• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
RTEC Treecare

RTEC Treecare

Expert Tree Care in the DC Metro Area | Call 703-573-3029 to talk to a Tree Care Expert.

  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Serve
      • Government
      • Commercial Environmental Services
      • Residential
    • Our Story
    • Our Team
    • Our Core Values
    • Testimonials
  • Plant Health Care
  • Tree Maintenance
  • Careers
    • We Are an Equal Opportunity Employer
    • We Welcome Veterans and Military Service Members
    • RTEC Benefits
    • RTEC Is Now Hiring
  • Blog
  • 703-573-3029
  • Contact Us

Spring Tree Care: How to Keep Your Trees Healthy This Spring

Resources: Seasonal Tree Care

To many people, springtime is for spring cleaning, yard sales, and tidying up the garden. With endless to-do lists like these, plus conflicting information found online, it can be hard to determine what needs to make it onto your spring checklist for your trees. Look no further! We are providing a comprehensive list of items that will set your trees up for success this growing season.

1. Spring Cleaning

Cleaning in spring is proven to boost your mood and give you a fresh start for the rest of the year. The same goes for your trees! Removing fallen branches and raking up dead leaves from around your trees can help prepare them for the growing season, improve their environment, reduce the spread of leaf diseases, and prevent soil-related problems down the road.

2. Spring Tree Pruning

While the dormant season is generally the best time to prune your trees, many homeowners might not notice that their trees need to be pruned until they begin to leaf out. While our certified arborists can tell what branches are dead whether they have leaves on them or not, you might notice that some of your branches have no leaves on them while others do, indicating that your tree has deadwood. This deadwood should be pruned out by a professional tree care provider like RTEC Treecare.

3. Spring Diseases

Unfortunately, April showers don’t just bring May flowers – they also bring foliar fungal diseases. If unmanaged, the wet conditions experienced in spring can cause these fungal pathogens to wreak havoc on your trees and shrubs. In the DMV area, some of the landscape staples that are most susceptible to spring fungal diseases include dogwood, boxwood, cherry, and laurel. We recommend preventative management of fungal pathogens, as these diseases cause irreversible damage to existing foliage. However, if you notice dark spots or holes in your leaves, we can still help manage the disease so it doesn’t spread to the new growth or to other plants nearby.

4. Feed Your Trees

Winter often causes trees and shrubs to lose nutrients. Therefore, in Spring, we recommend giving your plants a boost with a Bio-Stimulant treatment. Having our Environmental Specialist on site also gives us an opportunity to inspect your trees and shrubs for any sign of decline, pests, and / or disease.

5. Mulching

Many homeowners apply mulch in the Spring, but did you know that a lot of homeowners (and even landscapers) are actually making things worse by mulching in the commonly accepted way? You may have seen your neighbors put mulch around their trees and pile it so high that it comes partway up the trunk. This is a harmful practice, as it blocks nutrients and water from reaching the roots and conceals potentially fatal concerns like root rot or girdling roots. Instead, the goal of mulching is to mimic the forest floor. Check out our article on mulching for best practices or contact us for help!   

6. Soil Management

Spring is a great time to check on soil composition to ensure that your trees’ environment has the optimal pH balance and nutrients to thrive. Take a sample and submit it to your local university extension office for testing

While you’re taking your sample, you can also look for evidence of soil compaction. This condition makes it difficult for nutrients and water to penetrate the critical root zone.

7. Canopy Protection Program

The best gift you can give to your landscape (and yourself!) is hassle-free, ongoing, preventative care by experts. Spring is the perfect time to sign up for our Canopy Protection Program. This program ensures that an expert is on your property at least seven (7) times per year, so we can look out for and address problems, meaning you don’t have to!  The Canopy Protection Program is great for landscapes with established trees, ornamental trees, and woody shrubs. If you’re planning to plant new trees this spring, the Canopy Protection Program can help mitigate issues such as transplant shock, nutrient deficiencies, and pest infestations which are common on newly planted trees.

Contact RTEC Treecare to Knock out your Spring Checklist!

There’s no shortage of things to do this Spring, so let us take tree and shrub care off your plate. Contact us at 703.573.3029 for help with your spring tree care checklist.

Primary Sidebar

Find a Certified Arborist in Your Area!

Google Reviews

Grey Burkhart
Grey Burkhart
March 29, 2022.
Verified
Very professional review of our requirements and an accurate estimate. Showed up on time and were finished quickly. Cleaned up all of the debris and sawdust. Great job all around.
Dennis Bruns
Dennis Bruns
March 8, 2022.
Verified
We have used RTEC Treecare for several years. They do excellent work. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable and take great care in explaining the various options available for your particular situation. I highly recommend them.
Annette Iannucci
Annette Iannucci
February 23, 2022.
Verified
We have been using RTEC for years and were very pleased with the recent tree maintenance work they did for us. As always, we got good advice from their arborist Ben,. The crew that did the work is highly skilled, and they did a great job trimming our trees. They worked safely and efficiently, in addition to leaving the yard clean after they finished the work.
Susan Crawford
Susan Crawford
January 26, 2022.
Verified
RTEC was at my house today to removed a large Magnolia that was badly damaged by the recent snow. They did a fantastic job at a very reasonable price. They arrived right on time, worked efficiently and quickly and cleaned up so well it was hard to tell anything have been disturbed. Over the past several years, I have used RTEC for all the services I checked above, and have always been very pleased with their service and professionalism. I also appreciate that they are not eager to take down trees that don't need to come down. In this case, the damage was too extensive for the tree to recover.
Kenton Morgan
Kenton Morgan
January 20, 2022.
Verified
Once again, RTEC has done a great job. The team showed up right on time and performed all the work that we agreed to. They kept us informed as to progress, coordinated with us concerning our maple, and made recommendations concerning ongoing support for our trees. At the end of the day, they thoroughly cleaned up the debris and left our yard in pristine condition. WELL DONE.
Jean Kluttz
Jean Kluttz
January 3, 2022.
Verified
Not our first time but this time was tricky removal of a large dead tree leaning on a healthy tree. Quick response for estimate, good timing to removal, all clear and healthy tree still fine.
Jerry Haggin
Jerry Haggin
December 16, 2021.
Verified
Very good work while ensuring that I was aware of status of my work order and planned completion.
Mike Iger
Mike Iger
December 16, 2021.
Verified
David Roberts
David Roberts
December 15, 2021.
Verified
We’ve used RTEC for many years for tree maintenance and can’t say enough good things about their service. We use them for tree trimming and for regular treatments to maintain our trees’ health and deal with pests and prevent disease. Their arborist Ben has been especially helpful with advice. RTEC also been especially helpful in emergency situations, once coming to cable a massive, heritage oak in our yard right before a hurricane was about to hit. Highly recommend.
Travis Larson
Travis Larson
December 10, 2021.
Verified
RTEC did an excellent job onsite of removing dead branches from our 80+ year old trees, and trimming other growth too close to our home.
Google rating score: 4.8 of 5, based on 185 reviews.

Resources Library

  • Tree Trimming
  • Tree Removal
  • Tree Maintenance
  • Tree Problems
  • Environmental Services
  • Seasonal Tree Care

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ADDRESS:
2828 Mary Street
Falls Church, VA 22042

EMAIL: admin@rtectreecare.com
PHONE: 703.573.3029

Copyright © 2022 · RTEC Tree Care · All Rights Reserved

  • TERMS AND CONDITIONS
  • Privacy Policy
  • COOKIE POLICY