We get asked all kinds of questions regarding tree maintenance but one of the most frequently asked questions is about when.

“When is the right time to trim and prune my trees?”

I really like the winter time for trimming and pruning trees.  With most of the trees dropping their foliage in the fall, we can now see the structure of the tree and make strategic choices on what branches to remove or prune.

During the colder months, the tree is virtually asleep or “dormant.”  Wouldn’t you prefer to have surgery when you’re under anesthesia?  This is when an experienced arborist can really get in there and pull out undesirable branches and restore the shape of the tree to a balanced appearance.

This leads me to another point.  Winter time brings heavy, icy accumulation for the trees to hold up.  If branches are over extended or undersized near the main trunk, they won’t be able to hold the 100-300% increase in weight when ice and snow piles up.   On an unpruned tree, the weight of wintry accumulation has been known to cause mortal damage to otherwise healthy trees.

That’s why Robertson Tree Service believes that it’s really important for trees to be pruned properly; taking into account more than just aesthetics, but also the health and strength of the tree.

If you’d like to contact Robertson Tree Service about setting an appointment for your tree maintenance in Dallas, please give us a call.  We provide several ways to get in touch with us including electronic message (form on the right) or direct phone call at (972) 827-7318.

All work is guaranteed for quality and satisfaction.  References available upon request.

With the mercury reaching higher than 107 in August, our sprinkler systems just couldn’t deliver the deep, refreshing water that our trees need to live.  The heat and lack of good soaking rain mortally wounded hundreds if not thousands of trees this year in the Dallas area and I’ve been busy taking down these zombie trees.

What’s a “zombie tree?”

I describe a zombie tree as one that appears to have a sign of life in it but will most likely never rebound from the damage.  The foliage is usually dried in appearance and the majority of it has fallen off the tree.  If you see a tap-root near the surface of the soil or even exposed, this is the tree adapting to dry deep-soil conditions and the tree is attempting to collect water from shallow soil where the sprinkler systems are.  The bad news for the tree is that this becomes a liability for the tree in super-hot summer weather.

What to do with a “zombie tree?”

If you think you might have a zombie tree, the best thing you can do is call a Dallas area arborist immediately or one in your area to evaluate if your tree is capable of being revived.  If the tree is too far gone, it’s time to schedule a tree removal and possibly start over.

Careful removal of your tree will prevent the tree from becoming a hotel for insects and other nasties that you don’t want attacking nearby trees.  Additionally, removing the tree will immediately improve the look of your yard compared to having a dead tree carcass standing there.  A dead tree is much more likely to fall down in a strong wind storm and the last thing you need is that tree falling on your house or  someone’s car.  Typical tree removals cost between $190 and $300 depending on the size.

Preventative measures:

A good arborist should be scheduled every year or two to come out and carefully examine your trees, similar to a regular check up.  Keep in mind that big healthy trees are impossible to replace and we have several strategies at our disposal to get a stressed tree back on track to full health.

John Robertson of Robertson Tree Service in Dallas, TX has 10 years of experience with pruning, trimming, and tree removal.  If you‘d like to schedule a free appointment for evaluation of your trees, please give us a call.

The history behind the lot was that the developer of the subdivision had made the mistake of burying several healthy trees as he was subdividing into lots and clearing native overgrown ground cover.  Eight years of suffocation claimed the lives of dozens of trees in the neighborhood.  But my customer had a simple request: make it look the best you can.

I walked the property with the customer and identified the healthy looking trees as well as the candidates for removal.  The customer said he had never considered how removing certain trees could improve the health of the most desirable trees.  I pointed out how a less desirable tree could be consuming water and nutrients that we prefer to be used by the larger, healthier specimens.

Several large, mature trees were being overcrowded by younger trees so we began to identify which smaller trees would need to go.  As the process went on, the customer began to see the larger, mature trees emerge from crowd and begin to take shape.  We explained that this would improve the health and beauty of the desirable trees and give us an opportunity to make them stand out.

Dead or near dead trees were immediately marked for removal.  One especially large tree was very close to the home and loomed over the roof of the house.  This tree was removed in sections and roped safely to the ground.  Once we cut down some of the dead trees, an inspection of the trunks and roots gave us an indication of what was causing the problems.  The culprit: wood destroying insects.  Some of these trunks were completely eaten out from the middle and had large cavities full of ants.

We immediately mixed up 20 gallons of insecticide (safe for trees) and began treating the property, spraying the ground, base, and tree trunks with a recommended product.  We recommended that we return to the property once a week for a two month to re-treat the trees and any other areas that looked like they needed it.

After four days of solid work, we walked the property again with the customer.  What a difference!  This job produced four very large trailer-loads of tree garbage which were hauled to the local recycling center for decomposition and reuse.  Several of the little struggling trees were gone, addressing the overcrowding issues.  Old stumps and new stumps were removed.  Dead branches and low hanging branches had been removed.  Dead trees were gone.  The large, scary tree hanging over the house was gone. The insecticide had begun to take effect and the ants were beginning to subside.

I don’t think the customer had a vision for how good his property could look but now he could see what I saw before we started.  Robertson Tree Service is an experienced arborist working in the north Texas area providing expert tree service and tree removal in Dallas.