Expert Contributor
Safely Re-Landscape Around Mature Trees By John Traverso, Traverso Tree Service
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as your lawn seen better days? Is the turf not as thick and green as it used to be? Does a more climate-friendly lawn appeal to you because of the amount of water you currently use? Perhaps you’re considering replacing it with drought-tolerant plants or even better, decorative mulch to eliminate the need for water altogether. Whatever you do for whatever reason, we at Traverso Tree Service urge you to consider the affects re-landscaping will have on your beloved mature trees already growing in your yard. Here are some important facts about trees that you should know before starting your re-landscaping project: FACT 1. Trees adapt to the environment they are planted in. When a tree is planted, it often grows a dependency on the amount of water it receives. If it is planted in or next to a lawn, the tree is going to take advantage of the watering that is being applied to the lawn. If the lawn is being watered three times a week for 10 minutes at a time, the tree is going to adapt to that watering pattern and depend on it for its survival. Therefore, eliminating the lawn and that source of water could have a profound effect on the health of your tree whether its species is considered droughtresistant or not. FACT 2. Roots are aqua-tropic; they are designed to seek out water. Trees will propel their roots as close to a water source as possible. It is not uncommon to have a lawn eventually be completely full of tree roots. This is a critical consideration because if you are thinking of completely replacing the lawn, which may require
rototilling of the soil and re-trenching for a new sprinkler system, you are in danger of destroying a significant number of roots on your mature tree and therefore, destroying a substantial source of water for the tree.
Here is the good news! You can update your aging landscape. We recommend you have an arborist to visit your site while you’re in the design phase to determine:
FACT 3. A recipe for disaster: turning off the sprinkler system during construction. Imagine you’re a tree. You just had a bunch of your absorption roots cut off due to rototilling and trenching activities. To add insult to injury, that irrigation system you’ve always counted on has been turned off, and in the middle of the hot summer months no less! This is a dangerous scenario that could lead to a potential decline or even death of your mature tree.
- Whether your mature trees are worthy of retention. To begin with, there is no sense preserving trees that are not performing well. Construction projects are harsh on trees. The arborist can point out which trees are vigorous enough to withstand the abuse. - How to mitigate the impact from construction by avoiding root loss and develop a plan to provide water to the trees during the course of the project and afterwards to encourage the trees to produce new roots.
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