Do this prep work now to keep your yard low-maintenance during the summer months

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pruning flowers getty — Setting aside a few days in early summer to prune, mulch and fertilize your plants can help keep your yard low-maintenance during the summer months. Photo by Getty Images.

When looking at your summer calendar of plans, property care can often be overlooked, and even purposefully ignored, causing more work after the season ends. Putting aside a few days to do some minimal maintenance and prep work before the summer heat kicks in can make the season more relaxed and less property focused. Here are five simple ways that will make a big impact on your yard while freeing up time to enjoy the space with family and friends.

Apply a layer of mulch around your trees

Benefits:
Helps retain moisture, suppresses weeds and regulates soil temperature.

Here’s what to do:
Apply a 2-inch to 4-inch layer of organic mulch (such as wood chips or bark) around the base of your trees, but keep it a few inches away from the trunk to prevent rot. Be sure not to “volcano mulch” – pile mulch around the base of a tree in a volcano-like shape. This practice can be harmful to trees.

Give your trees a deep watering

Benefits:
Promotes deep root growth, making trees more drought resistant.

Here’s what to do:
Water trees deeply but less frequently. Use soaker hoses or drip-irrigation systems to ensure water reaches deep into the soil.

Prune dead or diseased branches

Benefits:
Removes dead or diseased branches, improves air circulation and shapes the tree.

Here’s what to do:
Prune in early summer after the tree has fully leafed out. Focus on removing dead, damaged or branches that cross over one another.

Adding a layer of mulch around trees and undergrowth beds will protect against weeds and help keep the soil from drying out. Photo courtesy Getty Images.

Add fertilizer to your soil

Benefits:
Can help your trees and plants thrive during the hottest months by providing essential nutrients.

Here’s what to do:
Apply a slow-release fertilizer in early summer. This type of fertilizer comes in granular form, which deteriorates and seeps in the soil over time, ensuring that your plants get a small and steady amount of nutrients throughout the summer months. Talk to your local arborist or nursery if you have questions about how to select or apply fertilizers.

Make a schedule … and stick to it

Benefits:
While many things can be done early in the season, there are a few tasks that need to be done regularly. Create a schedule for weeding, inspecting for pests and diseases and general yard cleanup. This will save you time in the long run.

Here’s what to do:
Schedule routine tasks in multiple, smaller phases. One week, for example, clean your yard of weeds and do a general cleanup. Another week, Inspect and prune your trees.

Plant low-maintenance trees

Benefits:
Tree species that are native to a region or well-adapted to its climate are more likely to thrive and require less maintenance. If you’re thinking of adding some new trees to your landscape this season, consider planting low-maintenance trees.

Here are three suggestions for our region:

Olive tree
This drought-tolerant evergreen requires minimal pruning and produces olives, if not a fruitless variety.
Western redbud
This small, native deciduous tree is drought-tolerant and boasts beautiful pink or magenta flowers and heart-shaped leaves.
Crape myrtle
This tried-and-true option has low-water requirements, needs minimal pruning and has a long blooming season with vibrant summer flowers in various colors.

George Reno is a local arborist at The Davey Tree Expert Company in Menlo Park, which serves communities on the Peninsula, including Menlo Park, Atherton, Palo Alto and Redwood City. If you have a tree-related question, email lifestyle@EmbarcaderoMedia or post in the comments section at the end of this column.