Want to Harvest Sap from Your Trees? Read This First!

On top of having fruit to harvest or beautiful bark to make into paper, certain trees can also produce sap that is ripe for the taking. In fact, some people successfully bring in extra income by planting and harvesting from trees, and that includes draining sap.

But if you’re not a professional in this field, getting started can be daunting. Whether you’re collecting sap from a pine or a birch tree, read this step by step guide to help understand how to harvest sap from your trees. 

Needed Tools 

The first step is to gather the necessary tools to get the job done! You will need:

  • A gathering item, such as a gallon sap bag or a bucket. 
  • Tapping bit. 
  • Drill. 
  • Rubbing Alcohol. 
  • Spouts.
  • Hammer. 
  • Cloth. 

Guide to Gathering Sap 

  • Pick a Tree. You’ll need a healthy and tall tree if you want to harvest sap. Avoid picking any trees that have damage, aren’t fully grown, and have diseases or pests. 
  • Choose Your Side. You can either pick the south side or the north side of the tree to use for collecting sap. While many experts say that the south-facing side runs sap earlier, the north-facing side is best to use if you plan on preserving your sap. 
  • Drill a Hole. Use your drill to create a hole that is approximately one and one half inches wide. Make sure to do this at a slight upward angle and do it as quickly as possible. Once done, verify the wood you drilled into is white and not brown. If it’s brown, move onto another tree. If it’s white, use a nearby twig to get rid of the shavings. 
  • Install Your Spout. The first important step in doing this is to sterilize your spout with your rubbing alcohol. Next, tap the spout into your drilled hole with your hammer. Do so gently without damaging the tree too much. A good rule of thumb is to ensure the spout is tight enough to hold some weight (such as a gathering bag) but not so tight that it’ll split the wood. Once the spout is in, you’re ready to collect sap! 
  • Keep an Eye Out. The entire process will usually take about 14 to 21 days. However, some trees release sap much quicker, so you’ll want to check on your bucket or bag every so often. Otherwise, some of your hard work may go to waste! To put it into perspective, trees produce anyway to ¾ to one gallon of sap a day. 

Have further questions about your trees? Feel free to reach out to us by clicking here or by giving us a call at 404-252-6448.

Understanding the Different Types of Soil

Whether you’re looking at new plants to buy or looking at homes and the yards they rest on, chances are soil has come up in your research. That’s because understanding soil means giving your trees, bushes, flowers, plants, and garden the best chance at thriving under your care. 

If you don’t know the different types of soil yet, you’ve come to the right place. To help you make the best-informed decisions for your plants and yard, we’re describing the different types of soil below!

Different Types of Soil

  • Chalk: Both light and heavy because of its levels of calcium carbonate and lime, this type of soil is perfect for plants and trees that need high levels of acidic. 
  • Clay: This type of soil holds onto a lot of nutrients and levels of water. However, it can dry out quickly and crack while also remaining wet and cold for long periods of time during the winter. Many gardeners and yard owners find it very frustrating. 
  • Loam: A mixture of sand, silt, and clay, this soil is the perfect combination of all the other types! It’s easy to work with, fertile, and has great drainage. 
  • Peat: Most often used to create a fantastic base for planting, peat soil is known for containing a high level of organic matter. It can also retain large amounts of moisture. 
  • Sandy: Light, warm, and dry; sandy soil drains quickly and is easy to work with. However, it can dry out quickly and also has very little nutrients to work with. 
  • Silt: While this soil is very prone to washing away during storms, it does have a high fertility rate. It also drains well and also holds moisture. 

Which Type of Soil to Use?

Now that you know the different types of soil, you might be wondering which one is best for your project. 

  • Want an indoor jungle? It’s best to look up what specific types of soil your plants enjoys. However, in general, loam soil is great for indoor plants. 
  • Planting a garden? Clay soil works wonderfully for gardening. 
  • Want what’s best for your trees? While it always pays to do the research for what soil your particular tree will like, sandy soil is a great, generic option. 

Providing the best type of soil and care for your yard and trees is our speciality. Have further questions about the different types of soil? Feel free to reach out to us by clicking here or by giving us a call at 404-252-6448.

BE A GEORGIA TREE KNOW-IT-ALL: TWO-WINGED SILVERBELL TREE

Get to know Georgia’s beautiful array of trees and how you can take care of your own! Each month, we feature some of the most popular trees in the state. This month, we are showcasing the Two-Winged Silverbell Tree (Halesia diptera). Learn all about the Two-Winged Silverbell Tree below!

