5 Good Shade Trees for Southern Florida

If you live in Clearwater, one thing that you know is that it can get very hot there. That’s why you want to know what good shade trees that you can buy that are perfect for the region. Below are 5 trees you want to consider when you’re looking for good shade trees for Florida and what they have to offer.

Black Olive

This tree is a Florida Keys native and it produces capsules that are black seeded and small, which are not edible. It grows to be 40-50 feet high and will stay green through the year. The tree’s trunk is smooth, and it will form a complete crown as it grows.

One of the most interesting things about the tree is the blue-green leaves. These leaves contain tannins, which often stain things like walkways or driveways if you wait a while to clean them up. this tree’s appreciated for the beautiful foliage as well as its branching, and finally for its shade.

Live Oak

These deep rooting trees are very resilient, and they hold strong even when there’s a hurricane. This means that it’s perfect for South Florida. They also are great to use for windbreaks, which means that not only can they give you shade but they also can help protect your buildings during a storm.

These trees are excellent shade trees in the south, and they’re known for their arching branches reaching out from their trunks dramatically and canopy shapes. The branches of the trees reach, and they look gorgeous when they’re lit up at night. Squirrels and birds often build a home in them because there’s lots of cover and food. Live oaks are a huge fan of The Keys’ and South Florida’s acidic soil, and the tree’s roots are going to dig down and go into rock with no problem. This means that they’re not just focal points, but they’re also hardy trees for shade that don’t need much care.

Mahogany

The mahogany tree’s delicate, fine leaves have a texture that’s different than the other shade trees, which will add some interest to your landscape in South Florida. Even though it’s an evergreen tree, there’s something dropping of the leaves with mahogany, although it doesn’t contain tannins, so you don’t have to worry about stains. It’s also known for the beautiful red bark, which is very popular for furniture. When you plant this kind of tree, you’re contributing to the tree’s sustainability. It’s on the endangered list of trees in Florida. This tree has a very dense canopy that it produces so it will give you a lot of shade.

Ficus Tree

This family of trees will do well growing in Florida. It appreciates the tropical climate there, and it comes in many different varieties. In The Keys and South Florida, the one that is found there is a ficus area. This tree can grow as tall as 100 feet and as wide as 100 feet if you leave it alone. You also can shape it and manipulate the way it grows.

Ficus Aurea’s trunk is fatter when compared with other varieties of ficus, so it provides you with a stable tree for shade. This is very beneficial because of those powerful winds that the area experience. It grows shooters that are string-like that will drop down out of the canopy, then takes root in the ground so that larger branches are supported. This is why they’re called Florida Strangler figs.

Gumbo Limbo

Sometimes this tree’s called a Tourist Tree. This name comes from the red bark on the tree which peels back, a lot like when tourists are sunburned, and they peel. Other than the noticeable bark, this tree grows some branches that start pretty close to the grass and then splay out artistically. The structure of the tree is stunning, and it’s also tolerant of wind, which means it’s great for The Keys and South Florida.
It’s tolerant to salt, so it’s safe for the properties along the post. Another exciting thing about is that in Central American countries, some people cut the branches off and then stick the branches down into the ground near to one another like a fence. The branches will take root and form a living wall from trees. It’s so cool!

These are five good examples of South Florida shade trees. When you want a tree to keep you cool during the summer, these trees are good ones to choose from.

3 Tips for Pruning Your Palm Tree

If you live in a state like Florida, the chances are that you have at least one palm tree or 10. One of the things that you want to do is make sure that you are pruning your palm trees the right way. Below are three tips that you can use for palm tree pruning in Clearwater to help extend the life of your palm tree and to help them look the best that they can.

Keep your fronds pruned freshly

You know that it’s time to trim your palm fronds back when you’re noticing fronds dropping at the circle space that begin turning brown or yellow. Cut those dying fronds near to the trunk of the tree, but don’t cut them too close.

It’s easy to damage the bark, and those spots often become points of entry for disease and pests.

Make sure you’re judicious

One thing to remember is that you should avoid pruning a larger number of fronds than your palm tree will produce in a single year. For each frond that the tree produces, the tree’s oldest frond is going to turn brown or yellow and be ready to be pruned. The fronds that are green will help your tree produces food so that it can survive During the hard times such as drought and cold.

