Category: Tree Maintenance

Worried you might have termites in your trees? This is the place for you.

In this article, our experts will take you through common signs of termite damage in your trees, what you can do about it and how the team at Affordable Tree Service can provide you with professional advice.

Signs of Termite Damage in Trees

Termites can create extreme damage to your trees, which is why an infestation is something you’ll want to address quickly. But how do you know your trees are being attacked by termites?

In this section, we’ll go through some of the more common signs of an infestation.

Hollow Trunk 

If the trunk of your tree is sounding a little hollow,  it might mean it’s been infested by termites.

Soft Timber or Missing Bark

Is your tree trunk softer than usual or missing bark? This is a common sign of a termite infestation and isn’t something you’ll want to ignore.

Mud Tubes

Termites stay hydrated through mud tubes, so if you see them on your tree, it’s probably a sign of infestation.

Nests or Sawdust Piles

Termites make their nests in the inside of your tree trunk or in the soil. While the presence of termite nests or sawdust piles is an obvious sign of an infestation, it’s important to note that they can be difficult to find.

For that reason, you may want to talk to your professional arborist to confirm.

What Can You Do About It?

In terms of DIY methods, there’s not much you can do to manage a termite inspection. The best thing to do is to talk to a professional arborist for assistance.

How Affordable Tree Service Can Help

As a homeowner, you want to be sure you’re getting the right advice to maintain the health of your trees, especially when it comes to termite prevention. And this is something you can be certain of when you contact our professionals at Affordable Tree Service.

Our qualified and highly skilled team members can assist with any number of services to maintain your trees, from stump grinding and land clearing, to health assessments, storm preparation, tree removal and so much more.

If you think your tree may be afflicted with termites, contact us today for an accurate diagnosis.

Summer is now officially in full swing, but are you doing all you can to maintain your trees and shrubs?

In this article, our experts will take you through everything you should be doing to ensure your backyard not only looks great in the summer months, but is as healthy as can be. 

What You Should Be Doing in Summer

While summer may not be the perfect time to plant your trees, shrubs and other plants, there are definitely other things you can do to maintain your  yard and ensure your flora is in optimum health.

Here, we’ll go through the most important tasks you should be doing:

Mulching & Fertilising

Technically, mulching and fertilising should probably be done in Spring, but Summer is also a great time to add mulch to your garden beds (or top up your existing mulch). Ensure you do your research and are using the right mulch/fertiliser for your plants before starting the process.

Pruning

Again, this is something you usually do in Spring (or whenever best advised by your nursery staff – depending on your tree or plant type), but if you haven’t got around to pruning, Summer may just be the time to do so. 

Watering

Everyone knows how hot it can get in Summer in Queensland. So while you need to maintain your own hydration levels, you should also ensure your plants and trees are getting the water they need to survive extreme heat.

Where possible, try to water your yard early in the day or later in the afternoon, when it’s a little cooler and you don’t burn your plants and trees.

Inspecting Your Flora

It might seem a little excessive, but it’s a good idea to inspect your trees every day (or as often as possible) if you want them to maintain their health.

By doing this, you will pick up on any anomalies and deal with smaller problems before they become major issues that will affect the rest of your plants.

Prepare for Storms

You’ll likely want to have prepared for storms before storm season starts, but the reality is that thunderstorms can hit at any time of the year. They’re just a lot more likely to occur in the warmer months.

The best way to prepare for storms in terms of your plants and trees is to arrange an inspection to assess which ones in your yard are likely to fall in a storm and cause damage to your property.

By removing the offending trees, you minimise the risk of damage, which keeps you and your family safe.

Organise Pest Control

In Summer, there are a lot of different pests around. If you spot pests and other nasty insects on your trees and plants, you might want to organise for a professional pest control company to come and inspect your property.

This will, hopefully, keep the disease and/or damage contained to that particular area, instead of spreading to nearby plants and trees.

Prevent Fires

Debris such as leaves, branches and other green waste are quite literally fuel for fire, and this is especially something you want to avoid in the Summer months (when the potential for bushfires increases exponentially).

Do the right thing and clean up your yard, or arrange for a professional land clearing team to get the job done.

