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You’re familiar with tree services like pruning and trimming, but did you know trees sometimes need help to survive the cold?

Can trees really “freeze to death”?

Yes, but it’s uncommon, mostly because trees grow and thrive only in regions where they’ve evolved and adapted to the weather. That’s why you don’t see palm trees in Alaska!

Different species can handle various temperatures. Live oaks can survive in 20F. However, arborists and scientists don’t know all the specifics of how trees manage in extreme temperatures, because the cellular tolerance mechanics are highly complex. Variables like exact temperatures and the duration of freezing weather also play roles, as do the health and age of the tree.

An Evolutionary Matter

According to research in the Nature journal (2013), scientists honed in on three key traits that trees use to prevent freezing.

First, when trees drop their leaves in autumn, this stops the water flow from roots to leaves. Leaves are ultimately a water transportation system. Some trees boast thinner xylem cells, another part of the water transportation system, to put a stop to freezing.

Finally, some trees shrink back to the ground and re-sprout in spring. Seeds from these trees fare better in winter.

Your Best Tree Services for Winter

Trees are living organisms, and preventing their cells from freezing is a must. Plants and trees will create solutes (or sugars) to alter water’s freezing point and make proteins that reduce ice crystal formation. Both processes encourage cells to “supercool” well below freezing, all while preventing ice from forming. Nature scientists say that at around -40F, these attempts become fruitless, as trees get dehydrated and the water within them freezes.

Fortunately, -40F temperatures aren’t common in Utah. Homeowners can help their trees fare better in winter months by staying on top of routine tree services; keeping an eye out for damage, pests and infestations; and having an arborist examine trees in the autumn and spring.

Just like humans, unhealthy trees will have a much tougher time surviving stressors like freezing temperatures.

Getting your trees checked for pests, disease and general health can help ensure they fare well in cold weather. Ideally, checks are completed in autumn, but a winter check can help provide peace of mind.

As a homeowner, when selecting new trees and plants for your landscape, it’s best to choose native plants that have naturally evolved to thrive in your geographic location. Trees native to Utah include the Douglas fir, oaks, maples and junipers, so you have a big and beautiful selection to choose from.

Get more tips on helping trees survive the winter by calling Reliable Tree Care, your local Utah tree experts.

When decking the halls takes you outdoors, you need holiday lighting tips from the professionals.

Not only is stringing your own lights and holiday decorations dangerous (and often a literal slippery slope), it can also be expensive. Quality outdoor lights are expensive, especially considering they stay in a box in your attic for most of the year.

Why buy when you can borrow from local holiday lighting experts? Even better, let the professionals take care of the ladder-climbing and the frozen hands, while you sit back with a cup of hot chocolate and watch the holidays light up your yard.

If you do decide to string some holiday lights yourself, you must follow some key safety tips. First, ensure the ladder you use is wooden or fiberglass to help avoid electric shock. Also examine each string of lights closely before hanging. Look for tears, frayed wires and other red flags.

Never let bulbs touch branches, and keep them as far from the bark as possible and away from dry pine needles or leaves. All sockets should have bulbs, especially if they are within reach of children, since empty sockets are an electric shock hazard.

Safe Holiday Lighting

Avoid overloading outlets and extension cords, and ensure only three-wire grounded outlets are used for outdoor lighting.
Always keep lights and connections off the ground, unless you have a lit decoration that’s meant to be on grass. Only use outdoor lights outdoors and indoor lights indoors.

Finally, as tempting as it may be, it’s always best to turn off lights when you’re not home. Otherwise, you have a soaring electrical bill at best and a fire hazard at worst. One of two peak seasons for home fires is the winter holidays. Often, winter fires are caused by forgotten candles, poor-quality holiday lighting, and hot bulbs too close to dry foliage.

Light Up Your Holidays

Anyone who’s strung holiday lights before, especially outside, knows that the concept is a lot homier than the reality. Especially in regions like Utah where winter months can be brutal, many homeowners prefer to hire a professional to take care of this chore. It’s relatively affordable, and you’ll have stunning, safe decorations in just a few hours.

Start the season in style and safety, and rely on the pros for all your holiday lighting needs. Get a jump-start on your perfect outdoor wonderland before Thanksgiving comes. Call Reliable Tree Care and connect with a team of professionals who will make your holiday lighting dreams come true.

Does your tree need some insect control? Is it turning yellow because it’s autumn, or because it’s infested?

