Having trees on your property ensures that you’ll have shade in the summer, vibrant color changes in the fall, beautiful blooms in the spring, and wildlife to watch all year round. 

Unhealthy or damaged trees won’t give you the benefits above, but what’s worse, they’ll pose a huge risk to your home if they are damaged enough to fall or drop branches on your roof. 

The first sign that something might be wrong is that your tree doesn’t bloom. 

This could simply mean that the conditions aren’t perfect yet, but a non-blooming tree could also indicate a bigger problem. 

Let’s look at a few reasons why a new tree might not be blooming. 

It isn’t time yet. 

Trees don’t automatically bloom on the first day of spring. Just because we break out the flip flops, that doesn’t flip a switch for plants and trees. And the larger the plant or tree, the longer it will take to recognize the seasonal shift. 

Trees take several things into account before blooming out: 

• Amount of daylight – They naturally know when the days start getting longer. This indicates that spring is on the way, and their process of leafing out begins within the tree, long before you actually see any signs. 
• Temperature – Daily temperatures are another indicator that spring blooms are on the way. But plants know better than people that a string of warm, sunny days does not mean winter is over. 
• The individual tree’s genetics – Some trees and plants bloom early in spring, while some get a later start. Pay attention to this detail when you are purchasing trees for landscaping so you won’t be disappointed later on. 

These things together signal to the trees that it’s time to bloom. If there are inconsistencies, they won’t bloom until conditions are perfect. 

If it is early in the spring, don’t worry. This is the trees’ way of protecting themselves from frost damage. So even if it is warm and beautiful for days on end, your trees will wait until the danger of frost is completely passed. 

As spring progresses and your trees still aren’t blooming, try these things:  

1. Watch weather trends to know if more cold weather is on its way. It also helps to know the difference between weather, which describes how it feels outside at the moment, and climate, which dictates what usually happens in your region at certain time annually. 
2. Research your tree species, especially if it is a new tree. Some trees simply leaf out and bloom later than others. 

3 Reasons Your Trees May Not Be Blooming

So you are well into spring (or summer) and your tree never bloomed or produced fruit. Even if they are leafing out and looking healthy, it’s time to look at some other reasons this could be happening. 

Damage

Tree damage can come from disease or from severe weather. In either case, your tree could have trauma that has prevented it from continuing its annual cycle. 

This is another way trees protect themselves. In most cases, the tree will recover and bloom normally the following year. 

Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot you can do this season. Just make sure you mitigate the damage and look forward to next year’s beautiful blooms. 

Lack of nutrients

Trees reserve nutrients and water whenever there is a shortage, as in a drought or if they are planted in poor soil. New trees are especially susceptible to these types of issues. 

You can test the soil to determine what needs to be added. You can purchase a do-it-yourself soil test kit, or you can hire an arborist to do the test for you. 

Once testing is done, you can add fertilizer to supplement the soil and mulch, which will help hold in moisture and necessary nutrients. 

Overgrowth

This isn’t going to be the case for a new tree, but it’s important to remember as your trees age. 

An overgrown tree is one that has too many branches to nourish. Chances are, the needs to be thinned, removing lower branches as well as smaller limbs that may be pulling too much water and food from the larger branches. 

This will be an ongoing job if you want consistent flower or fruit production from your trees. 

Hire a Professional Arborist

Calling a certified Clearwater arborist is the most effective way to diagnose and treat issues when your trees aren’t blooming. 

It may be a simple issue that will resolve itself, but if the problem is more serious, getting help sooner rather than later could be the difference in saving your trees. 

Here’s how a pro can help: 

• Inspection. An arborist is trained to see issues before they damage trees beyond recovery. A simple inspection will ease your mind about the health of your trees. It will also reveal any issues that can be resolved quickly or with extended care. 
• Expertise. Arborists have extensive knowledge about different tree species. They may be able to tell you right away that the type of tree you have doesn’t bloom for a certain number of years, or that it blooms later than other varieties. 
• Information. A trained arborist will know all of the conditions that need to be present for a tree to bloom out. After assuring you that your tree is healthy during the inspection, your trusted tree care team can educate you about the signs to look for in the future which indicate that your trees may need some attention. 
• Training and tools. Probably the best reason to call a professional when you have concerns: These teams have the skills to care for your trees, regardless of the issue. They can prune trees suffering from overgrowth or damage. Alternatively, they can provide a little TLC to trees that may just need some fertilizer and mulch to recover the nutrients that make it capable of blooming out. 

After investing hundreds or thousands of dollars in landscaping and tree care, it’s worth the time and money to call a professional arborist for advice and assistance when your trees aren’t blooming the way they should! 