How Affordable Tree Service Can Help

As a homeowner, you want to be sure you’re getting the right advice to maintain the health of your trees. And this is something you can be certain of when you contact our professionals at Affordable Tree Service.

Our qualified and highly skilled team members can assist with any number of services to maintain your trees, from stump grinding and land clearing, to health assessments, storm preparation, tree removal and so much more.

For expert help with maintaining your trees during Summer, contact us today.

Do you have a palm tree in your yard but don’t use professional palm cleaning services?

In this article, our experts will discuss what palm cleaning is, the benefits of investing in it, if you can do it yourself and when to call our qualified team members at Affordable Tree Service for assistance.

What is Palm Tree Cleaning?

Let’s start with the basics. What is palm tree cleaning, exactly?

Palm tree cleaning is fairly self-explanatory, really. It’s simply about removing any dead fronds seeds and other unnecessary hanging foliage from your tree. When cleaning your tree, you should also remove any pods as these attract birds and bats.

Can You DIY Palm Cleaning?

Technically, you can do your own palm tree cleaning. But the question is whether you actually should. Tree maintenance and palm tree cleaning can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing or have the proper qualifications and knowledge to get it done right and efficiently.

It’s also very time consuming and can be quite expensive when you factor in the cost of hiring equipment, obtaining permits and everything else that is involved.

For these reasons we would never recommend you attempt to do palm cleaning on your property yourself. Always contact a professional like those we have on our team at Affordable Tree Service. 

Why You Should Invest in Palm Tree Cleaning

As with other tree maintenance, there are so many benefits of investing in palm tree cleaning services. Here we’ll discuss some of the most common advantages:

Aesthetically Pleasing

When well maintained, palm trees are a great addition to your property, and can give your landscaping a grand appeal. But when you don’t have them regularly cleaned, they can look scraggly and off-putting, which is not great.

This is especially advantageous if you want to increase your curb appeal when selling your property. 

Maintain Tree Health

If you’re going to have palm trees in your yard, you want to make sure they’re healthy. You can do this by ensuring your trees are maintained and professionally cleaned on a regular basis.

Improve Longevity

It almost goes without saying, but a healthier tree will live longer. When you invest in palm cleaning, you are improving your chances of your tree living longer.

Prevents Pests

Pests can destroy not only your palm tree but other plants and foliage on your property. If your palm tree is not cleaned regularly, you run the risk of attracting pests to your home and endangering your plants.

Safer

We’ve mentioned that we would not recommend cleaning palm trees yourself because of the danger involved. That’s one of the benefits of investing in professional tree cleaning. Not only will you get rid of the berries and fronds that could fall and potentially hurt someone, you also don’t have to put yourself at risk because you’ve arranged for a professional to do the work for you.

Save Time & Money

Another thing we touched on before was the cost involved in hiring equipment to do palm tree cleaning. When you choose to work with our professionals, you are essentially saving time and money, and who doesn’t love that?

When to Contact Affordable Tree Service

Affordable Tree Service has been working in this industry for over four decades, and we have the experience to match. All our team members are qualified, licensed and specially trained in palm tree maintenance and cleaning services to complete your work professionally and efficiently.

We even bring our own equipment and clean up after ourselves, so you don’t have to worry about a thing!

Need palm tree cleaning on your property? Call our qualified experts today to arrange an obligation-free quote.

If a tree gets really sick, you need to do something about it.

In this article, we’ll discuss common tree diseases you need to be aware of when planting trees in Queensland, signs your tree might be sick and what to do about it.

We’ll also talk about when you’re able to diagnose a tree yourself, and when it’s best to consult the experts.

Common Tree Diseases in Queensland

No matter how much you care for your trees, it’s a fact of life that they may eventually fall victim to diseases and become sick.

Here we’ll break down the different types of tree diseases you need to be aware of in Queensland and signs you may have an unhealthy tree on your hands.

Cypress Canker

Cypress canker is a huge problem for conifer trees. It spreads via the wind, water and insects. It is known for thriving in wet conditions where a tree becomes waterlogged.

Myrtle Rust

Myrtle rust is highly infectious and should be treated quickly by a professional. This disease commonly attacks natives like bottlebrush, eucalyptus and tea trees.

It prevents new growth and weakens the immune system. If left to spread throughout your tree or to other trees, it will kill them.

