Seeing trees grow proud and tall makes any property owner’s heart swell. An overgrown tree can threaten your street’s safety, though.
Tree Care Inc.’s reputable tree service in Louisville, KY, has seen both scenarios play out. Throughout our experiences, we’ve also seen the damage that neglected, overgrown specimens can do and the importance of our work in keeping our friends and neighbors safe.
Below, we’ve outlined what overgrowth looks like and what you can do about it. Inspect your trees for the signs listed below. Then, contact us for professional tree services near you.
How Does Your Overgrown Tree Look?
Some overgrown trees remain perfectly healthy with a quick trim to thin out the extra branches. Other specimens develop poor tree health, which an arborist will need to quickly address. Without intervention, this unhealthy overgrowth could make branches or the entire tree fall and strike a person, a building, or a valuable possession like a car.
How can you tell when one of your trees has grown out too much?
- Some limbs sag toward the ground.
- The crown looks misshapen.
- Some branches cross over others.
- Sunlight barely filters through the canopy.
These are visual cues to look more closely at the tree’s condition.
When To Schedule Services for Your Overgrown Tree
Does your tree need immediate professional attention? The following symptoms mean that some force of nature is actively attacking the wood or structural integrity, and a pruning service could solve the problem by targeting the overgrowth.
The Tree Hangs Onto Deadwood
Do one or two specimens have dead branches hanging on by a thread? Those limbs are still attached to the trunk, but only by a sliver of wood. Large dead limbs are safety hazards from above, especially near power lines or property.
You might also notice branches with no leaves that seem otherwise intact. A leafless but seemingly secure branch diminishes your property’s safety and needs attention.
The Trunk Looks Like It’s Leaning
Sometimes, an overgrown tree has more limbs on one side than the other, unbalancing the trunk. These specimens are more prone to breaking off or falling altogether during windy storms or following excessive rain.
A tree surgeon might approach the problem by pruning the excess branches first to correct the imbalance, although the trunk may still need additional support. Cabling and bracing support the tree to grow more upright while gently pulling the tree in the correct direction.
The Tree Is a Magnet for Creepy Crawlies
Trees in Louisville, Kentucky, must constantly fight off disease or pests. A healthy specimen has no trouble protecting itself through its natural immune functions, but overgrown trees support so many branches and leaves that they have limited resources. As a result, you might notice these common Kentucky bugs inhabiting your overgrown, sickly tree:
- Emerald ash borers: This vibrant green insect has an elongated body and can attack an overgrown tree by digging extensive tunnels through its heartwood.
- Bagworms: The dusty gray or spotted moth lays eggs on a susceptible tree. The caterpillars hatch, decimate the foliage, and repeat the cycle.
- Tree mites: There are numerous species of these tiny arachnids, such as spider mites and spruce mites. You’ll see extensive, finely threaded webs and foliage damage before you notice the pests themselves.
- Spotted lanternfly: These insects resemble moths and sport striking crimson, white, and black wings with spots. They aggressively feast on the tree’s sap before excreting the waste and enticing other pests to continue the destruction of the wood.
Research the signs of these and other local pests, and check for photos so you know what you’re looking at when you see them. An arborist like Tree Care Inc. must cut the impacted branches and treat the rest of the trees with a pesticide if pests are a problem.
You Can See Noticeable Structural Damage
Structural damage to trees comes in many forms. For example:
- Trunk cavities: Small, smooth cavities rarely pose a threat, but large holes surrounded by damp or dry wood mean that your tree is actively decaying.
- Root exposure: You shouldn’t see many roots surfacing. Large swaths of visible, snaking roots show that your tree isn’t securely in the ground.
- Odd scars or growths: Trees covered in warts, rough scars, or jelly-like formations could have diseases or old injuries. An overgrown tree is more susceptible to such oddities with its thinly stretched resources.
- Uprooting: Dense foliage on one side combined with powerful winds spells disaster for many overgrown specimens. Wind can easily uproot them, with the over-foliated half weighing them down.
- Split trunks: Y, U, or V-shaped trunks are particularly hazardous. You might even see scarring where the two trunks meet from previous stress and splitting.
You should quickly address noticeable damage to save a tree and protect your property.
Mushrooms Have Overtaken the Roots or Trunk
Mushrooms and other fungal growths love to feast on deadwood. They break down dead tissues, which enriches the soil, but they aren’t good. Their presence on a tree’s root system or trunk means the specimen is dying or already dead.
Arborists usually suggest that you remove the tree right away. A supportive trunk and secure roots will only break down further if nutrients or hydration cannot move through dead tree tissues.
The Branches or Trunk Are Too Close for Comfort
A less fatal symptom of an overgrown tree is a dense crown or branch overgrowth. The tree seems structurally healthy, but it needs a quick trim to retain its shape. If so, you’ll see the following symptoms:
- Crossed branches
- No sunlight filtering through the crown
- Heavy, bowing limbs
- Scarring or unhealed breakage where the branch meets the trunk
The best time to prune trees is during early spring when they awaken from their winter dormancy. They can quickly heal from the tree pruning service throughout the growing season and produce fresh, healthy growth.
Contact Tree Care Inc. for Trimming and Removal Assistance in Louisville, Kentucky
Tree Care Inc. offers overgrown tree maintenance and 24/7 assistance for any tree emergency in Louisville, Kentucky. Call 502-326-3661 for assistance from our experienced arborists.