The Mighty Oak: 3 Common Oak Trees in our Region and How to Care for Them

 

Georgia is full of trees. Take any nature trail, neighborhood, shopping center, or city, and trees might be more abundant than the people. In the South, some of the most common trees are oaks; a sturdy, majestic, powerful family of trees. In popular culture, they’re hailed as symbols of endurance, power, justice, and honesty. As far as benefits go, oaks provide lots of protective shading for people and houses, improve air quality, and lower the energy needs for cooling homes. Some of the most common oak trees in the South are the Red Oak, White Oak, and Southern Live Oak. While they’re all different varieties, the necessary steps to ensure their health remains the same. Needless to say, if you have an oak in your yard, of any variety, you’ll definitely want to keep it healthy and strong.

 

Checking Your Oak’s Health

To see whether or not your tree is healthy, let’s take a look at something called “twig growth”. Typically on a healthy tree, this will show up as growth cracks in the bark and twigs growing from 3 to 24 inches in length. The bark tissue color should also be bright green or pink when scratched. If all these factors are present, congratulations! Your oak is happy and healthy.

Maintaining An Oak’s Root Health

 

Try to keep an unbothered soil area above the root zone. This keeps the water passages and air free from any obstructions. Keep at least 6 feet (the most vulnerable zone) clear from digging, trenching, foot traffic, vehicle parking, and from being covered with concrete or asphalt.

 

Pruning Your Oak

While it’s one of the most common ideas that come to mind when thinking about tree care, tree pruning services in Peachtree City, GA , aren’t needed on mature oaks unless they have dead, weak, dangerous, or infected branches that need to go. If this is the case, prune your oak in June or July for the best results. 

Fertilizing Your Oak

Under normal conditions, a fully grown, healthy oak won’t need any feeding. This is primarily due to organic debris or leaf litter that provide sufficient nutrients during decomposition. However, if the oak shows signs of poor growth or illness, it’s a good idea to start supplementing fertilizer. For effective results, it’s best to use organic or slow-release nitrogen fertilizer.
In the midst of life’s busyness, it’s hard to keep up with the demands that can come with taking care of trees. Instead of stressing over it, consider hiring a professional arborist in Peachtree City, GA or a Tree Company in Newnan, GA , consider the experts at 770-TREE-GUY. As the leader in the tree industry with over 20 years of experience, we always ensure that we don’t cut corners in any of our professional services. For more info on our top-notch tree care services, call today at (770) 873-3489!

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