Make sure that you aren’t over pruning since this can compromise your tree’s overall health and weaken the palms.

Remove the smaller coconuts

This is for safety. This is going to prevent small coconuts from harming people or property. A palm tree can grow 100 feet or more, so you want to consider whether you’ve got the right expertise and tools to remove coconuts and prune properly. If you’re not sure whether not you have the right tools, it’s a better idea to choose someone to do the job for you rather than risk your health by doing it yourself.

One thing that you must remember is that not everyone is cut out to do their palm tree pruning. If you aren’t sure about what to do or how to do it, even after reading these tips, it’s best to call someone to have them do it for you. This can help you save money and stay safe since they have the experience and tools that are needed to do the job safely and effectively.

5 Benefits of Removing a Stump

If you have had a tree cut down and you didn’t have the stump removed, chances are that you are wondering if it’s a good idea to have it removed. The truth is that there are many benefits to having a stump removed. Below are the 5 main benefits of hiring a Clearwater stump removal service to remove a stump from your property.

Possible Invasions of Pests

When you leave a stump in place, it’s going to start decomposing and eventually break down completely. This is a very messy and slow process. This process is also helped along by a lot of organisms like microbes, and these will start to appear in your stump once the tree’s cut down. A common pest that is going to help with this is the ant species like carpenter ants, and they’ll start making nests in your tree’s stump. The ants then will start appearing everywhere around the house, and this can cause serious issues.

Along with the ants, termites also love stumps along with other insects that love feeding on wood. A lot of times they don’t just stay in the stump, which means they’re going to spread to other shrubs, trees, and even your house.

Appearances of Invasive Plants

There are other kinds of plant species that often will take up residence in the tree stump. This can be other types of trees which begin growing in the old tree’s remains. However, these often are unsightly and small and really hard to remove. A lot of times, the invasive species of plants that are growing on tree stumps will require that you pour chemicals on them so they’re completely destroyed. This isn’t good since it can harm other plants or backyard pavers, that are close to the stump.
Fungi such as mushrooms also can spread over your stump, which also is unsightly as well as harmful potentially to your dogs and cats.

Safety Hazards

Along with the possibility that they can attract the unwanted pests, a tree stump also can dangerous if you leave it on the property. They can cause kids to trip when they’re playing in the yard, and because they’re solid wood when someone stumbles on one it can cause injuries.
Whenever you’re trying to do some kind of work in your yard, you’re going to have this stump to deal with, and you have to make sure that you’re careful and avoid it when you’re cutting the grass or you’re pulling the weeds. If you run into the stump with the lawn mower, you can do a lot of damage to it. this can cause another possible hazard when you or someone else is working in the yard.

Aesthetic Problems

Having the stump in your yard can also decrease the value of your property. This is because they’re not very attractive when you look at them, and any potential buyers often are going to be wary of having unsightly stumps in their yard.

After you have removed the stump, space can be repurposed and used for something that’s going to boost your home’s value. This can be a flower bed, new tree, picnic table or another item that will enhance your space. Space can also be left clear so that children can play without any dangerous conditions such as a tripping hazard.

Continued Growth

When you have a stump there, the tree’s roots occasionally can keep growing, which will harm the surrounding environment. These roots can damage sidewalks, pipes and various other parts of the house if they’re not controlled properly. Before the tree’s roots finally run out of their nutrients so that they decompose, you might find that they have done a lot of damage to the surrounding area. That’s why it’s so important that you have your stump removed as soon as you can so that you avoid these kinds of problems.

Stump Removal

If you’ve decided that you want to remove your tree stump, there are a few steps that you should take. The easiest way that you can remove it is to have someone remove the stump when the tree is cut down. If the tree has been cut down for a while and you’ve finally decided that you want to get rid of the stump, a good place to call is a tree service. They will come in and remove your stump.

The amount that they will charge generally will be based on your stump’s size and how they are going to remove it. It’s also possible that they will charge you depending on how long it will take them to do it (per hour). You should figure that you will have to pay $300 or more to have the stump removed. There are a few ways that they might remove your stump. These are:

  • Burning the stump
  • Grinding the stump down
  • Dissolved using chemicals

The best time to have a stump removed is when you have the tree cut down. But if you didn’t have it done then, now is the time to consider doing it. It will help you with saving a lot of headaches and problems in the future and help your property value stop falling.

