Tree Care Tips

With Christmas just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about your tree (if you haven’t already). Decorating Christmas trees has been a tradition since 1510, but with roughly 350 million trees growing on 15,000 U.S. tree farms, getting a refresher course on how to care for and buy trees couldn’t hurt. Review these points before and after buying your tree so you can focus on enjoying it with your loved ones.

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Find out more about how to prevent tree stress during dry periods using these tips.

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It is spring time again and you will now see Minnesota’s trees, shrubs and bushes blooming and adding color to what has been a dull winter landscape. We’ve put together a list of some of the breeds that can be found in Minnesota and how to spot them by appearance—particularly their flowers.

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Plant Health Care has been defined as the selection, integration and implementation of pest control based on predicted economic, ecological and sociological consequences. Today, perhaps more than ever this approach is relevant to all landscape pest, nutritional management and care. Societal concerns about pesticide use, their value to the landscape and the method of application…

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Fall and winter are perfect times for arborists to update and create tree and shrub inventories for client properties. Before the snow falls and temperatures drop below zero, it’s an ideal time to visit properties and examine tree structural issues. Without the leaves on deciduous trees, branch structure can be examined. Issues with branch growth…

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Why is tree pruning and trimming so important? Because of the impact this maintenance has on your tree’s health and well-being. This may tempt you to get to work on your trees right away, but your landscape needs different things done at different times. Light pruning and the removal of dead wood can be done…

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Leaf pigments are used by trees to capture photons from sunlight that drive the photosynthetic machinery that turns light energy into chemical energy. The key pigments used by trees are called chlorophyll A and chlorophyll B.  While both pigments absorb photons from different wavelengths of light from throughout the spectrum, we see the light that…

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If pruning is an essential part of caring for a tree, then why are so many of us doing it wrong? We uncover five of the most common tree pruning mistakes. Avoid making these and get ready to reap the benefit: beautiful, healthy trees. Topping Topping is the act of removing large branches at the…

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Trees are hardy plants, and their roots fight back against man-made limits around them. In the urban and suburban landscape, tree roots often are forced to grow between buildings or under driveways and walkways. As roots grow, they can break walls, pipes and patios, causing damage to properties. Plan Before You Plant “Before you plant…

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In this video blog, Jim Ostvig of Ostvig Tree Care discusses Minnesota’s climate zones and some of the best trees you can add to increase the value and enjoyment of your property. Contact Ostvig Tree Care by email (info@ostvigtree.com) or phone at 952-473-0534 (West Metro) or 651-653-9930 (East Metro) for a FREE consultation!

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