Infographic of Two-Winged Silverbell Tree

Summer Storms Got Ya Down? We’ve Storm Cleanup Services

When people think of summer, they usually think of sunshine and time spent by the pool. However, summertime is also the season for thunderstorms, especially if you live in the south where in a matter of minutes storm clouds can take over. Sometimes, this means a nice, gentle afternoon shower to cool things off. Other times, it’s a fierce storm that does a lot of damage, particularly to your trees.

That’s where our experts are proud to step in. After a particularly bad storm, our company will step in and clean up any leftover debris from a nasty thunderstorm or, even worse, tornado or hurricane. But what exactly does that mean? We’re explaining our storm cleanup services below and how we can clean up any messes that mother nature might produce on your property.

How Premier Tree Cleans Up Storms

When violent storms or tornadoes rip through your property, we show up ready to work. Our services cover a large variety of cleaning options. Whether you have a tree that’s fallen over and needs to be removed, or you just have a large amount of branches and leaves strewn about, we do it all. Our expert team will arrive and pick up all debris for you, without you having to get your hands dirty.

Especially when it comes to removing uprooted trees, you need someone you can trust to ensure the process doesn’t do any further damage to your property. We treat your property like it was our own and we’ll leave nothing behind, including no signs of a storm. You also can rest easy knowing that our prices will not increase when a storm catosphere arises.

In short, when your property is at its worst, we are at our best. Have further questions about our storm cleanup services? Feel free to reach out to us by clicking here or by giving us a call at 404-252-6448.

Trees That Produce the Best Shade

During a hot, summer day there’s nothing better than hiding from the intense sun underneath a tree. If you dream of lounging outside while swinging on a hammock or enjoying a picnic, finding trees and shrubs that provide large amounts of shade is essential, especially if you live in the south where the heat can be brutal. Or, maybe, you want to plant certain types of flowers or vegetables that grow best in shade and have no way to provide that on your own.

This is where planting the right type of tree comes in. But with many species out there to choose from, how do you know the trees that produce the best shade? The experts at Premier Tree Solutions are here to make your decision easy.

Feelin’ The Need for Shade? Plant These Trees!

Have further questions about trees that produce the best shade? Our experts are here to help! If you’re interested in utilizing our expertise, feel free to reach out to us by clicking here or by giving us a call at 404-252-6448.

BE A GEORGIA TREE KNOW-IT-ALL: YELLOW BUCKEYE

Get to know Georgia’s beautiful array of trees and how you can take care of your own! Each month, we feature some of the most popular trees in the state. This month, we are showcasing the Yellow Buckeye (Aesculus flava). Learn all about the Yellow Buckeye below!

Infographic with Yellow Buckeye information.

How Planting Trees Impacts the Environment

There’s a lot going on in the world right now. Living through a pandemic, trying our best to stay afloat during turbulent times in the economy, and watching many political movements take place across the globe. However, one problem that’s long existed is environmental sustainability. 

With that in mind, we’re sharing how planting trees impacts the environment.

The Good 

Most people know and believe that a lot of our environmental issues started with the removal of entire forests and thousands upon thousands of trees. That’s because trees are vital to our ecosystem. They absorb greenhouse gases that cause global warming, and when trees are gone, they aren’t able to eat the carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere thanks to our habits. 

Planting more trees helps to take a step back in those issues. More trees mean less global warming, which means less extreme weather and temperatures. 

The Bad

Recently, some studies have researched the true impact that millions of trees planted have on our planet. The results are less than promising. This isn’t to say that the effort shouldn’t be done. It just may not yield the results we’re hoping for as quickly as we would want. 

For starters, simply planting young trees and walking away won’t cut it. Smaller trees don’t have the same benefits as older trees when it comes to processing carbon dioxide. As we all know, nurturing mature trees takes time. On top of this, saplings are at higher risk for succumbing to droughts, diseases, pests, and flooding. This unfortunately means that many of the young trees planted may not make it. 

However, let’s say that all of the trees do make it. Unfortunately, that can lead to other issues too. If thousands of trees are all growing right next to each other, those trees will be stunted in their growth. Severe competition for the same dirt to grow their roots and the same sun to soak up can do that to trees. However, if some trees were removed, it would allow the others to flourish and have plenty of room to grow. 

