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| Photo Credit: Megan Bame |
| The Southern magnolia produces beautiful large flowers, but the seedpods it sheds in fall create treacherous walking conditions if they aren’t continuously picked up. |
Before selecting a tree for you yard, it’s important to consider the maintenance requirements (or “nuisance factor”) of a particular species. Some trees, for example, require seasonal care, while others can be left alone for several years before they need attention. Some trees have known disease issues; others are recognized as being pest-free. To some homeowners, the benefits or special features of a particular tree may outweigh its drawbacks, so it’s best to be an educated consumer and decide for yourself which tree you’d like to have growing in your landscape.
Pines, for instance, require little follow-up maintenance once they’re established in the ground. Of course, they shed pine needles, but most folks consider that a free source of mulch. (And depending on where you live, some broken limbs may result from heavy snowfall weighing on the evergreen branches, so just be aware of where you park the family car.) Deciduous trees, such as maples, drop their leaves in fall – some providing a spectacular color display between the green and brown stages. Leaving the fallen leaves on the lawn is sometimes acceptable, but in most cases, they should be removed by raking or chopped with the lawn mower for composting. If the grass is covered with a blanket of leaves, it can’t get sunlight or air circulation, which will hinder lawn growth and promote disease. Fruit trees may need to be netted to protect the ripening fruit from hungry birds, or they may need to be treated with pesticides to prevent insect and disease problems. Fruit trees also require some pruning to ensure that adequate light can reach the developing fruit. Some fruit trees, like peaches, should be thinned when the fruit is about the size of a golf ball (or earlier). This is necessary because multiple fruit start to grow in tight clusters. By removing all but one or two young fruit from each cluster, those remaining will grow larger and sweeter.
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