That’s the question researchers tackled in “Autumn tree colors as a handicap signal,” published in The Royal Society journal. Based at Oxford’s Department of Zoology, the scientists knew that sometimes leaves turn yellow as a defensive sign against infestations, as brighter colors dissuade insects from invading.

In autumn, how can we tell the difference between a tree’s SOS and its normal transition to cool-weather colors?

Previously, only two studies have remotely touched on this conundrum, and they were both fairly specific (one looked at only fruit trees). Just like you’d apply more tree insect control with a larger infestation, trees turn a brighter, more vibrant warning color more quickly with bigger pest attacks.

The team hypothesized that trees changing colors and offering more garish displays would encourage pests to seek out other trees with more pleasing colors.

Colors and Tree Insect Control

Some homeowners think that autumn marks the end of pests and the need for tree insect control, but it can be prime time for some insects, like aphids. Tree insect control in autumn can help safeguard your trees through the following spring, giving you a head start.

However, researchers are quick to point out that not all yellowing trees are infested, and it’s a common, healthy and natural response for many trees.

The researchers looked at over 260 species of trees and compared the degree of autumnal coloration to the degree with which they were infested with aphids. Aphids were chosen because they’re the major source of complaints when homeowners seek out tree insect control.

It’s easy to find trees with aphid infestations, plus they are one of the most well-documented pests during autumn months. As a “single weather host species,” aphids were also identified as the most likely pest to encourage autumnal coloration.

Red (and Yellow) Flags

Field guides were used to identify the trees, excluding hybrids and cultivated trees, to ensure purity. Scores were assigned to each tree based on their colors and aphid diversity, with variables like leaf size, climate, fruit/flower colors, etc.

Results showed that the degree of yellowing was directly related to how many autumnal aphids had infested the trees. Redness also appeared when infestations were particularly dense.

Summary points include the fact that autumn coloration is “expensive” for trees, and their last line of defense. It can also be used as a true cry for help that homeowners can address with tree insect control and the aid of tree services experts. Aphids are damaging, discriminating and largely depend on color to select their host.

If yellowing leaves make you suspect you need tree insect control, contact Reliable Tree Care today.

What does autumn tree insect control have to do with next spring?

A lot!

Preventive care is key, both for your body and your trees. It’s a lot faster, easier and more affordable to tackle tree insect control early rather than let the pests take over and then start trying to get rid of them.

Autumn is the time to take action, so start including some insect control strategies along with harvesting, pruning and prepping your trees for winter.

Systemic insecticides give your trees the protection they need to ward off insects for up to one year. Talk to your tree services professional to get the best insecticide for your trees and plants, including organic options.

Some of the most common pests — like caterpillars, borers, aphids and leaf miners — don’t stand a chance against an autumn-placed systemic insecticide, and applying it now can stop problems from cropping up next year.

Tree Insect Control with Systemic Insecticides

Systemic insecticides are applied to the soil, not the tree, and the roots really lap it up, strengthening your tree from the inside out. The treatment gets delivered to each twig and leaf.

This bottom-up approach also lets you quickly and safely safeguard even the tallest of trees. A spray for foliage can also work, but you’ll be paying a premium to have a licensed, bonded pro reach the tallest branches. You can spread systemic insecticides yourself, or hire a tree services pro for a fraction of the price for spraying.

Insects that eat treated trees (including the leaves or wood) become infected and die. It’s common to see insects on the tree, and in some cases there might even be light damage. Systemic insecticides don’t stop insects from being on the tree or being attracted to it. Instead, it simply kills them after they feed excessively, which dramatically reduces damage.

A Safe Approach

Giving your tree systemic insecticide is kind of like taking a vitamin. It protects the immune system well before danger appears, whether it’s a pest or a germ.
Plus, this type of insecticide isn’t releasing any type of harmful chemical into the air or onto the external parts of the tree. For those with compromised immune systems, people who have children or pets, or simply anyone who doesn’t want to ingest insecticides, it’s a fantastic option that really works.

Most insecticides will be fully distributed within two weeks of application and will last internally for a year. Even eggs that hatch in the spring will have a short feeding window before the poison does its trick.

Systemic insecticides are available in liquid or dry granule form, and are best applied when trees are actively growing, so act fast! Call Reliable Tree Care for more tips on tree insect control, and prepare your trees for next spring.

Fruit tree care is a must year-round, and autumn is a particularly fun time for this chore because of the harvest!

Many fall fruit trees, such as apples and pears, are ripe for the picking, and their bounty is begging to be put into your famous pies, tarts and gift baskets. Now is the time to properly store excess fruit for use throughout the winter, and also check your fruit trees’ health before the first frost. Proper fruit tree care includes adequate watering through the end of October, so trees go into winter well-moisturized.

