Finest Tree Service can help you determine how often an individual tree should be trimmed.  A guideline to follow is; mature trees of any variety should be trimmed every 3-5 years, most younger trees should be trimmed every 2-3 years.  To help fruit trees produce better quality and larger fruit, you should trim every year.  Evergreen trees can go many years without needing tree trimming done. 

While you don’t need to trim your trees every year, it’s important to check them over or have them looked at to determine if they need to be trimmed that year and we can help you make that decision. Trimming is always important when it comes to our monsoons and microbursts, which can do a great deal of damage. Over-pruning can weaken a tree, which allows pests and disease to enter the tree.  Proper tree trimming can help roots grow stronger, which results in a healthier tree. Trimming a tree will also help produce more branches.  You can trim your trees all year long, however the best time is when your tree is more dormant, or fall and winter.  

Give us a call for a free estimate and we’ll help you make the best decision for your next tree project 520-304-1603.

I wanted to post this again, to remind everyone we deliver free mulch. This is a great way to add warmth for your plants in the winter, and water saving in the summer.  Our free mulch consists of 1/2″-4″ chips from a variety of trees and shrubs. We can deliver it wherever you want as long as there is a large area to dump it and our trucks have easy access. We never know exactly how much you’ll receive. It could be as much as 10,000 lb. 9′ x 16′ x 5′ high load or the size of a vehicle. Our free mulch is great for gardening, ground cover, erosion and weed control and keeps the dust down. Give us a call 520-304-1603 or email us by filling out our “contact form” and we’ll add you to our mulch list and contact you when we’re in the area.

I’m fortunate that my husband is proactive with maintaining our trees.  We have 22 trees on our property and he trims them each year.  Tree trimming is essential for the growth, health and the trees appearance. If you hire a tree service to trim your trees, you can expect dead or dying branches to be removed and the tree to be thinned and trimmed back.  But like us, so many would prefer to trim their own trees.  Here are some tips to help in the process of trimming your own trees.

Make sure you sharpen your tools before trimming, that may seem to be a no brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people trim their trees with dull blades, making it harder to trim, but more importantly, causing damage to your tree.  Don’t trim too much, we suggest trimming no more than 25-30%, as over-pruning can really damage the tree.  Try not to cut too close to the trunk, you could significantly injure your tree.  Be sure to clean-up well, the most common cause of tree pruning accidents and fatalities remain on your property.  Being struck by a falling branch or limb is known as a “struck by” accident and is the leading cause of serious accidents when pruning trees.  Above all, be safe!  Tree pruning is a difficult and dangerous job, and it takes an investment of time, study, and practice to do it well.  If you decide to have your trees trimmed by professionals, give us a call at 520-304-1603 to schedule a free estimate.  Happy trimming!

We all want that cooler weather to come to save us from those sweltering hot days, but it seems those colder days and nights come so quickly.  Plants that are young, actively growing or flowering are the most susceptible.  Although plants will harden off as the weather cools, slowing both their growth and blooms, it’s important to protect your plants from frost.  The faster the temperature drops, and the longer your plants are exposed, the more at risk they are from suffering frost damage.  Here are a few tips to protect your plants.  Keep your soil appropriately moist as dehydrated plants can quickly suffer frost damage.  Cover your plants at night by draping them with plastic and make sure it touches the ground so they benefit from warmth from the soil, and uncover during the day.  Move potted plants to a covered porch or awning.  If you have younger trees, loosely wrap them from the lowest foliage to the ground, you can keep them wrapped through the winter. Incandescent lights below your trees will help as they radiate heat upwards into the canopy.  I hope these tips are helpful.

For those of you who are looking for a fast-growing tree to provide you with the shade we’re all looking for from the scorching sun in Tucson, look no further.  Take a look at “AP Nursery” and the list of the 10 fastest growing trees, Sissoo, Tipu, Desert Museum Palo Verde, Arizona Ash, Weeping Willow, African Sumac, Bonita Ash, Desert Willow, Elm and Evergreen Pear.  These trees will grow from 20′-100′ tall and are well suited for our zone.  You may find this site from “Tucson Clean & Beautiful” informative regarding the importance of shade trees, and how it affects energy savings, the resale of your home, and so much more.  Happy planting!

We recommend planting new trees in late winter to early spring, or from February to May, when Tucson typically enjoys moderate weather. This is the perfect time of year for a sensitive new sapling to establish itself and dig its roots into the soil before the weather warms up.  Trees that are hardy and tolerant to the Tucson heat are of course Mesquite and Palo Verde, however there are many other species that do well in our heat.  Take a look at a “previous post” of ours that will guide you on selection and site placement.  You can also give the folks and “Green Things” a call, their selection is endless.  Happy planting!

Meet the folks at “Mission Garden”.  Mission Garden is one of the key projects of Friends of Tucson’s Birthplace, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.  Mission Garden’s primary mission is to preserve, transmit and revive the region’s rich agricultural heritage by growing garden plots representative of more than 4000 years of continuous cultivation in the Tucson Basin.  They have an “event calendar”, classes and so much more, a must visit.  Their hours are from 8:00-2:00PM and they’re admission is just $5.00 per person, a suggested donation.  This is a great group of folks, enjoy your visit!

I know I’ve mentioned our mulch a few times.  I’m posting again as I wanted to express both the importance of mulching, and the advantages.  Mulch maintains your soils moisture and reduces the frequency or amount of water your plants need.  It also controls weeds and adds nutrients to your soil.  It keeps your soil cool in the summer, and warm in the winter and with time, it will help both with drainage and aeration of your soil.  Be sure to lay your mulch up to your trees drip line and not up to the tree’s trunk.  Take a look at our mulch customers and how many have benefited from our “Free Mulch”.  Give us a call 520-304-1603 or fill out our “Contact Us” form and we’ll add you to our mulch list and call you when we’re in your area.

If you’re interested in “stump grinding”, we can grind stumps with any access.  We have several size stump grinders to do the job. Give us a call and we’ll set up a free estimate to remove your stumps.

Deciduous and citrus trees generally need to be fertilized three times during the year; in February, May and August. Apply the same amount of fertilizer with each application.  Newly planted trees do not need fertilizer for the first 1-2 years.  The amount of fertilizer needed per year depends on the age, the size, and the type of tree.  Take a look at this article from the “East Valley Tribune”, this advice will provide you with the information you need to keep your trees happy and healthy.