Secondly, you may have wanted to see some more pictures of that tree from Kosiusko that had been struck by lightning.  You can check out the article about lightning protection that we just posted.

Though Site Impacts and Nutrition quality/defects are linked, we’re discussing them separately because our experience shows that tree fertilization is either ignored or overdone.  Both have consequences that produce negatives in a tree… and these negatives result in corrective pruning.
In urban and suburban landscapes, infertile soils and plant densities create stresses.  Add irrigation to the mix, and many landscape are nutrient deficient.  Many times, tree owners recognize the problem of deficient soils and attempt to create a solution without knowing proper fertilization methods. 
Often, homeowners or site managers practice direct “hand full of fertilizer” methodology… without thought to dosage or composition. This can cause more harm the benefit: Excessive nitrogen, for example, will stimulate long leggy growth; toxic amounts will kill leaves, twigs and often whole sections of plants.  Whether too much fertilizer or too little, the responses of the trees will demand corrective pruning.
Woody plants (like trees) grow best in a slow release, year-long nutrient exposure.  This will insure that your trees grow as intended.  Pruning will then be needed only to remove natural deadwood, crossing or interfering branches, or to free up window views or walkways.  
So – Long story short: proper fertilization not only keeps your trees healthy, it promotes proper growth which reduces pruning costs!  Spring is the perfect time to create a tree-care plan, so give us a call and we’ll make sure you’re making a better future for YOUR trees!

Trees require pruning for a variety of reasons.  In most yards, the primary directive for pruning is space or location, although homeowners and site managers also prune for aesthetic purposes.  Talk to an arborist as you’re making your decisions to plant ANY tree to insure that you have the right plant in the right location, and to establish a plan to help you maintain your vision.

Multi-stemmed and low-crotched trees, too, always widen as they grow.  Birch, Hawthorns, Crabapples and Magnolias are several common landscape trees where corrective pruning will be required if planted too close to structures and passageways.

Top pruning is required when trees grow upon to wires, rooflines or block views.

Shade density is often a characteristic where corrective pruning is sought; however, this seldom can be done to the satisfaction of situation and without harm to the tree’s future.  Concurrently, topping trees can never be justified.  It is not corrective pruning; it is “tree butchery”, with only negative consequences to follow.

Fighting genetic shape and density in trees is possible with trained and knowledgeable hands, but far too often, well meaning but unskilled pruners make matters worse and shorten the life of the tree.  Therefore, contacting a skilled arborist is necessary to protect your trees and your living spaces.

I asked Jeff what his definition of the differences are, and his answer was considerably shorter!

In short, Arborists have more training and are more rigorously tested.  They are assessed regularly and are required to maintain their certification with ongoing training.  Choosing an Arborist means you're getting better quality service!
Here at TreeMasters, our resident Tree Doctor, Jeff, is a registered consulting Arborist!  When you work with TreeMasters, you know that you're getting the best advice and the best tree-care.  We're making a better future for YOUR trees!

A few thoughts from Jeff for today:

The other day, one of our employees noticed that some of the trees in the area are in full flower while others are still completely dormant.  Have you noticed this, too?  We thought we'd explain some of the reasons behind this phenomenon.

What we are experiencing with this uneven blooming is primarily caused by the early spring.  While some plants respond to temperature, others do not.  The three main directors of tree response are:​

One thing of note:  Even though the air and soil temperatures are extremely warm for this time of year, it would be foolish to forget to consider the last frost date.  In our area, we'll still be in danger of hard frosts until May 12th.  Don't look outside, think warm and plant your tomatoes quite yet.  They would be destroyed by a frost.  Two years ago, we had a very warm March but an unexpectedly cold April.  We could still experience winter weather this year!  Protect your seedlings inside for a few more weeks.​

As far as the flowers on your fruit trees, if the frost destroys the flowers AFTER they have been pollinated, no real harm will have been done, because the frost won't harm the fruit much.  However, IF the frost comes before the bees reach your trees, the flowers will be destroyed and that will mean less fruit this year.  Encourage your bees!

How do you get a tree to play its song?  If you're Bartholomäus Traubeck, you custom-build a record player that is able to play a cross-section of a tree trunk.  This player interprets and translates the rings of the tree into a hauntingly beautiful piece of music... different for each section that is placed in the player.  You can listen in and view the video below.