a garden. It can be your own canvas on which you can paint your own scene. The visual aspect of a garden however, only has one lens to view it through. What about other functions of a garden beside the aesthetic? How to create your garden could be so your garden becomes a home to a myriad of wildlife. Before we began digging up the bush and laying lawns, wildlife was spoilt for choice in where to roam. The situation they face today is somewhat different. Demands have been place on land that often leave the four legged and feathered amongst us homeless. This blog post will discuss how you can create … [Read more...]
Fungi friend or foe? Get Expert Arborist Advice and Help
Fungi friend or foe? Fungi (or mushrooms) can be mysterious things. Most peoples’ experience of fungi is limited to the 2 or 3 kinds that are most commonly eaten. It is estimated that there may be more than 3 million species of fungi, this outnumbers tree species by a factor of 5. It is an estimate because there is a constant stream of new species being discovered. Fungi were the first organism to make it onto land about 500 million years ago meaning that everything on land (including us) has fungi as a common ancestor. The vast majority of a fungus is contained beneath the ground or within whatever it is eating. The mushroom or conk that it produces is often only a small indication of what is actually there. There is evidence of a long historical use of fungi by humans for both food and … [Read more...]
Why we do not paint tree wounds
A question we asked from time to time at Tree Care Auckland is “will you be painting the wounds after pruning?” The purpose of this Blog post is to explain why we do not paint tree wounds and instead leave them open to the environment. In theory painting over a freshly cut wound on a tree seems like a good idea. There was no gap in the protective layer of the bark before pruning so surely reinstating a new one would help the tree. In reality painting over a tree wound can either have no effect at all or can actually increase the rate of decay and restrict the tree’s ability to callous over the wound itself. Our expert advice is do not paint tree wounds. Do not paint tree wounds after pruning trees Trees have been shedding and losing branches for as long as there have been trees, which, … [Read more...]
Go native planting NZ native trees
Planting NZ native trees is an important responsibility for all New Zealanders. It is not unusual to hear someone advocating the protection or planting of native trees, but why is this? Surely a tree is a tree and all trees will benefit the environment...Trees do benefit the atmosphere in terms of storing carbon and producing oxygen. They can impact the environment both positively and negatively in other ways. This blog post will discuss the role native plants play in enhancing the local environment and why it is important to protect them.Planting NZ native trees has a critical role in the NZ landscape and environment. Native plants have grown in balance with their local environment over a long period of time and as such are equipped to live with the local climate, soil types, … [Read more...]
Palm tree pruning and expert advice for your garden
Palm tree pruning can be tricky. Palm trees can be a good way of adding shape and texture to your garden. Palm trees can also add an exotic feel and look to your garden. And help create the illusion you are on a remote island holiday when you are still in your backyard. As with all plants in the urban environment, sometimes palms need pruning to help manage their natural processes. Left alone, the palm will happily “prune” itself, shedding its dead fronds when it needs to and losing the odd live frond to strong winds. This is not always great news for the garden owner who may have a pristine flower bed, glass house, or child beneath it. This blog post will discuss palm tree pruning options for palm trees to ensure your tree, and anything beneath it, is kept in its best condition. Palm … [Read more...]
How to trim hedges and how to plant hedges the right way
Read our Blog post about how to trim hedges and plant hedges. Hedges can provide many functions from defining the borders of a garden, to providing a backdrop for your feature plants. Or creating a windbreak, or helping to contain animals and livestock. A well-kept hedge can really add to the overall appeal of a garden. An out of control hedge on the other hand can dominate a garden, allowing little room for anything else and lead to an uninviting space to be in. This Blog post will offer some tips for anyone wishing to plant a hedge and also offer advice for how to keep it in its best condition.When deciding to plant a hedge it is important to consider what the function of the hedge will be. It may be that the hedge has more than one function so all of these need to be … [Read more...]
Creating edible gardens for yummy food to eat!
Creating edible gardens tips and advice - It's becoming harder and harder to know exactly where our food is coming from and the process it has endured along the way. Much of the fruit and vegetables we see in the supermarkets have come from overseas. It's also important to know most countries will have different regulations about the use of chemicals. Most foods have also traveled around the globe requiring vast amounts of energy to move it. One solution to these problems can be to grow your own food. Instead of your garden purely being there for visual appeal why not set it up to feed you too. This blog post contains links to sources of information for anyone interested in creating their own edible gardens. Creating edible gardens is easy and fun for all the family! Your edible garden … [Read more...]
How to grow vegetables in your backyard with FarmBot!
Have you ever wanted to grow veggies in your backyard? Well now there is a solution. Meet FarmBot. How to grow vegetables NZ the very easy way! Well now there is a solution. Meet FarmBot. FarmBot is an automated gardening system that grows your veggies for you. All you have to do is set it up and then FarmBot takes care of everything else. Before you know it, you can have fresh, locally grown, organic veggies on your doorstep with minimal effort. Set up is relatively straight forward. You buy a kit which has everything included. Set it up around your growing area and then sit back and watch. The robot automatically plants, waters, and harvest for you.So, why would you want to use it? How to grow vegetables NZ the very easy way! A massive amount of energy and resources go into to … [Read more...]
