Tree Services Blog

Not all trees grow at the same rate. Some will reach up to 100 feet in their lifetimes, while others will never grow taller than 20 feet. No matter their height, all trees have the potential to enhance the look of your landscape. However, keep in mind that poorly-maintained trees can pose a safety risk to your property.

Here at Tim's Tree Service, we specialize in caring for your trees regardless of their size or age. We perform tree trimming services to increase your trees' exposure to sunlight, water, air, and nutrients and cut away excess branches. When necessary, we will also perform stump grinding and tree removal services to haul away unwanted stumps and trees from your property in Lee County, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and the surrounding areas.

Here, we'll explore what differentiates the different sizes of trees, which are small, medium, and large. We'll also cover some examples of each kind present in Florida and specific spacing requirements to think about when you have these trees in your landscape.

What Is a Small Tree?

Small trees tend to be 15 feet in height or less. They need to be spaced anywhere from 6 to 15 feet apart to have access to the proper nutrients. Make sure small trees are placed between 8 to 10 feet away from the wall of a one-story building or 6 to 8 feet away from the corner of a one-story building.

Some examples of small trees that can be found in Florida include:

• Crabapple
• Yaupon holly
• Sweet acacia
...

Those who choose to work with trees can choose various types of jobs within the field. Two of those jobs, tree surgeons and arborists, are often referred to interchangeably, but they're actually quite different. Arborists require a more formal education, while tree surgeons gain their experience out on the field. Both jobs can overlap, depending on the company providing tree services, and both jobs require extensive knowledge and experience working with trees.

If you're needing tree work done on your property in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, or Lee County, FL, learn here about the difference between an arborist and a tree surgeon.

What Does an Arborist Do?

If you're going to compare arborists to tree surgeons, think of them this way: an arborist is more like a tree doctor. Arborists undergo extensive training in order to become certified in their field, such as:

• Courses in tree biology, tree growth patterns, and much more
• A long, rigorous certification program with the International Society of Arboriculture
• Pass the final exam after the program
• Continue with ongoing education after the fact to maintain certification

The arborist assesses the tree and its condition. If the tree is showing signs of a disease or insect infestation, the arborist is able to accurately diagnose it and create a treatment plan. Oftentimes, they can identify tree disease signs before the disease really takes hold of the tree. They are also the...

Typically, in more northern climates, lawn and landscape companies are hard at work in the fall to prepare properties for the brutal cold of winter. However, it’s a common misconception that lawn care and maintenance should stop during winter. Even in Florida, property owners tend to slow down their lawn care during the winter months—but there are several reasons lawn care companies remain hard at work, even through winter. One such reason is winter pruning.

Pruning—the act of carefully trimming excess branches and leaves from deciduous plants—should occur several times a year, one of which being during winter. Pruning during winter is known as dormant pruning, and there are several reasons why dormant pruning is important. Here are some key reasons for and benefits of winter pruning in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, and Lee County, FL.

Pruning maximizes the quantity and quality of fruit-bearing trees.

After planting and initial growth, if a fruit-bearing tree is left unattended, its natural growth can actually inhibit the quantity and the quality of the fruit produced. Trees left unpruned can grow structurally imbalanced, leading to poor growth and poor fruit quality. Pruning a fruit tree while dormant can guide its growth trajectory to not only create a more stable scaffolding (keeping the tree and its fruits balanced) but also to be exposed to more oxygen and sunlight, which will lead to more plentiful fruit that’s...

In Lee County, there are several older cemeteries in need of repair, and the organization Honor Your DNA, created by Trae Zipperer, is aiming to restore them to their former glory. When they came to us asking to help trim back trees at the New Prospect Cemetery in North Fort Myers, FL, we were thrilled to volunteer our tree services.

The grounds had been maintained with lawn mowing, but the surrounding trees had become overgrown throughout the years and were starting to take over some areas of the cemetery. When we came in, we took a look at the situation and made a plan for how to tackle this tree overgrowth. Since this is a final resting place for many people, we wanted to make sure we left the site looking nice and respectful for any visiting family members and friends.

Removing Overgrown Tree Branches Above the Gravesites

In the middle of the cemetery, there is a large clump of trees. Their branches had not been trimmed in a long time and had started to grow together, almost making some of the graves inaccessible. Our team members came in with tree trimming equipment and trimmed the overgrown trees back properly so that visiting family members could easily reach the gravesites and pay their respects.

Removing these branches also helps to eliminate risks of branches falling onto the tombstones below and potentially cracking them. Some of the graves in this cemetery are quite old, including some Civil War veterans, so it's important to protect the...

Typically, our area of Florida doesn’t experience much cold weather; however, the unpredictability of the winter months can sometimes produce a cold snap. During these drops in temperature, it’s important to provide your palm trees with extra attention to protect them from the cooler weather.

Here are some tips for preparing your palm trees for cooler weather in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Lee County, and the surrounding areas.

Move Potted Palms Indoors

If you have small palms that you are growing in pots, move them indoors to continue growing through the winter weather. Moving potted palms indoors will keep them warm and dry throughout the season and prevent any cold damage to them. If you choose to move your potted palms inside your home, make sure to place them near a window and provide them with as much light as possible. Even though your potted palm trees can thrive perfectly fine indoors during the cool winter months, they still need sufficient light to survive. Providing your palms with a warm, sunny spot indoors will keep them safe and dry all winter long. Simply place them back outside once the weather warms up.

Create a Makeshift Basket Using Chicken Wire

It’s very important to never cut back your palm’s leaves or cut down its trunk during the winter. Instead, you can create a temporary basket to cover the majority of the trunk and keep it safe and dry throughout the season. Place stakes around your palm...

