Two things going on here. First I want to let readers know that The Modern Father now has a YouTube channel. The plan is to post videos on a weekly or biweekly basis that cover a range of topics.
Based on the feedback from my first article on gardening, I’m starting with getting the yard and garden ready for spring.
Trees don’t take care of themselves
It might come as a surprise to some, but trees require care and maintenance, just like everything else in the yard. Even with deep roots, they become stressed in dry conditions. The soil might be missing vital nutrients or minerals. Or they start encroaching on other parts of the yard.
In all cases, you need to help them reach their full potential. So to kick off my YouTube channel launch, I have a short video on tree trimming, specifically what is know as crown raising.
Crown raising
The crown of the tree, if you haven’t heard the term before, is all the branches and limbs that extend from the trunk. For most leafy trees, this crown will grow however it wants. The height of the tree grows as the branches and twigs get longer, while the trunk and limbs thicken as new growth occurs under the bark.
What that means is your tree’s current shape will get wider and taller, but you won’t see branches appear lower down on the tree. This is good, as it means you can trim them back and not have to worry about new branches forming in the future. Crown raising is more or less permanent, and it shouldn’t be a problem for the tree, as long as you follow recommendations for timing.
I don’t think I killed it
For the tree in the video, it hasn’t been trimmed since it was transplanted 8 years ago. It’s always been something I knew I should do, but never got around to doing. For once, I remembered it at the right time of year, so I grabbed my camera, put on my jacket and boots, and grabbed the wrong tool.
The reason it needed a crown raising trim was due to the low branches only being a couple of feet off the ground. When it was young, it was easy enough to mow around. But now those branches extend out 5 feet or more from the tree and are too low to a mower under. Plus, I have visions of the boys running around the yard and getting clotheslined at some point. We can’t have that.
Enjoy the video, leave comments, and let me know what else you’d like to see. My next video will probably be trimming more trees, but more mature ones that require different tools… and are encroaching on my garden boxes. They must be punished.