Cutting down a tree is sometimes the only course of action, no matter how much you may want to avoid it. When it’s gone, you’re going to be left with a big, ugly tree stump. 

Without professional guidance, you would probably have no choice but to let the stump rot on its own. This can take years, and it isn’t a pretty process. Not to mention the vast root system underground will still pull nutrients from the soil, away from other plants, and make it hard to dig up the ground for new landscaping. 

So the decision comes down to whether to have it removed or leave it and let nature take its course. And it’s an obvious one. 

Leaving the stump alone to rot isn’t the best idea. It will eventually decay, but that takes time, especially if you don’t treat it to help it along. (There are several commercial products available for this purpose, as well as a wide range of homemade concoctions.)

Part of that decaying process is having insects (including termites) eat the wood to break it down. In addition, snakes and other unwanted yard guests can hide in a dying tree stump. Not to mention how it can ruin the aesthetic of your landscaping. 

Stump Removal: Grind or Remove 

Once you’ve made the wise choice to have the stump removed, you have a couple of options. Both will remove the stump effectively, but because of the very different methods used in each service, you need to make sure that you and your tree service pro are on the same page. 

A professional tree service company will make sure you understand the effects of each method before removing a stump. 

Stump Grinding 

Stump grinding is minimally invasive, and a generally safe way to remove a stump from your property. 

Professional arborists use a specialized piece of equipment to slowly chip away the stump. These machines have sharp teeth that bite into the wood bit by bit until the stump is below the ground surrounding it. 

The hole is then filled with dirt, and in time, grass will take over the spot leaving no trace of the tree that once stood there. The root system is still intact after stump grinding, but it decays faster than if it was still attached to the stump. 

Grinding a stump leaves behind a large pile of wood chips. Some homeowners see this as a win-win because they now have “free” mulch for landscaping. Mulch can be used around other trees, in flower beds, or to fill in walkways. If you don’t have a purpose for the wood chips that are produced, most tree service companies will haul them away for you and either donate or destroy them. 

Stump grinding is a better option when you want to protect the area around the stump from any unnecessary damage. The tree removers will need to get their equipment up to the stump, so you may be left with a few tire marks in your yard, but that’s about it. 

Stump Removal 

Stump removal is the other option. Stump removal tears up the ground around the tree significantly. 

Traditional stump removal begins with cutting up the remaining stump as much as possible and removing large chunks. You can keep these chunks for personal use or ask the tree service team to dispose of them. 

Then, using a combination of heavy equipment and regular gardening tools, teams dig around the stump to reveal as much of it as possible. The final step is to push and pull the stump with heavy equipment until it is dislodged from the ground, roots and all. 

This stump removal method leaves large holes in the ground, which can significantly affect the landscape and ecosystem. The hole will need to be filled in with dirt once the stump is removed, and then it may need to be filled again once the dirt settles. 

This is the best stump removal method if you need to completely clear the land, as for a construction project. It is used in large-scale land clearing projects because it is faster and requires larger equipment, such as tractors, excavators, and bulldozers. 

Neither stump grinding nor stump removal is the better choice in every situation. Each has its benefits and disadvantages, so it’s helpful to have a professional in the tree service business to advise you about the best method for the specific situation.  

Professional Stump Removal

It’s safe to say that in most cases, removing the stump is the better option versus letting it deteriorate on its own. 

Removing a stump by either method above will result in faster decay of the roots, which can spread out up to 12 feet around the tree and can take up to 10 years to decay on their own. 

Having it removed by a professional stump removal company in Clearwater has many benefits: 

• It will instantly get rid of an unattractive feature in your yard. Either of these removal methods can be completed within one day in most cases. 
• It makes room for new trees so you can begin planning your new landscaping right away. 
• Your yard will recover faster. You won’t have to wait years for the stump to decay on its own. 

DIY home projects are more popular than ever, but some jobs are better left to the experts. It’s true that you can rent all the equipment needed to do stump grinding or stump removal and perform these tasks yourself, but we strongly caution against it. The equipment needed to do either of these methods is powerful and incredibly dangerous, even for a trained professional. 

Although it is possible to remove a stump yourself, it’s much safer and more effective to trust a tree stump removal company.   

The experts at B&T’s Tree Service will be able to explain the various removal methods and the advantages of each in your specific situation. Then they can carry out the stump removal service quickly and effectively. And they have the means to dispose of wood that you don’t want.

