Watching a tree die is painful. Often, trees share in the history of their property owners—in the shade your children play, their branches become playhouses, and their fruit delights us at harvest time.

So, it’s not surprising that watching such a landmark of time and growth would sadden you, and that you want to do what you can to save it from its fate.

Luckily, if your tree is looking a little down, there are a few things you can do to try and save it.

Here are seven ways to save a tree in Venice, Florida. Let’s dive in!

1. Identify a Dying Tree

Before you can start the rescue mission, you need to identify why your tree is ill. Just like a doctor, you have to recognize the symptoms and potential causes and find a cure for them.

Some symptoms of a dying tree are:

• Deadwood: Branches are easy to break as they’re incredibly dry
• Cracks: This can be hard to identify as some cracks are normal and healthy, but when your tree starts to split in a way that affects its structure, you might be looking at a dying tree
• Decay: This can be hard to spot as it often begins on the inside of the tree

You should also watch out for poor structure. This is the case when trees lean heavily to one side and seem unstable. It can also be caused by a storm or too much pressure on the branches over a prolonged time.

2. Correct Your Watering

Often, dying trees are caused by adverse weather conditions that aren’t suitably met by the property owners. So, keep an eye on the weather.

A drought could quickly lead to a dying tree in Venice, Florida. But take care not to overwater, especially if there’s been lots of rain.

Make sure the area the tree’s located in has a proper drainage system to avoid water building up and flooding of the tree.

Once you’ve ensured the tree’s in generally good condition, use a hose to water it at low pressure. Water it for anywhere between half a minute to two minutes, taking care not to flood the soil. If you don’t have the time to do this regularly, consider installing a sprinkler system.

Malnourished trees stand a chance of recovering once good habits are established!

3. Properly Prune Your Tree

Pruning promotes healthy growth and a functional immune system.

But you’ll need to research the right technique for the illness in question or consult an arborist, as using the wrong pruning technique might damage your tree further.

4. Provide the Right Soil

Before you plant a tree, you should research its growing conditions to ensure you don’t place it in the wrong habitat for Florida. But if you’re dealing with a tree that you didn’t plant yourself, you might be stuck with unsuitable soil.

Mulching is an excellent way of improving the conditions of the soil. The mulch can prevent the escalation of bacterial diseases and the spreading of fungi. But don’t put too much onto the tree and spread it across the base evenly.

Dig up some earth to make sure the mulch connects with the roots directly. Digging at least five inches deep is a good guideline. Only apply 1.5 inches of mulch.

5. Fertilizers

Fertilizers can help recover a malnourished tree, but don’t jump to the conclusion that this is what it needs without testing the soil first.

When you apply fertilizer, don’t use it too thickly or too much at once.

6. Prevention

One of the best ways to deal with a dying tree is to prevent the risk in the first place. This means keeping a close eye on its maintenance. Keep the above tips in mind and use them even while the tree is healthy. This is the best way to ensure the wellbeing of your tree.

Watering in reasonable amounts and pruning it correctly is especially important. You should also avoid injuring the tree during yard work—trees suffer wounds and cuts just like we do!

If your tree suffers from constant wind or leans into one direction due to a heavy weight, support it properly to allow it to grow in a healthier position.

7. Call an Arborist

Just like with human and animal medicine, identifying the problem with an ill tree can be tricky and requires a trained eye. If you’re unsure, call an arborist to take a look at your tree.

They’re like tree doctors and can assess what’s wrong with it and how, if possible, to save it from death.

Arborists are familiar with proper pruning and mulching techniques and might better know the right soil conditions for your tree. With this info at your disposal, you don’t run the risk of accidentally wounding it further.

Of course, there might come a time where nothing more can be done for your tree.

Dying trees can present a risk to you and your family, as poorly connected branches might fall and injure someone. The disease could also spread to other trees and become a problem at a much larger scale.

If the tree is damaged beyond repair, you might have to call a tree removal company to remove the tree from your yard safely.

Ready to Administer First Aid to Save a Tree?

We hope this list has helped you identify potential problems in your tree and pointed you in the right direction to saving your wooden friend.

Don’t panic! All living things can get poorly once in a while. As long as you identify the symptoms early, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to save a tree.

For more tips on how to maintain healthy and happy trees, please feel free to contact us.