“Tree-topping” is a four-letter word

Author: Fred Roybal; Published: Mar 28, 2011; Category: Tree Care; Tags: Trimming Trees; 2 Comments

Click on image to view larger image.

If you’ve ever seen a tree that has been topped you’ll know what I’m talking about. On my way home every day I cross the Rio Grande and the silhouettes of the Rio Grande Valley Cottonwoods against the beautiful setting sun is a sight to behold. The intricate branch structure is revealed in all it’s detailed glory. So when I see an urban tree that has been topped, it gives me spine shivers.

There are untrained tree workers that still believe that the topping of trees is acceptable or even good for trees. They see the flush of sucker growth as a sign of vitality. Little do they know how harmful it is from a biological and structural standpoint.

First, from a biological perspective, when a tree is topped it loses it’s ability to produce food and carry on respiration, similar to having your lungs cut out of your body. At that point the tree is in a race against the clock. It needs leaves to produce food through the process of photosynthesis to carry on life functions. The tree has to draw heavily on energy reserves to regrow the canopy, the leaf surface area. If those energy reserves are low due to insect infestations, drought, or repeated years of topping, the tree’s defenses are weakened against insect, disease, or drought, which could lead to death of the tree in severe cases.

Second, topping removes all the natural branches which have a very strong attachment. After a tree has been topped, all of the new growth are suckers. Suckers are produced as a survival strategy by the tree. Suckers are produced from dormant or latent buds and are superficially attached. It is because of this poor attachment we see many limb failures years after the topping was performed.

Decay and insects are another biological consequence. Making large cuts at indiscriminate locations on the branches or stems, where the tree does not have the ability to close off the wound, leads to decay. This is the point where the new “branches” suckers will be forming. It’s like building a sky scraper on swamp land. Sooner or later it’s going to fall. In most cases, we would classify a topped tree as hazardous! In some cases, depending on the species or severity of the topping, we can perform corrective pruning to try and restore the structural integrity of the tree, but rarely can we restore the natural beauty.

Trees can be a work of natural art to be enjoyed. Sometimes they need a little help from a professional arborist to correct a defect or clean out the deadwood. All pruning should be done to improve the health, and natural beauty of your trees so that they can be enjoyed for many years.

So get out and take a walk around your neighborhood in the evening, and take in the beauty of all the different trees beautifully silhouetted against New Mexico’s painted sunsets.

Tips for your spring yard cleanup from a professional cleaner-upper

Author: Victor Rodriguez; Published: Mar 16, 2011; Category: Landscape Maintenance; Tags: Landscape Maintenance, Spring, Trimming Trees, Yard Cleanup; No Comments

Spring is a busy time for planning and reinvigorating our landscapes. There are many aspects to this work that may demand more time and energy or experience than you have available to deal with effectively. Why not reduce your burden and enlist the help of an experienced landscape professional? All it takes is a phone call, and The Hilltop will have a crew at your place tidying up so you can enjoy your yard this spring and summer.

But if you are a die-hard do-it-yourselfer, here’s a little checklist of things that you may want to include in your spring chores.

Leaves and trash

Clean up all the leftover leaves and trash that have accumulated in the landscape over the winter. Cleaning up litter removes hiding places for bugs that can attack your plants later. Add the leaves and other organic debris to your compost pile.

Plants and tree trimming

Most trees and shrubs benefit from annual pruning. It keeps them in shape, gets rid of dead and diseased wood and encourages new growth. But not all trees and shrubs should be pruned early, especially some of the flowering ones. Pruning them early in the spring would mean losing some blossoms. But sometimes it’s easier to prune when you can see the shape of the plant, before the branches are covered by leaves. Trees and shrubs that are in need of a good shaping could sacrifice a few blooms to be invigorated by a spring pruning.

So generally prune flowering trees and shrubs after their spring bloom. If you’re not sure about pruning there are many resources on the web. You may need an expert tree trimmer to handle the bigger trees on your property.

Irrigation system check

If you have an irrigation system, do a thorough check up of the system. Check drip irrigation systems to ensure they are not clogged up. Check that all the valves are working properly as well as backflow prevention devices. Inspect lawn sprinklers for even coverage. This may be the time to add or move a sprinkler head to get rid of that annoying dry spot in your lawn.

Lawn care

After a long winter your lawn needs to be mowed, aerated and fertilized. It’s a good time to patch in or reseed bare spots.

Check the mulch

Walk around your yard and look for bare spots in the mulched beds. Add mulch to areas that are thin. If you have gravel mulch in your beds rake the beds to even out the gravel.

Till the Garden

Till up your garden and add compost or other organics. You can start many vegetables and flowers from seed at this time. Start making plans for your vegetable or flower garden.

Plan summer landscape projects

Spring is a great time to plan ahead for your big summertime projects. If you don’t want to do-it-yourself, you can arrange for a designer to come for an on-site visit and meet to discuss your garden’s problems, potential and what you would like it to be. Whether it’s starting from square one or rehabilitating existing plantings, a landscape professional will be able to recommend the best course of action.

Did I miss anything? What’s your favorite or worst springtime chore? Please comment below.

Winter is the best time for trimming trees, shearing shrubs

Author: Fred Roybal; Published: Jan 28, 2011; Category: Tree Care; Tags: Plants and Trees, Special Offer, Tree Care, Trimming Trees, Winter; One Comment

Winter is upon us, and the trees are sleeping. Time to get those trees trimmed, shrubs sheared, and your roses pruned.

It’s time to think about our trees and shrubbery. It is a great time to have the annual pruning done while they are dormant. Fruit trees especially benefit from proper pruning to protect branches from breaking and to increase the quality of fruit production. Trees that bear fruit at the branch ends, tip bearers, are particularly susceptible to breakage due to heavy loads imposed on the outer ends of the branches. Another benefit to regular pruning of your fruit trees is to keep the fruit within reach for ease of harvesting and reaping the “fruit” of your labor.

I love to take a cup of tea and my pruning shears on a Saturday morning and do my trimming—very therapeutic! I think I can even hear my favorite shrubs calling me to come over and give them a little attention. My Japanese Maple seems a little jealous of all the time I spend on the Wisteria even though I try to convince her that she is my favorite. But that unruly Wisteria needs so much more attention just to keep it from taking over the world! So I find that keeping the peace amongst all my trees and plants in my back yard requires some “cutting edge” plant psychology, a little tender loving care, and sometimes a machete!

If you are not sure of the proper pruning of your trees and shrubs, check back on our blog for more tips and “how-tos” in coming blog posts. I’ll be talking about where, why and how to make a pruning cut. Making the wrong cut can affect your tree for decades.

Or you can have your trees and shrubs trimmed by our tree care professionals, who work under my instruction (I’m an ISA certified arborist). Having your trees cared for by a professional on a regular basis has the added benefit of early diagnosis of disease and insect infestations. Early detection means easier control and minimizing the damage done to the trees. Give us a call for a free estimate, and do take advantage of our “10% off” special for work completed in January and February.