Rake leaves regularly and pile them far away from trees to decrease the risk of leaf-borne diseases (or homes for pests). Trimming grass near trunks is also a good idea.

In most cases, avoid applying fertilizer after July, and never fertilize immature trees. Fertilizer encourages them to keep growing in the winter, leaving them unprotected from the weather. It also can hinder fruit bearing.

Basics of Fruit Tree Care

The best part of fruit tree care is the harvest, but be careful and follow best practices for each type of fruit.

For example, apples should come off the tree with their stems, but if the leaf spurs also come off, that’s a sign that they’re not quite ripe yet. Apples should come off easily when they’re ready.

Even small flaws in fruits can cause spoilage if stored, so set the “not quite perfect” fruit aside and eat or cook it immediately.

Pick fruit at its peak to avoid excess weight on the tree, rot and pests. Pick pears before they’re ripe and let them ripen indoors. The minute pear seeds start to brown (cut one open and see), pick them.

Apples should be picked when half the seeds are brown. Plums ripen quickly, and should be picked right before they’re at peak ripeness.

Tree Protection Tips

Fruit tree care includes protection. It’s easy to damage branch spurs (the small branches that hold the fruit) when picking by hand, so investing in a pole picker is a wise move.
Sunscald is an issue in colder climates like Utah, especially if it’s hot during the day but cold at night. Put a tree guard or tree wrap around the lower part of the trunk for extra safeguarding.

Keep an eye on the lowest part of the trunk for signs of rabbit or mouse damage, which is particularly common this time of year. If you notice any red flags, talk to your local arborist about the best pest control options (including humane ones).

Right now is the best time for preventive care. Don’t undertake major pruning until the spring, which can encourage your tree to grow in the winter. If you battled insects last spring, now is the time to put tanglefoot on the tree to ward off moths. Get more tips on fruit tree care by giving Reliable Tree Care a call!

September is busy for arborists, as shrub and tree services get prioritized in winter prepping.

Depending on where you live, necessary tree services and garden prep will vary, but in Utah, you can count on watering shrubs and trees less so they can harden before the first big freeze. If you planted annuals, it’s time to remove them and turn them into compost.

Unfortunately, the battle against slugs and weeds continues this month, so stay vigilant.

Autumn is one of the most enjoyable seasons for gardeners because it’s the season of shopping for trees, shrubs and other plants! Getting larger plants into the ground in September ensures solid root development and lets them settle before spring arrives.

If it’s a warm September, water newly planted trees and shrubs all the way up until the first frost.

When Less Is More for Tree Services

In addition to watering less, you’ll also want to stop fertilizing any flowering shrubs and trees in September. Again, this is to allow for hardening before the cold months.

For a lot of gardeners, it can be tough to back off after being so dutiful the past few months, but enjoy it. Shopping for next spring’s newcomers is a great transition. Plus, you’ll also want to start planting perennial bulbs and seeds in September, but make sure the daily temperature is under 60 degrees first.

You can scatter wildflower seeds as you like, in beds or rows, so they’ll be ready to transplant come spring. Some great perennials to add to your yard include tulips, dwarf irises, crocuses, winter pansies, cabbage and ornamental kale. With autumn-blooming chrysanthemums and hyacinths in the mix, you’re guaranteed a gorgeous and colorful landscape.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

A lot of gardeners produce too many fruits and veggies, especially when it comes to tomatoes and squash, so pick and share them this month. If you really have a handful, check with area food banks. You also can freeze, store, can or dry some fruits and veggies.

Some fruit trees, like plum trees, need pruning after harvest to make sure they have a full bounty next spring.

Remove the bulbs of produce like onions, and keep them in a dry, sunny, warm area for two weeks. After this resting period, they can be transferred to a dark, dry, cool place.

Once the autumn rains come, fertilize your lawn via a slow-release, 3-1-2-ratio fertilizer. Prime time for sodding and seeding new lawns is also here, and if thatching is required, act fast! You’ll want to fill bare spots and push out weeds and moss with fresh seeding.

Contact Reliable Tree Care for tree and shrub care, as well as for a host of tree services to get your autumn checklist completed.

You can get tree removal without stump removal, though you may want both.

Almost every arborist offers a separate fee for stump removal, because it’s often not legally required as part of the removal of a dead, dying or dangerous tree (plus, some people like the stump). However, if you skip stump removal just to save a few bucks, be aware that that choice can backfire. Most of the time, it’s in everyone’s best interest to remove the stump, too.