Trees are a wonderful and beneficial part of any landscape. They add beauty, provide shade, and increase privacy. While trees offer many benefits to their surroundings, when they are dead they cause a host of problems.

Whether your tree is dying because of diseases or storm damage or has died as a result of age, it’s vitally important to have dead trees removed promptly. Here is why dead trees need to be removed from your property in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Lee County, and the surrounding areas of Florida.

Dead Trees Pose Safety Hazards

Dead and dying trees are very weak and brittle. When a dead or dying tree loses its strength, it’s much more likely to fall over. When a tree falls over, there’s no telling where it will land; whether on your car or house, your neighbor’s house, nearby power lines, or even a person. A toppled tree poses a severe safety hazard as there is no way to know exactly when or where it will topple over. Fallen trees result in costly emergency tree services, repair bills, or emergency room visits due to related injuries. In the event your tree falls and causes damage to someone else’s property or loved one, you are liable for any repairs and medical expenses associated with it.

Pests & Diseases Flourish In & Around Dead or Dying Trees

Dead trees attract pests and diseases that can quickly multiply and spread. Pests like spiders, roaches, and even rats take shelter inside dead trees ...

During a hurricane, it’s very easy for trees to be damaged or even lost due to extremely high, intense cyclonic winds. A hurricane’s strong winds and heavy rains can cause many problems for a tree, especially ones with poor branch structure, weak root system, and overgrown limbs.

In our area of Florida, it’s important to take the necessary steps to hurricane-proof your trees to minimize damage and help save your trees. Here is how to hurricane proof your trees and when it needs to be done in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Lee County, and the surrounding areas.

Protect Your Trees’ Root Systems

Your trees’ roots aren’t just a means of transferring nutrients and food to the core of your tree; they are critical to the overall stability and strength of the tree. The root system is like an anchor for your trees, securely holding it down during high winds. Laying mulch around your tree roots helps preserve nutrients and water in the soil while protecting the roots from damage. Roots are susceptible to damage from mowing, foot traffic, and daily wear and tear of weather and other elements. You should keep a layer of mulch around the base of your trees year-round, and periodically replace the mulch with a fresh batch.

Trim & Prune Trees Regularly to Prevent Hurricane Damage

A strong, deep-rooted tree may not fall during a storm, but weak and overgrown canopy limbs are susceptible to damage and falling....

Reasons for removing a tree from your property are numerous, but what should be done with the stump that’s left behind after the tree is gone? Stumps can be completely removed or ground down, depending on the client’s preference.

If you live in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Lee County, and nearby Florida areas, here are four reasons to consider having stumps removed from your property with stump grinding services.

1. Stumps can be a haven for unwanted pests such as ants, termites, and more.

When a stump is left behind, it takes a while for the leftover wood to rot and decompose. The rotting and decomposing process attracts bugs that you don’t want in your yard, such as ants, termites, beetles, and more. They will initially be attracted to the stump but will migrate to other areas of your yard and potentially your house. If they spread to your house, you could find yourself looking at a costly pest control bill, particularly if you end up having to get rid of a termite invasion.

2. Stumps take up space in your yard that could be used for more functional purposes.

Let’s face it: stumps aren’t pretty. They sit in your yard and take up valuable space, potentially also decreasing your curb appeal as they begin to rot. If it’s a large stump, it is covering space where you could install a new landscape bed or outdoor living space. Even a small stump can create issues, such as when your lawn is being mowed. It becomes...

Much like your lawn and landscape, trees require routine maintenance to keep them healthy and looking nice on your property. Regularly trimming trees ensures they are healthy, eliminates safety hazards, and increases the curb appeal and value of your home.

Here are some reasons why your trees in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Lee County, and the surrounding areas need to be trimmed.

Trimming Your Trees Keeps Them Healthy

Keeping your trees trimmed is vital to their health and structural support. Proper trimming improves the health of your trees by eliminating branches that are dead or dying. These branches compete with healthier branches and steal necessary nutrition from the rest of your tree. Rather than feeding only the lively, healthy parts of your tree, nutrients such as fertilizer, water, food, and light are being split amongst the healthy and dead branches. Trimming these branches off your tree will increase the amount of nutrients and food your healthy branches get and cut down on waste.

Trimming also improves the overall structure and support of your trees, keeping it from developing broad or weak branches. Trimming your tree prevents limbs from growing weak crotches and crossing over each other and causing wounds in the bark. When branches grow out of hand and cross over each other, they compete for space and light in the crown. Trimming your trees will increase sun exposure and air circulation throughout the tree and underlying landscape,...

There are many reasons that trees may need to be removed from your property. They may simply need to be relocated or they could be dead or dying. Trees could be growing too close to power lines, buildings, or sheds. They could also have sustained storm damage.

Trees can fall victim to disease, insect infestation, and more. When these trees begin to die, they start to look unsightly and can also pose safety hazards.

Here are some reasons that trees may need to be removed from residential and commercial properties in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Lee County, and nearby Florida locations.

Dead or Dying Trees Can Create Safety Issues for Family, Friends, or Customers

When a tree is attacked by a disease, it can start to kill off part or all of the tree. This results in a dead or dying tree and the parts of the tree that die are weakened. These dead branches are prone to snap off and fall to the ground below, creating safety issues for those on your property.

A dead branch can easily fall on power lines, damage cars, or even hit someone who could be standing below the tree. Entirely dead trees pose even larger safety issues, particularly if they are located close to a home or business. Dead trees may fall onto the building and injure family, friends, or customers inside the structure.

For these reasons, it is best to be proactive and remove dead or dying trees before they hurt someone or damage a structure on your property.

Diseased Trees Can ...