Probably the first big reason plants in general die in Tri-Cities Washington, I suppose, is due to lack of water. We live in a desert, and most trees and plants need daily water to survive here. Miss a day or two, and your trees will suffer.
Today though, I’d like to talk about what I believe could be the second most common cause of tree death in Tri-Cities.
Weed eaters, trimmers, wackers, mowers…
I’ve written about this before, but as I was driving to our new home in West Pasco the other day, I had to stop in disbelief at the sight I saw. A row of beautiful Bowhall maple trees were dying or dead. The reason? Every single last one had its Phloem (outer part of tree that sends necessary nutrients to branches) cut with a weedeater and lawn mower.
.jpg)
.jpg)
This circumstance was especially troubling to me, as this was a street situation, and is being maintained by a landscaping company. I hate to say it, but this was done by a company that should know never to do this.
Last year, at our old home, I drove past a landscaping company weed-eating another street location. The workers were at that moment weed-eating directly around the trees. I stopped my car, talked to the crew, and got a hold of their manager to let them know that the trees were likely to die if they didn’t stop.
This is really painful for me, on the nursery grower side. The trees at the point of planting have lived for at least 6 years, been extensively cared for, and are in perfect health. When professionals don’t properly care for the trees once they've been planted, it’s disheartening.
This is a common issue in Tri-Cities. If you go through any new neighborhood here, you’ll find homeowners commonly let grass grow up to their tree trunks, then either weed-eat into their trees, or simply kill their trees by letting their lawn-mower eat into the trunk each week.
So, number 2 reason trees die in Tri-Cities? I believe it’s weed-eater damage.
What to do about it? I recommend using Round-up or another grass killer to prevent grass from growing close to your trees. Keep grass from growing close to your trees somehow. If it grows close, never cut the grass closely with a lawn mower or weedeater. You will damage your trees, even if you don’t realize it.