You likely won’t save money by opting for tree and stump removal at the same time — you can always call for stump removal at a later date.

If you have a stubborn stump in your yard, you might have already unfortunately figured out that it’s a hazard. Most are unattractive and can even lower property values, depending on where they’re located. Plus, they tend to be a 24/7 buffet for insects. Stumped yet?

Tree Removal: Go Big or Go Home

It’s easy to trip over a stump and fall, especially in the case of children who love to play in the yard. If a visitor trips over a stump, he or she can sue the homeowner for damages.

Still, stumps can provide a fantastic, natural-looking outdoor seating area when they’re in the right spot (which is rare). If you want to make use of the stump, you might still get a chance if enough of it remains.

Ask your tree cutter to salvage the stump and cut it cleanly at an appropriate height to serve as a stool. You can then move it (or ask a professional, since they’re heavy!) to a space that’s safer. Stumps are great additions as outdoor patio seating or around a backyard fire pit. The tree removal company can then properly dispose of any part of the stump you don’t use.

Sometimes They Come Back Again

Contrary to popular belief, stumps are sometimes able to regenerate and become trees again. This will take a long time if the stump is large, but it’s possible.

Deciduous trees are especially prone to re-sprouting. You don’t want to spend money on tree removal only to have the tree grow back. Re-sprouted trunks are notoriously prone to insect infestations and diseases because just like with human bodies, cuts can be the perfect opening for infections.

Tree removal and stump removal is an investment, and one that’s meant to improve the aesthetics and safety of your home. If it’s been recommended — or even required — that you have a tree removed, consider the long-term investment value.

You’ll also want to immediately tend to the hole where the stump was, filling it in for safety and perhaps putting in sod, plants or a more appropriate tree. Contact Reliable Tree Care for fast and affordable tree removal services.

Which tree and shrub fertilization methods are best?

Whichever ones work best!

It depends on the soil, the types of trees and shrubs, your climate and what type of weather your region has been having. However, you can skip the trial and error by consulting a tree expert. These professionals know the best tree and shrub fertilization types for your plants.

Still, it’s interesting to consider what some people tout as secret, “miracle” tree and shrub fertilization tricks.

Tree and Shrub Fertilization Tips from Your Friend’s Grandma’s Cousin’s Nephew

Just like urban legends, it’s impossible to tell how some tree and shrub fertilization hacks got started. For example, some people say the contents of your vacuum cleaner bag is great for plants and soil. Your vacuum sucks up everything, including dust and hair, which might be loaded with nutrients.

However, you don’t really know what’s hiding in your carpets, so it’s best to put that dust in the bin where it belongs.

Using Tums is another DIY fertilizer some people swear by. Technically, it’s not a fertilizer, but of course these chalky supplements are full of calcium.

Some gardeners like to mix them in water, then sprinkle the solution on plants. It may or may not work, but it’s clear that Tums are expensive when compared to other calcium supplements made for plants. However, if you have an excess of Tums you won’t be using, ask your tree service provider and you might find a use for them after all.

Fertile Ground

Not just any molasses will do, but if you have blackstrap molasses, you might hear someone recommend you add it to the soil. It’s rich in nutrients like potash, manganese, copper and sulfur, and it’s also beneficial to good bacteria.

Some gardeners mix it with store-bought fertilizer, alfalfa meal and even Epsom salt. However, if you have a quality fertilizer that’s been recommended by a pro, you shouldn’t need to supplement the soil further.

Eggshells aren’t necessarily a secret soil helper, but they’re often added incorrectly to compost.

You can’t add freshly cracked shells to the soil, because egg whites and yolks can be counterproductive to fertilizing efforts. Always dry and crush shells first, otherwise the plants won’t be able to access the calcium.

If you really want to make zero impact on the earth when cooking your omelets, eggshells are usually safe to add to soil too.

The Real Way to Fantastic Soil

Just about anything from pet and human hair to powdered milk has been hailed as the ultimate tool to achieve fantastic greenery. However, none of these tricks has the kind of research and studies behind it like quality packaged fertilizer. You can choose from organic or inorganic options, and your tree services specialist will guide you.

Find out which tree and shrub fertilization approach is best for your soil by contacting Reliable Tree Care today.

Do tree services include raccoon removal? Probably not (you’ll want to call animal control services for that!), but plenty of preventive tree services are available to keep your trees healthy while making them less attractive to these masked bandits.

