How to care for your birch

Most homeowners enjoy having trees in their landscape, and a popular choice is the birch tree. With their curling bark, birch trees are hard to miss. They do require some care, however, to ensure their health and longevity.

Birch trees have shallow root systems, which makes them extra sensitive to heat and drought. They need cool, moist, nutrientrich soil for their roots and plenty of sunshine for their leaves in order to thrive. Sites that shade the roots in the afternoon and receive plenty of sun above most of the day are ideal. Birch trees need space to grow, as most stand 30 to 65 feet high with a 15 to 30foot spread when fully grown.

Birch trees require regular pruning, watering and fertilizing. When pruning a birch tree, you need to make sure there is a central leader and ample space in the canopy for air and sunlight to penetrate. You should remove all broken, diseased or dead branches and any low-hanging branches. Birches need at least an inch of water per week, either through rainfall or irrigation. Adding mulch around the tree will help preserve moisture in the soil and add vital nutrients to it as it decomposes. Regular fertilization is also important. Maintaining proper nutrients in the soil will help keep the tree vital and protect it against insects and disease.

Just as birch trees are susceptible to heat and drought, they are also susceptible to insects. Pest control is essential. Some of the most common pests that attack birch trees are bronze birch borers, aphids and birch leafminers. Bronze birch borers are wood-boring beetles that penetrate the layers of the tree and disrupt the flow of sap. Aphids also go after the sap, sucking it out and causing the trees to turn yellow and twist. Leafminers attack the leaves of birch trees, leaching them of nutrients and leaving little brown splotches behind.

Birch trees are also susceptible to many diseases, including canker, heart rot and leaf scorch. Canker is caused by a number of organisms and results in small areas of dead tissue that grow bigger as the disease advances. Heart rot is a fungal disease that destroys the wood at the center of the tree trunk and branches, making them weak and prone to breakage. Leaf scorch destroys tissue along the edge of leaves, turning them a brownish-yellow.

Keeping birch trees healthy is not hard, but it does take some time. Homeowners who put in the effort will have beautiful birch trees for years to come.