Tree Care and Maintenance
Seasonal Tree Care Tips: Summer
Five Common Tree Care Mistakes (and Easy Ways to Avoid Them)
Most homeowners care deeply about their trees. Surprisingly, some of the most common tree problems are not caused by neglect—they are caused by good intentions. Fortunately, a few simple adjustments can help your trees stay healthier and more resilient for years to come. Here are five of the most common tree care mistakes homeowners make and easy ways to avoid them.
- Planting Trees Too Deep: One of the most common mistakes occurs on planting day. Trees planted too deeply often struggle because the root flare (the point where the trunk widens and transitions into roots) is buried beneath the soil. When the root flare is covered, roots may receive less oxygen, moisture can accumulate against the trunk, and long-term health problems can develop.
Easy fix: When planting, make sure the root flare is visible at or slightly above the surrounding soil surface.
- Building a Mulch Volcano: Mulch is one of the best things you can do for a tree, but more is not always better. Piling mulch against the trunk creates what arborists call a “mulch volcano.” Excessive mulch can trap moisture against the bark, encourage decay, and create conditions that promote girdling roots.
Easy fix: Apply mulch in a broad, shallow ring around the tree, keeping it 3- to 6-inches away from the trunk. A depth of 2- to 4-inches is generally sufficient.
- Overwatering Established Trees: Water is essential, especially during hot and dry summers, but too much water can be just as harmful as too little. Tree roots need oxygen as well as moisture. Constantly saturated soil can stress roots and reduce tree vigor.
Easy fix: Water deeply and less frequently rather than lightly every day. Established trees generally benefit from occasional deep watering during prolonged dry periods.
- Damaging Trees with Lawn Equipment: String trimmers and lawn mowers are responsible for countless tree injuries every year. Even small wounds can damage the thin layer of living tissue just beneath the bark, creating entry points for insects and disease. Repeated injuries can significantly shorten a tree’s lifespan.
Easy fix: Maintain a mulch ring around the base of the tree to eliminate the need to mow or trim near the trunk.
- Waiting Too Long to Address Structural Problems: Many tree issues start small. Codominant stems, crossing branches, and poor branch attachments can often be corrected easily when a tree is young. Left untreated, these problems may become expensive or hazardous later on.
Easy fix: Inspect young trees regularly and consider structural pruning during their early years. A small pruning cut today can prevent a large problem decades from now.
Healthy urban trees provide shade, beauty, wildlife habitat, cleaner air, and increased property value. The good news is that most tree care mistakes are easy to avoid once you know what to look for and a few small changes can make a big difference. A little attention to proper planting, watering, mulching, and pruning can add years, or even decades, to the life of your trees.
Learn more about easy ways to avoid common tree care mistakes by visiting the Tree Care and Maintenance Archives:
- Start Smart: What to Consider Before Planting a New Tree
- Mulch: Numerous Benefits and Easy Application
- Supplemental Watering and Mulch to Prevent Drought Stress in Trees
- Protecting Your Trees: Why Lawn Equipment Causes Damage and How to Prevent It
- Pruning Young Trees
- Pruning: Standards and Best Practices
Please check back for more seasonal tree care and maintenance advice!
Link to Tree Care and Maintenance Archives
Archives
Spring 2026: Protecting Your Trees: Why Lawn Equipment Causes Damage and How to Prevent It
Winter 2026: Start Smart: What to Consider Before Planting a New Tree
Summer 2025: Heat Stress and Sunscald
Spring 2025: Trees for Bees…and Other Pollinators, Too
Winter 2025: Fruit Tree Maintenance
Fall 2024: For a Healthier Yard, Leave the Leaves
Summer 2024: Tree Risk Assessment
Spring 2024: Invasive Ivy Removal
Winter 2024: Clean and Sharp Pruners
Fall 2023: Mediterranean Oak Borer
Summer 2023: Supplemental Watering and Mulch to Prevent Drought Stress in Trees
Winter 2023: Pruning: Standards and Best Practices
Summer/Fall 2022: Emerald Ash Borer
Winter/Spring 2022: Nesting Season
Fall 2021: Healthy Trees are Defended Trees
Special Edition: After the Storm
Winter 2021: What is an Arborist?
Summer 2020: Retaining and Creating Snags for Wildlife
Spring 2020: Mulch: Numerous Benefits and Easy Application
Winter 2020: Tree Planting: To Stake or Not to Stake?
Fall 2019: Insects and Diseases
Summer 2019: Drought Stress Revisited
Spring 2019: Trees and Construction
Summer 2018: Emerald Ash Borer
Spring 2018: Pruning Young Trees
Winter 2018: Tree Related Storm Damage
Fall 2017: New Tree Selection and Planting
Summer 2017: Trees and Turfgrasses
Spring 2017: English Ivy Removal
Winter 2017: Recognizing Tree Risk
Fall 2016: Preparing Trees for Winter
Additional Tree Care Resources:
| National Arbor Day Foundation | The Morton Arboretum |
| Oregon Department of Forestry | Tree Care Info |
| ISA Find an Arborist | Alliance for Community Trees |
| Oregon Department of Forestry |
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