Peacock Spot

Peacock spot is common among olive trees. Left untreated, it will result in stunted growth and poor fruit development.

Root Rot

Root rot is definitely a tree disease you need to be aware of, as initially, it can be difficult to identify. This is because it starts underground and doesn’t make itself known until well advanced.

Citrus Gall Wasp

As indicated by its name, the citrus gall wasp attacks fruit and citrus trees. It presents itself with a small protrusion (or gall) which needs to be removed as quickly as possible.

Pink Disease

Pink disease is another problem prevalent in citrus trees or woody trees, especially those in tropical climates. Look out for fungi with this one.

Signs Your Tree May Be Sick or Infected by Pests

While every disease presents with its own symptoms, there are some signs to look out for if you want to ensure your trees remain healthy. Common indications of a sick tree are:

• pale and yellowing leaves or branches
• wilting or chewed leaves
• peeling or cracked bark
• absence of lush growth
• presence of galls (on fruit or citrus trees)
• fungi
• yellow spores
• pests or insects on bark, trunk or leaves
• black spots
• white spots
• ringbarking
• slow growth or no growth at all
• brown or grey spots (particularly those with purple or red haloes)

What to Do if You Think a Tree is Sick, Pest Infected or Dying

If you think a tree is sick, pest-infected or dying, we would not recommend trying to diagnose the issue yourself.

Our highly-skilled team of qualified arborists and professionals can provide you with an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan, as well as options for removal.

To arrange for an accurate diagnosis of your sick tree or engage our removal services, get in touch with us today.

When it comes to tree or stump removal, cost is often a major consideration for many homeowners.

In this article, we’ll discuss what you can expect to pay when organising professional stump removal services on your property, the factors that influence this and when to contact the experts at Affordable Tree Service for assistance.

What’s the Average Cost of Tree or Stump Removal?

Unfortunately, there’s no one price you can expect to pay when organising professional tree or stump removal services. Some tree removal will cost a couple of hundred dollars while others are much more expensive.

What Factors Influence the Cost of Professional Stump Removal Services?

There are several factors you need to consider when organising professional stump removal services, all of which may influence the cost you can expect to pay.

In this section, we’ll break down some of the most common considerations and how they affect the potential cost of your service.

Permits

Often if you want to remove a particular tree or stump in Brisbane or Queensland properties, you need to consult council for permission.

While your tree removal professional can help you in terms of providing direction, and often already have the right licensing needed to remove stumps, additional licensing or restrictions may increase your quote.

Type of Tree or Stump and Service Required

The type of tree stump you need to have removed will greatly influence the type of stump removal.

For instance, softer trees like palms are potentially a lot easier to remove than other trees, so you may not need specialist equipment. In this case, the cost may be a lot cheaper than other tree types and will often help determine the type of service you require from your experienced tree removal specialist.

Root Systems

Root systems sometimes come down to the type of tree, however this is worth its own point of consideration when helping to determine the cost of your service.

Understandably, the deeper and more ingrained the root system, the more difficult it may be to remove the stump. This may influence the amount of labour (and potential equipment) required, which in turn will determine the price.

Number of Trees

The more trees you have to remove, the more expensive your stump removal services will be. That’s why you need to specify this when requesting a quote from your professional stump removal service.

Condition

Often, the condition of a tree or stump will be taken into account and will help determine stump removal cost.

For instance, if a tree is dead but still in relatively good condition, it is likely that the cost will be much less than one that is incredibly sick or in terrible condition.

Clean Up

At Affordable Tree Service, we try to keep our work areas as clean as possible and leave your property in the same condition as we found it. However, this is something we (and others like us) need to consider when providing you with an accurate estimate.

Accessibility

Accessibility plays a large part in determining cost, just in the same way as the type of service you require and the type of tree you have will.

For instance, if access to the stump in question is tricky, and we need specialist equipment to access the area, this will need to be factored into any costs we provide you with when quoting on services.

When to Contact Affordable Tree Service

At Affordable Tree Service, we pride ourselves on providing quality service for stump removal that doesn’t cost you the earth. For a professional, reliable service you can trust, contact our team today.

To arrange an obligation free quote for your stump removal cost, get in touch with our experts at Affordable Tree Service.