A Guide to Deep Root Feeding and Its Benefits

You’ve invested money, natural resources, and time into your shrubs and trees, and there’s a good reason for that. Your shrubs and trees provide your property with natural beauty and comfort that other decorative features can’t offer. It’s essential that you are doing everything possible to protect these beautiful investments. Otherwise, their health and beauty can decline.

That is why it’s important to feed your shrubs and trees. It’s recommended that this is done once each season so that malnourishment is prevented. Shrubs and trees often decline because they are not getting enough nutrients, which is often recieved from the soil. When you nourish the soil, your shrubs and trees will have the access to those nutrients to help them look lively and green. Flowering shrubs and trees will look even more beautiful and they may even flower longer if you’re feeding your them well.

Now that you know the importance of feeding them, you probably know how often they have to be fed and what the benefits are of feeding them. The answers to these questions and more will be covered here.

What Is Deep Root Fertilization?

This will add important nutrients, including the living microorganisms, right into shrubs and trees roots. This service won’t work on small shrubs or grass since they have small roots and the roots cling to the soil’s surface. Plants that have deep roots such as large shrubs and mature trees are looking for resources deep down under the surface. When they’re unable to find the necessary nutrients, you’ll notice a decline in their health. Doing this type of fertilization once each season will help ensure your hollies, pines, and the other plants that have a lot of potential for growth can reach their potential.

Main Benefits You’ll Find From Deep Root Feeding:

  • Shrubs and trees live longer
  • You will save money because you won’t have to remove limbs that are dead
  • Improved flowering
  • Roots grow faster
  • Shrubs and trees resist plant diseases better
  • Shrubs and trees are not as vulnerable to pests
  • You can nourish your trees that have been planted in spots that aren’t the best location or soil.
  • The shrubs and trees can resist bad weather a lot better.

These are some of the benefits that you will find when your trees are well-nourished. Just like when your health is affected when your diet changes, giving your shrubs this type of feeding is going to make them a lot healthier.

The Process

Deep root feeding doesn’t mean that you have to unearth the roots or dig up the shrubs and plants. It’s a simple and fast way that you can care for your trees. A liquid formula which is made for addressing concerns with your soil is deeply injected into your soil surrounding large plants. When you use a surface fertilizer, it only feeds your shallow-rooted plants like grass. The liquid fertilizer will direct the nutrients right into large plants’ mature roots. A surface fertilizer will take a long time to nourish the soil deeply, but this type of fertilizer will nourish plants immediately. It’s recommended that you do it once each season. However, fall’s going to be the best time for you to hire a tree expert so that they can do the fertilization.

As you can see, doing deep root feeding or fertilization is a great step in proper Clearwater tree care. It will help your shrubs and trees look great and grow healthy, strong, and beautiful. When you do this for your shrubs and trees, you are going to discover that they look better than ever.

3 Signs That a Tree May Have Been Hit by Lightning

Lightning can be very damaging to buildings and homes, but it can also damage  the trees in your yard. What are some of the signs that your tree was hit by lightning if you don’t witness it happening? Below are some signs you might see on a tree that indicate it’s been hit by lightning.
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Why Moss is Harmful to Your Trees

tree service Pinellas CountyMany individuals would consider moss on trees to be a beautiful and whimsical sight. Although moss can appear to be charming, it should be a concern for the homeowner for the safety of their trees and landscape. Check below to learn why Moss is harmful to your property.

  • When Moss appears on your property, this should be considered alarming due to the aggressive growth patterns of moss. It is best to call our tree service in Clearwater FL at the first sign of moss to help stop the spread of the plant.
  • Moss is considered hazardous because it adds weight to your branches, making them easy to break and snap during storms or high winds. Moss could cause potential danger to your property and the safety of your family.
  • Since moss spreads heavily on the branches and trunk of your tree, this could disguise and hide potential signs of disease and death. We recommend removing moss to ensure your investment stays healthy and thriving.

If you are looking for a knowledgeable and dependable tree service in Pinellas County, look to our team of arborists at B&T’s Tree Service.  We advise homeowners to reach out to our company because we can help remove moss without the use of chemicals and harmful methods. Contact us today at (727) 244-6070 to learn more about our services.