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RTEC Treecare

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

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Tree Maintenance: How to Care For Your Trees

Resources: Tree Maintenance

When most people think of tree maintenance, pruning or trimming immediately comes to mind. Pruning to remove dead tree branches using proper tree pruning techniques is extremely important. However, there is much more to tree maintenance than tree trimming. Below are some other ways to maintain trees throughout the growing season.

Fertilization

Fertilization is a common practice during the growing season, and there are many benefits to improving the nutrient availability for your trees and shrubs. Mature trees, young trees, ornamental trees, and woody shrubs can all benefit from our organic alternative to traditional fertilizer, called Bio-Stimulants. This service boosts the health of your trees and shrubs, stimulates root growth, and reduces susceptibility to pests and diseases.

Tree Protection

Did you know that trees get stressed just like humans do? Environmental factors such as climatic changes can certainly play a role. However, some of the most common stressors for urban and suburban trees are man-made. One of the biggest culprits for your stressed-out trees is construction. When construction is happening in or near a tree’s critical root zone (CRZ), the tree may be seriously harmed. It is important to protect trees from construction activities by having a certified arborist create and execute a Tree Preservation Plan. Some municipalities require this to be done before any major construction projects commence, and RTEC can help! Tree preservation plans encompass everything from protecting roots from heavy construction equipment to ensuring roots are pruned properly by experts to providing treatments to reduce stress and boost the tree’s health in anticipation of stress.

Soil Management

Soil and root care is one of the most critical aspects of tree maintenance. Bio-Stimulants are just one way to help tree roots thrive. RTEC’s experts can mitigate the effects of over-watering trees, reduce soil compaction that hinders key nutrients from reaching the roots, excavate the critical root zone to eliminate common problems such as girdling roots, and apply mulch properly.

Tree Cabling

Cabling is a common practice used to maintain the structural integrity of a tree. Often used in trees with multiple codominant leads, cables can reinforce a tree that might otherwise be hazardous in high winds or other weather conditions. Codominant leads can pose a risk but removing one of the leads will not fix the issue. Cabling is an alternative that can provide security for many years. Cables do need to be checked and replaced occasionally, which RTEC can help with.

Mulching

We briefly mentioned mulching in the section about soil management, but it’s so important that we gave it its own section, too. Proper mulching is very different from the mulching services many landscapers provide or homeowners do themselves. Proper tree mulching is done to mimic the tree’s natural environment and help retain water and essential nutrients. Mulch should ideally cover the entire critical root zone (it looks like a lot, but we promise it’s the right way to do it!) and should not come up so high that the root flare is covered. Applying mulch too high up the trunk can hide serious issues like girdling roots and prevent water and nutrients from reaching the roots. RTEC can help you with proper mulch installation, but we’ve also provided a tutorial if you want to DIY!

RTEC Can Help!

Contact us at 703-573-3029 for help with any of your tree maintenance needs.

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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.

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

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Falls Church, VA 22042

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