Are you worried about the heat taking its toll on your trees, lawn, and shrubs? Let us help you take all the necessary steps to ensure a healthy yard.

Whatever size tree you select, all but the smallest ornamental trees will cast some shade. Carefully consider just how much shade will be created and where the shade will fall through the day and through the seasons. The changing position of the sun throughout the year will cause the shade to fall dramatically different in each season. You may want certain windows shaded from the hot summer sun, but will precious winter sunshine also be lost? Generally when trying to block summer heat, aim to shade from the later afternoon sun. The summer sun is generally quite high overhead, so midday the shade will primarily fall “down“ around the tree rather than shading your house. Positioned slightly toward the west, the hottest late day sun will be blocked. The later day sun is also beginning to fall in the sky, casting a much longer shadow as it falls. The winter sun is positioned much lower in the southern sky (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere), so if your tree is not directly in front of the windows, you should still receive midday sun. And don’t forget, when the tree grows up, it will shade planting areas also! A nearby shrub that requires full sun will do fine for a while, but eventually may not thrive in the shade of your tree.

And finally, what feeling do you want to create with your trees? Trees can create a lot of character for your property. Do you want bright foliage or dark green? Dense shade and privacy or light and airy open foliage? Fine fluttering leaves? Spring blooms? Autumn berries or seeds? Rich autumn color? Interesting bark? Each tree you plant can provide new interest to your home, from small accent trees to towering shade trees.

Kennewick can have some pretty high temperatures during the summer. Let Top Tree LLC show you how to keep your trees healthy during the hot summer months.

Are you worried about the heat taking its toll on your trees, lawn, and shrubs? Let us help you take all the necessary steps to ensure a healthy yard.

Before selecting trees, evaluate your landscape and gardens. Do you need shade or privacy? Are you trying to add interest or fill a barren spot? Or do you just have a favorite tree you want included in your landscape?

Then consider the variety of forms available in trees to determine which can best serve your purpose, as well as the vast differences in mature size that is available. A large tree that spreads wide provides a large expanse of shade. A smaller tree that spreads into a “flattened” oval is a wonderful focal point. A row of low growing trees can provide privacy screening or shelter from wind.

The size of the tree you select is one of your most important considerations. Always make sure you give a large tree plenty of room. It is always hard to imagine a young tree growing to 80 feet tall. And don’t forget that large roots, as well as the branches, spread very wide. If your tree reaches 40 feet wide when full grown, plant it more than 20 feet from your home. You will avoid expensive tree trimming to remove high branches interfering with your home, dropping leaves into your gutters, and the large roots will have plenty of room to spread and keep the tree healthy without threatening the foundation of your home.

Pasco can have some pretty high temperatures during the summer. Let Top Tree LLC show you how to keep your trees healthy during the hot summer months.

Are you worried about the heat taking its toll on your trees, lawn, and shrubs? Let us help you take all the necessary steps to ensure a healthy yard.

When extreme heat and or drought sets in, make sure your bushes, ornamental trees, shade trees and evergreens get a deep soaking. Through extended periods of drought, they should be soaked weekly. Large shade trees require a tremendous amount of water to keep a large leaf canopy alive, so they will be drawing every bit of water from the soil in a very large surrounding area. This will very quickly deplete the soil of water normally shared by surrounding plants and turf. To deep soak trees and shrubs, place a hose near the base of the trunk and run at a slow trickle for several hours. A gushing hose will put more water in the soil very quickly, but it will usually run off or spread rather than soak deep to reach where the major tree roots are.

Large evergreens are very susceptible to stress during drought and extreme heat. Although their needles do not require quite as much water as leafy deciduous canopies, they typically have very shallow roots. Since the top few inches of soil will dry out very quickly, most of their roots have no access to water. The evergreen will eventually start dropping needles to survive. Many evergreens will be unable to regenerate needles even after drought recovery and you will be left with some bare limbs that will need to be removed. If the evergreen is young enough you may be able to allow tip growth to “cover” the bare limbs, but a mature evergreen never seems to generate enough new growth to cover the bare limbs. Evergreens can be soaked in a wide surrounding area with a stationary or fixed sprinkler (not oscillating or pulsating) that sends out a small fan or fountain of water. These will soak a wider area than a trickling hose for the shallower evergreen roots. Move the sprinkler around the evergreen to soak the entire root area, allowing it to run up to an hour in each position.

Richland can have some pretty high temperatures during the summer. Let Top Tree LLC show you how to keep your trees healthy during the hot summer months.