In normal circumstances, it doesn’t take much to keep trees healthy and thriving: 

• Adequate water
• Nutrients, via soil and fertilizer, whenever necessary 
• Mulching occasionally 
• Pruning, every few years when your trees are young, then annually as they mature 

The first three of these are fairly easy to achieve. Mother Nature herself takes care of most of what trees need. 

When tree canopies become too thick, the tree will begin to suffer. You won’t see as many beautiful blooms, or it won’t produce as much fruit as it has in years past. 

To remedy this, prune your trees regularly. It may seem like an intimidating task, but given the right preparation, you can do your own tree trimming. 

Tree Trimming Tips for Homeowners

If you feel more comfortable calling a professional tree trimming service in Clearwater right off the bat, that’s absolutely fine! They’ll do a great job and (hopefully) become partners in your tree care journey. 

But if you decide to give it a try yourself, here are a few helpful tips: 

Clean and sharpen your pruning tools. 

Cleaning your tools before use will reduce the chance of transferring diseases. Keeping them sharp makes the job a lot less frustrating, and it’s much better for the tree to leave behind clean cuts rather than jagged edges.  

Learn the parts of the tree.

This includes branch collars and branch bark ridges. These parts are important to know because they affect where you will make your cuts. Once you can confidently identify these things on the trees you want to trim, follow these basic guidelines: 

• Leave limbs that form 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock upward angles. This is the optimal angle for healthy branches.
• Cut limbs just past the branch collar (moving away from the trunk). If you make your cut in the right place, you won’t damage the branch collar, but you won’t leave a limb stub, either. 

Identify branches and smaller limbs that will need to be removed. 

Branches that need to be removed include hanging branches, crossing branches, water sprouts, and broken limbs. These types of branches affect the appearance of the tree, and they drain valuable nutrients from good branches. 

Spend time studying the tree before you start cutting. 

Don’t remove more than 25% of the tree’s canopy. 

This cardinal rule of tree trimming will prevent your tree from going into shock. 

Taking off more than this could result in trauma to the tree, meaning it will be yet another year before you can expect to see blooms or fruit. In worst case scenarios, taking too many limbs can kill the tree.

Always trim small limbs and new growth around the base of the tree trunk.  

Sometimes called “suckers,” these small upshots will drain a tree’s resources faster than anything else. Some can be snapped off even with the trunk, but others will need to be pruned off cleanly with shears. 

In some cases, you may be able to the remove the sapling, pot it in rich dirt, and nurture it until you can transplant it back into the ground somewhere else. 

Don’t trim too often. 

Mature trees will only need to be trimmed once every 3-5 years. Younger trees may need more frequent pruning. Experts recommend every 2-3 years. This doesn’t include yearly maintenance, such as removing a dead or broken limb.  

However, there are exceptions. An evergreen may never need to be trimmed since it doesn’t produce fruit or blooms, while fruit trees may need annual trimming to maximize production. 

Research the type of trees you have, taking their age into account, to determine the frequency of pruning that is necessary as trimming too often is a common DIY tree care mistake. 

Don’t hesitate to call a professional tree service 

It’s a lot of information to take in, and no one will blame you if it’s something you just don’t want to deal with. But one thing is for certain. The healthiest, most productive trees need periodic care, including trimming. 

There are many benefits of tree trimming, especially when it’s done by a trained professional: 

• Promote healthy growth and keep an eye out for diseases. It’s easy to spot the first signs of disease when you’re up close to the tree pruning, so you can treat them early and have a better chance of saving your tree. 
• Protect structures around the trees. Damaged branches – along with branches that are just very heavy – are a danger to anything beneath them. High winds and storms can break large branches and cause them to fall on roofs, landscaping and vehicles. 
• Maximize blooms or fruits. The key to a more productive tree isn’t necessarily more branches. The quality of the branches that remain is just as important as how many potentially fruitful branches exist. When you prune effectively, you’ll also get larger, healthier fruits or blooms. 

The advantages of hiring a professional are plentiful. The argument that some DIY enthusiasts use is that professional tree trimming is too expensive. Yes, it can be costly, but if you value your trees and want to keep your landscaping looking beautiful for years to come, it’s an investment that is worth the money. 

A few reasons to use a professional arborist for tree trimming include the following: 

• Safer practices. While your methods may be daring, a pro is going to go the extra mile to protect themselves, your property, and surrounding landscaping. They come prepared with safety equipment and the knowledge to cut limbs to minimize the risk of danger or damage to surrounding property. 
• Guaranteed results. Highly trained professionals from B&T’s Tree Service can guarantee results, so whether you want uniformity or more fruit production each year, someone with years of experience will be able to provide the information and services needed to produce the results you’re after. 

