A few simple habits keep a healthy yard tree healthy. Stay on the ground. If a job needs a ladder, a rope, or a chainsaw, that one is ours.
1 Water deeply, not daily
A young tree wants a slow soak about once a week when it hasn't rained. Let a hose trickle at the base for 20–30 minutes. After a good rain, skip it. Older trees in Central Florida usually get by on rainfall.
2 Mulch in a donut, not a volcano
Spread 2–3 inches of mulch in a wide circle, and keep it a few inches off the trunk. A pile against the bark stays wet and invites rot and pests.
3 Prune only what you can reach
Dead twigs and the skinny shoots at the base are fine to snip with clean hand pruners while your feet are on the ground. If you need a ladder to reach it, leave it.
4 Use three small cuts
For a branch thinner than your wrist: nick the underside a short way out from the trunk, cut the branch off from the top just past that nick, then trim the stub back to the swollen collar where it meets the trunk. Don't cut flush, and don't leave a long peg.
5 Don't top the tree
Chopping the top off does not make a tree safer. It grows back weaker and more likely to break in a storm. Topping is a last resort, not a tidy-up.
6 Know the “call us” signs
Cracks in the trunk, mushrooms at the base, a lean that keeps getting worse, a big dead limb over the roof, or roots lifting the sidewalk. Those are not weekend projects.
7 Stay away from power lines
If a branch is close to a line, or a limb is resting on one after a storm, don't touch it and don't spray water nearby. Call the power company first, then call us.
8 Wipe your pruners
Oozing sap, black spots, or a branch of wilted leaves can mean disease. Wipe the blades with rubbing alcohol between cuts so you don't carry it to the next branch.
Not sure whether it's a do-it-yourself job? Send a photo with your estimate request. We'll tell you straight if you can handle it or if we should.