Male raccoons are particularly fond of using trees as sleeping posts, while females who are pregnant or with babies prefer more solitary places, like your attic. If you’ve spotted a raccoon in your tree, many tricks are available to you and your arborist to drive it away.

For starters, recognize that it’s impossible to fully keep raccoons out of your yard since they’re smart, adaptable and have excellent memories. In other words, if you drop a slice of pizza in the back yard during a party, a raccoon can remember a “good pizza spot” for up to three years and will keep coming back.

Trapping and relocating with the help of wildlife control experts is best, but you also can minimize the damage they do.

Removing Temptations

Raccoon repellants don’t really work, so your best move is to get rid of what’s tempting them. It might be a garbage can on collection day, in which case keeping cans in the garage whenever possible or investing in a raccoon-proof lid is a great idea.

It might be dog or cat food outside (raccoons love it), a bird feeder, the recycling bin or a grub infestation. Raccoons also adore lifting up freshly laid sod because a lot of insects hide there, so removing smaller pests can often eliminate the bigger pests who feed on them.

Raccoons are also very good tree climbers, and they’ll be able to scale even a tree with no low-hanging limbs if they really want to. Still, don’t make it easy on them. Keeping trees trimmed and pruned isn’t just healthy for the trees, but it also can make raccoons less likely to climb them. These animals are opportunists, and might move on to greener pastures.

Make sure limbs are trimmed far away from roofs too, otherwise you’ll have raccoons on the roof, in the attic and maybe chewing on electrical wiring, too!

Pest Control

These cute but annoying little beasts will eat just about anything, but they certainly have preferences. Bugs will do in a pinch, and you won’t complain when they get rid of local mice, but they’d much prefer recently disposed-of takeout.

The more you control pests like mites, borers and beetles, the less raccoons will have to snack on in your yard. Work with your tree services provider to eliminate bad bugs and manage good bugs so your yard isn’t a veritable raccoon buffet.

Raccoons scavenge and hunt only within a one-mile radius, so your mission is to make your yard the least desirable for the neighborhood’s raccoons. For help, call Reliable Tree Care and get the best tree services for pest control (of all sizes).

When searching for a tree services provider, you might be surprised to find that sap removal is a rare offering.

Sap isn’t harmful to the tree, bugs or even to humans if accidentally ingested (those with children may have figured this out already). However, it’s sticky, can be smelly and if it gets on your car or windows, it can be a real pain.

Instead of trying to make your tree sap-free, which likely won’t happen, it’s better to know how to remove the sticky substance from metal, glass and clothing. Rubbing alcohol does a great job of dissolving sap, and nail polish remover gets it off skin. A de-greasing dish soap also works magic. Peanut butter is a go-to trick for getting it out of hair, thanks to the natural oils, as is mayonnaise.

What Is Sap?

Sap comes from a tree’s xylem cells, and is made up mostly of water with some minerals, sugar, nutrients and hormones mixed in. Tree sap can be found in sapwood, which creates carbon dioxide. If the carbon dioxide creates pressure inside the tree, the sap is forced out in openings or wounds.

Excessive heat, the kind that comes with those sizzling Utah summers, also can cause sap to ooze, and explains why it’s most commonly spotted in spring when severe temperature fluctuations occur.

Trees have a limited amount of sap, but can replenish their supply throughout the year. In the colder months, the roots suckle water from the ground, which replenishes the water-based sap. Regular tree trimming services can, of course, cause wounds in trees and allow for an exit for sap. The cycle is a natural one, and usually doesn’t cause concern. However, some exceptions exist.

Tree Services for Sap Gone Bad

When sap oozes unnaturally, it might be a sign of pests, fungus or disease. Most trees won’t leak sap unless they’re damaged, so keep an eye out for wounds and holes.

Bacterial canker is a common tree disease that can be caused by pruning, cracks from a freezing winter or sheer impact. As the tree heals from whatever trauma it suffered, bacteria may sneak in and cause unusually high pressure. You can spot bacterial canker by looking for wilting branches.

Another common problem is slime flux, which is also a bacterial infection that has oozing sap as a symptom. It will look slimy, smell sour and turn gray when it dries.

Also keep an eye out for root rot fungus, which grows when the tree stays too moist for long periods. Certain pests, including borers, love tree sap (especially when it’s on fruit trees).

Pruning and cutting trees is a necessity, but it can provide an inlet for bacteria. The only way to really know if your sap is healthy is to have your arborist take a look. Contact Reliable Tree Care for all tree services, including a sap assessment and best pruning practices.