The other problem with that many trees in the same area is a lack of biodiversity. If we planted thousands of elms in one location, that means all it would take is a single group of pests or diseases to wipe them all out. That’s why planting multiple types of trees can improve the area, but that can be harder to do when it comes to resources and time. 

The End Result 

There’s a lot we’re still learning and trying to accomplish when it comes to improving our environment and saving our home. As we are discovering, planting millions of trees isn’t the only action we need to do. Instead, we need to think about where we plant them, how many we plant, and also focus on improving biodiversity. 

Have further questions about how planting trees impacts the environment? Our experts are here to help! If you’re interested in utilizing our expertise, feel free to reach out to us by clicking here or by giving us a call at 404-252-6448.

Pest-Resistant Trees

If you’re in the process of picking out a new tree or two for your yard, you might be worrying about how to protect your choices from harmful and undetectable pests. The last thing you want is for one of your beautiful trees to fall victim to hungry bugs and also put your other plants in danger. 

Instead of wondering how to protect your trees, it might be better to pick options for your yard that are naturally pest-resistant. While this may sound too good to be true, there are species of trees that have the natural ability to ward off bugs. 

To figure out which trees are more resistant to pets, keep reading below. 

These Trees Don’t Deal with Bugs 

There are some natural Georgia trees that are pest-resistant, and we’re about to go into that list shortly. But if you are extremely worried about bugs harming your plants, it might be best to pick a tree that isn’t natural to our state. Doing so means that the pests that normally harm those trees aren’t in the area, meaning they’ll remain safe. 

However, picking non-native trees can lead to other issues, such as introducing new bugs or diseases to our environment. When deciding, make sure to do plenty of research and also reach out to local tree experts, like our team, for advice. 

But, without further ado, here are some trees you can find in Georgia that are bug resistant: 

  • Bald Cypress
  • Chinese Elm
  • Chinese Fringe Tree
  • Chinese Pistache
  • Ginkgo Tree
  • Japanese Maple 
  • Japanese Zelkova Tree
  • Magnolia 
  • Yellow Buckeye

Have further questions about trees that are more resistant to pets? Our experts are here to help! If you’re interested in utilizing our expertise, feel free to reach out to us by clicking here or by giving us a call at 404-252-6448.

BE A GEORGIA TREE KNOW-IT-ALL: WILLOW OAK

Get to know Georgia’s beautiful array of trees and how you can take care of your own! Each month, we feature some of the most popular trees in the state. This month, we are showcasing the Willow Oak (Quercus phellos). Learn all about the Willow Oak below!

Willow Oak June tree of the month

Fun and Harmless Ways to Decorate Your Trees

Trees are beautiful. From their shining green leaves to the stunning flowers or fruit they produce, there’s nothing as great as a tree to decorate your landscape. But, if you’re hoping to really make your yard pop, you can take the embellishing of your property a step further by sprucing up your trees with accessories.

Here are some of our favorite fun and harmless ways to decorate your trees. 

Bird Feeders 

Want to encourage the birds you see around your property to stay around? Hang a bird feeder from your tree! Depending on what species you have in your yard, you can get a variety of kinds that will feed all of your chirping friends. Don’t forget to all put out a hummingbird feeder to give some substance to the smaller species. 

Wind Chimes 

There’s nothing quite as calming as when a gentle breeze kicks up the leaves on your trees. What would make it even better is if you dangled some wind chimes from the branches. That way you’ll add some musical notes along with the gorgeous nature sounds. 

There are countless examples of wind chimes out there in all styles of art. If you love to craft, you can even make your own! A quick search will show many guides for how to build wind chimes, no matter what aesthetic you’re going for. 

Holiday Fun 

Of course, what would this list be if we didn’t talk about the best time of year to decorate trees: the holidays! Whether you’re stringing lights through the branches for Christmas or hanging a witch from the trunk during Halloween, we really encourage you to get creative, no matter the season. 

Don’t think you only have to decorate during the biggest holidays, either. Have fun during Memorial Day or St. Patrick’s Day too. 

Need help sprucing up your yard with beautiful trees? Our experts are here to help! If you’re interested in utilizing our expertise or want to hear more about fun and harmless ways to decorate your trees, feel free to reach out to us by clicking here or by giving us a call at 404-252-6448.