Tag Page TreeCare

#TreeCare
Cheryl Holmes

How I Rescued My Maple Tree With a $12 Tool

My backyard maple looked sick: yellow leaves, slow growth, dead branch tips. I assumed it needed fertilizer and dumped two bags around the base. Nothing changed. An arborist walking nearby stopped, looked at the tree, and said, “It’s not hungry. It’s suffocating.” He showed me girdling roots — roots circling the trunk under the soil, choking the tree. He handed me a $12 root saw and instructed: Expose the trunk flare Remove mulch touching the base Carefully cut only the tightest circling roots Add compost around the dripline Water deeply once a week The tree bounced back the next spring: full canopy, vibrant green, no fertilizers required. Lesson learned: sometimes plants fail not because of nutrients, but because of neglecting root structure. #Gardening #TreeCare

How I Rescued My Maple Tree With a $12 Tool
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