Better investment. Short-term, it may seem like a good investment to buy the tools to do the job yourself. But what most people don’t think about is the years that it takes to become proficient enough with these saws, pruning shears, and harnesses to produce the same results.

With the start of the rainy season in Pinellas County, Florida, every inch of the earth gets covered in green plant material, including the roof of your house. In areas where the weather is humid, it is common to spot houses covered in moss and algae. But if you consider this mushy green substance a pretty thing, think twice.

No matter how common moss is and how harmless it seems, not many know that it is something they should get rid of, immediately. And one of the best ways to do that is by trimming trees or removing old trees. Why? Because moss loves shade, which trees provide, but too much shade can be bad in a moist climate like Clearwater, Florida.

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The process of tree removal in Clearwater, limb by limb, often takes a lot of time and effort. Once the tree itself is gone, the job is not complete just yet. Now, it’s time to consider your options for dealing with the stump.

Should you leave it in the ground? Should you cut it as close to the ground as possible and then cover it? Should you remove the entire stump? Should you grind it?
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After a strong storm moves through Clearwater FL, it’s important to inspect both the exterior of your home and your landscaping. From flooding to cracked tree branches, damage caused by a storm should be dealt with as quickly as possible. Especially if the situation is hazardous.

The following three steps will help you inspect trees and clean up after a storm:
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Are you making some resolutions for the new year? You might want to add some resolutions to help your trees in your yard. Below are 3 new years resolutions for your trees in your yard to stay healthy.

Mulch Your Trees

Many people don’t know that mulching your trees can make a huge difference when it comes to their trees’ development and health. This is especially true for trees that have been planted recently.

Below are some of the benefits of mulching:

1. Mulch helps to provide insulation to the ground and gives the tree a strong buffer from the fluctuating cold and hot temperatures.
2. Mulch helps the trees retain moisture and water in their roots and it helps keep them healthy and well hydrated.
3. Mulch helps with combating the growth of weeds, so the tree doesn’t have to compete for nutrition and water.
4. When you mulch your trees, it will help with creating thick foliage so that they can give your shade, nice, strong climbing branches, and juicy sweet fruit.

Keep Your Trees Watered

Part of proper tree care in Clearwater is routine watering. Watering your trees is going to make a big difference when it comes to their development, especially for newly planted trees. Although many trees live for many years, the tree is going to need regular watering when it’s newly planted.

Below are some tips to know how often to water:

1. Newly planted trees – It’s important that you give newly planted trees water right after they’re planted. The roots still are taking root in the ground and becoming acquainted with that new soil. That’s why they need a lot of moisture so that they can attach their roots firmly to the soil.
2. 2-3 years – Your tree’s first two years are going to be very challenging for tree, especially the trees that need a lot of moisture and water for growing and developing.
3. Hot Summers – When you have a really hot summer, most of the energy that a tree expends is towards growing and making buds. The growing is done during the early part of the summer. In the later part of the summer, they’re storing up their reserves to start that process again when spring comes. You want to make sure that you are watering your trees so that they can produce the necessary sugar through the process of photosynthesis and stay cool. If the summer’s especially hot, the leaves of the tree could start wilting or falling off so that further loss of water is prevented.
4. Mulching and water – Properly mulching the tree can help with maintaining moisture at the roots.

Drought and heat often can cause the root system of a tree to become dry, which will prevent the tree from getting moisture and water from the ground. That’s why mulching is so important.
Correctly Prune Your Trees

As time goes by, you should prune the trees. This will help with establishing and maintaining good structure and health, particularly in young trees. As the tree grows, pruning is going to help the tree stay beautiful and healthy. You should have a plan before you do your pruning. You should remove diseased, crossing and dead branches so that the tree is able to health properly rather than wasting its energy on the problem branches. You also want to make sure that you are using the proper practices for pruning so that the pruning cuts are healing properly.

These are three things that you should make sure that you are doing for your trees. Doing these things will help keep your trees healthy and looking beautiful. You are going to see a huge difference in how they look in your yard!

Pinellas County Tree Company

Regardless of your tree services need, you can count on B&T’s Tree Service. We serve clients throughout Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Dunedin, St. Petersburg and all of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

All you have to do is call (727) 244-6070 to request a free estimate!

B&T’s Tree Service

B&T’s Tree Service provides professional tree trimming and tree removal services to both residential and commercial clients throughout Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Dunedin, St. Petersburg and all of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

If you are considering hiring a company in Clearwater for tree service, one thing that you want to know is that there are a lot of scams out there. So you want to avoid the scams. Below are ten tips that you can use to avoid scams when you are having tree work done.

