Important Tree & Yard Maintenance Tips For Renters

Whether you’ve got old or new trees and plants in your yard, it’s very important that these are well-maintained and well-taken care of. That way, these trees can thrive and look their best for years to come, giving you multiple benefits. But for a single-family home rental, yard and landscaping maintenance can be a source of issues. Yard maintenance usually falls on the landlord’s responsibility unless the lease says otherwise.    

So, while trees and whatnot are always nice to have in your yard, check your lease first on what you can and can’t do when it comes to yard care. But if you’re able to take care of the tree and maintenance as a renter, you need to know how to take care of your trees. Not only will it affect the look of your landscape, but it’ll also have an impact on the health and safety of the entire family.

Here are some tips you can apply to ensure that your trees and yard is properly maintained, especially when you’re just renting the property:

Be Sure You’re Planting The Right Trees

green tree near white and brown house

Before delving deep into the different tree care and yard maintenance tips, it’s necessary to start first with a deep understanding of which plants are right to plant. This is important because if you’re planting the inappropriate options in your garden, no matter how you take good care of these, they won’t thrive.

As a general requirement, however, be sure that your trees aren’t situated anywhere near underground utility lines or power lines. Apart from that, there are also other special considerations you’ll have to factor in, such as the following:

  • If you live in a place where you get to experience cold Fall weather, these trees are best for good foliage–Autumn Blaze Maple Tree, Coral Bark Japanese Maple, and Shumard Oak Tree
  • If your home is in an area where birds are abundant, you may want to plant bird-attracting trees, like Common Chokecherry, Paper Birch, and Black Cherry;
  • If your area is frequently hit with strong rain, you ought to plant trees that are very good at absorbing a lot of water, like Red Maple, Ash, and Black Gum.

Sign Up For Regular Maintenance

white and gray house with closed garage door

There are individuals who studied almost everything there is to know about trees. Hence, it would really work to your advantage to seek the help of these experts, such as the guys from Tree Menders.

This is important since there are certain aspects of tree maintenance that are best left in their hands. They’re the ones who know best whether or not there are branches that may need to be cut, if your tree is dead, or if there are certain parts of your trees or lawn that are already a safety hazard or a nuisance.

It’s highly recommended to have regular tree and yard maintenance at least once a year. These experts will be on the lookout for the following:

  • Any dead or damaged parts, or splinters and cracks;
  • Signs of insect damage, which need immediate treatment;
  • Thorough cleaning of your trees and lawn, wherever necessary.

Water Your Plants Properly

It’s elementary science that your plants won’t grow unless you give them the right nutrition, the most important of which is water.

You want all the trees and other plants in your garden to be healthy. This can be done by adequately watering them, especially if it hasn’t rained in weeks, then your tree will need that extra boost in moisture. 

When caring for your garden or a bed of plants, it’s vital that you give them the right amount of water. If this is not done correctly, then your plant health will suffer.

You’ll have to take the time to study and research how often you should water each plant, and what their respective normal weather conditions are. 

Trim Your Tree Regularly

Trimming your tree is one of the reasons why it’s highly recommended to have a regular maintenance check done by experts. It’s only through this check that they can also determine which parts of your tree will have to be trimmed. Keep in mind, though, that tree trimming should be the property owner’s responsibility. You may have to check first as some landowners prefer to do it themselves.

Tree trimming is necessary so that all the dead branches can be removed while making way for new leaves to grow. If there are branches that are also getting too close to your home, these will need to be removed as well. If not taken care of, when strong winds and storms will come, these untrimmed branches may cause serious damage to your home.

Trees are a great addition to any landscape. However, if they grow too fast and crowd the space around your home or property, they can actually become a hazard. This is especially true for larger trees. If your trees are becoming an eyesore or are encroaching on another piece of land, it’s a good idea to have them trimmed.

Trees that are growing into walkways, blocking driveways, or the side of your house can cause damage to the pavement. Trimming these trees helps prevent accidents from occurring. Additionally, trees that are overgrown can develop pests and disease. By regularly trimming your trees, you help keep pests and diseases from growing.

Protect Your Trees With Mulch

Mulch is best placed on a layer measuring around two to four inches around the tree. Just be sure that you’ve removed all weeds and that you don’t cover the base of your trunk when you apply mulch.

While many homeowners might think that mulch isn’t necessary, there are actually many benefits you can gain when you apply this, like preventing the soil from drying, insulating the tree roots, and providing protection from lawn mower cuts.

Conclusion

Depending on the size of your lawn and the climate where you are, you can have different species of trees around your garden. Some of these may need more care than others. But the bottom line is that you’ll have to give your trees the TLC (tender loving care) it needs so you can fully enjoy the benefits of having one in your home. 

There are certain care practices you can do right at the comforts of your home, while there are also others wherein you may have to enlist the help of the experts. The important thing for you to remember is that whenever you’re unsure how to deal with your trees, take the latter route instead.

Just remember, yard maintenance, unless the lease says otherwise, is one of the landlord’s responsibilities. Landscaping or yard maintenance can cover a lot of things, so you should clarify everything first with the property owner.