Make Sure They Have Insurance

When you are checking your possible providers, you want to make sure that they have the right insurance for worker’s compensation and liability. They should send their insurance certificates to you right from their insurance company. Otherwise, they may be providing you with a certificate that’s fraudulent. If the company has some kind of accident, and they don’t have the right insurance, you’re going to be liable. You’ll have to make the repairs to the property and be responsible for injuries.

Check with the BBB

Make certain the company’s accredited with the BBB. Even though it isn’t as strong as in the past, this accreditation is going to be a good sign of whether they are reputable. You also want to know the type of rating they have. They should have good standing.

Reputation

It’s a good idea to do a bit of research so that you can find out the type of reputation the service has with the community. The right service will have positive reviews online in many places. Check and see if they have membership in one of the reputable trade associations. These are things like the ISA or the TCIA. How many years have they been doing this? Are there any complaints on discussion groups, online forums, etc.? Get references from the company if you want additional insurance. This is important especially if you are doing an expensive project.

Be Careful of Cheap Prices

If the price that you have been quoted seems like a steal, you should look elsewhere. Even though you want to get a bargain, the chances are that the price they are quoting you is not a bargain. There could be one of several reasons why they’re quoting a low price:

• No experience
• No certifications or insurance
• They’re only going to do some of your projects.

Be Careful of High Prices

You also want to be careful of someone who has quoted you something high. You don’t want to pay a lot of money for something that is simple, like removing a small tree from your property.

Get More Than One Estimate

One of the best ways that you can decide if the price is too low or too high is to get a few estimates. A good way to get a good idea of what it’s going to cost is to consult with three companies. From those estimates, you should have a good idea of what the price should be. If you can, you want to meet with the representatives face to face. This is going to help you with judging the professionalism and expertise of the company. It also will let you ask questions, find out what is going to be involved and other things.

Compare Apples and Apples

When you are considering different estimates, you want to make sure that you are comparing what they are offering. If one of the services is offering additional benefits or services, this should be considered. Maybe one of the companies is taking the tree down, and another is removing the tree section by section. It’s going to be a lot easier for the tree to be taken down all in one piece, but it’s going to cause additional damage to the property. When the tree is taken down in pieces, it’s going to lead to less damage to the property, but it’s going to take a lot more effort and time and will cost more. This also is a good place when you should compare a service’s knowledge, presentation, service, and professionalism. Remember that you shouldn’t just consider the price. You should be listening to your gut about the company will work best for you.

Don’t Fall for a Door-to-Door Contractor

You shouldn’t do business with someone who is going to door-to-door, especially if you are hiring someone for a huge project like tree removal. A lot of DA’s and the BBB regularly warn against doing this. A contractor who is traveling door-to-door go from one town to another and prey on the homeowners particularly seniors. If you tell yourself that you refuse to do work with these kinds of people, you’ll avoid getting into a scam. Besides, you don’t want to decide to complete work on trees without thinking about it. There are a lot of variables that you should think about first.

Be Cautious Following Disasters

One thing that you want to do is make sure that you are careful after a disaster. This is usually when con artists come out. This might be one reason why you have to hire one of those door-to-door contractors that we warned against before. If you have a tree that’s lying atop your house, so that you don’t have any electricity, it’s possible that you want to hire one that is passing by. However, you should still be cautious and make sure that they’re not overcharging you. There’s a lot of companies who charge high rates for easy removal of trees following hurricanes and ice storms. You also should make sure the company provides the necessary certifications and insurance.

Only Pay When You’re Satisfied

After you have chosen your tree service that you’re happy with the thing that you want to remember is that you never want to pay until you’re completely happy with the work. There were a lot of instances when a homeowner paid for the project they were having done up front, and then they didn’t hear from that company. One of the popular tricks among the less than reputable services is to start the project, ask for the money so they can pay their workers, pay for gas, etc., and then disappear. This especially is true with companies who remove stumps. In that scenario, the company has removed the tree completely and requested payment; then they promise to return so that they can remove the stump. When they have gotten the payment, they don’t come back. It’s important to remember that you shouldn’t pay anything until it’s done and you’re happy. If you pay up front, they have your money, and they have no reason to return.

These are the ten tips that you can use to help you avoid tree service scams. They will help you find the right company and get the work done that you want to be done without losing money.

B&T’s Tree Service

B&T’s Tree Service provides professional tree trimming and tree removal services to both residential and commercial clients throughout Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Dunedin, St. Petersburg and all of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.