SGTreeBlog

Yukka Be Gone!

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 01:44:05 GMT

Yukka, Yucca - either way, these plants have got to go!

Once a peak landscaping design choice has now become incredibly problematic for the Australian garden…. you know its name, The Yukka or The Yucca, however you want to spell it, they’re awful.

There are around thirty species of yukka/yucca in Australia, however, the plant is native to southern USA and Mexico. Yukka’s roots are well known for their strength and ability to spread which makes them a problem as they commonly damage foundations, retaining walls, driveways and fences. As they mature their base often grows completely out of control and becomes increasingly challenging to remove.

At South Gippsland Tree Care we are dedicated to finding a better solution for your garden. The team is well experienced in the removal of this invasive plant, and has the scars to prove it , they weren’t joking when they coined the nickname Adam’s needle! Incredibly, in a study by the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in Melbourne, 28 people over a five-year period presented with ear injuries directly caused by a yukka. Sadly, one in seven of those people also suffered from permanent hearing loss in the injured ear (source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-20/yucca-plants-blamed-for-ear-injuries-in-the-garden/9343216 )

Our tactic is to cut the yukka/yucca at the base, as close to the ground as possible. The plant base is then poisoned in a targeted and conscious way to prevent further growth; the base will then die and quickly rot which then will allow what is left to be completely removed. While it is possible for some yuccas to be removed from the root with our stump grinder, due to most of the plants being planted in river pebbles this is on a case-by-case basis as these pebbles and the stump grinder do not mix.

As we continue to do our part for the environment, we encourage our clients to keep the mulch that is created when removing the yuccas. Typically, most yuccas will go into landfill which is unnecessary given the information we know about them being a compostable landscape product.

Yuccas make a great mulching product, although the old leaves may not be to each person’s aesthetic taste, yucca mulch is proven to be a great weed suppressor and is a great moisture retention tool as well as providing much needed nutrients when it begins to break down.

Many clients ask us “but won’t the mulch just grow more yuccas!?” and the short answer is no…. sigh of relief! The mulch that you recycle on your garden for your more prized plants will not be conducive to growing new yuccas.

For our clients who would prefer to never see a yucca/yukka again in any form, we are happy to take the mulch with us! Removal of this biproduct is included in our service, we always ensure the space is left clean and free of plant matter you don’t want or need.

For more information on how we can help you remove these invasive plants from your garden give us a call on
0477 131 599 or an email at info@sgtreecare.com.au and we’ll work with you to create a better space.

How to save money on tree work

Sat, 31 Aug 2019 10:13:54 GMT

Our customers are as diverse as the trees upon which we work - from property moguls, to first home buyers, to pensioners. Unless you live in an apartment, you'll likely need our services at some point. Navigating multiple quotes can be a minefield- prices may vary considerably... from too-good-to-be-true cheap (un-qualifed, un-insured or un-reliable) to more-than-you-expected expensive. How can we help?

So you've just had a visit from one of our Arborists (more than likely Evan...) He was prompt, attentive and accurately recorded your requests in a detailed written quote... but for some reason the price is a little out of your budget. Rather than have you fall into the hands of a discount tree hacker, there are a few ways we can help bring the costs down:

1. Ask your neighbours

While we do our best to bundle jobs to cut down on wasted travel time between towns, we do need to account for this time in our quotes. A great way for everyone to save some money is to get a few of your neighbours on board for a quote at the same time. Not only does this make quoting more efficient, it also means the cost of travel, set-up and pack-up can be shared between a few people.

2. Be flexible

While we probably won't trade gymnastics lessons for tree work, a flexible schedule could help to keep costs down. If you're able to have the work done with little notice, or don't need it done yesterday, we could use your job as a filler for when we're in the area or if another job cancels.

3. Get less work done

So we've quoted you a full banquet, but you don't want the dessert? No worries! If it's pruning you're after, maybe a little less 'detail' work would suffice? If it's a removal, maybe you or a friend could cut up or remove some of the debris when it's on the ground? If you've got loads of time and a rake, maybe you could handle the clean up yourself? We pride ourselves on providing a quick, clean service from start to finish, but we're open to discuss other options if it helps us meet your budget.

4. Get more work done

Ok ok, hear us out. Of course getting more work done will cost more up front, but how much might it save in the long run? If we're already going to be there anyway, you could save hundreds by getting extra jobs done at the same time. Just be sure to let us know at the quoting stage so we can factor it into our schedule. Another consideration might be the long term cost of inaction (eg. not pruning a dangerous tree) or from hiring someone who might rush the job (albeit cheaper initially - search for 'tree fails' on Youtube...)

5. Keep the wood and/or mulch

Have a fireplace? Have some garden beds? Hauling away and disposing of material can add to the cost of tree work, so if you have the capacity to keep some of the material this may help keep the costs down. Plus, tree mulch is an excellent organic health tonic for your garden!

6. Payment options

If you're experiencing hardship we do occasionally offer flexible payment arrangements, or extended terms (for example, if the work is unexpected or urgent).

Let's talk! At the end of the day you've nothing to lose by asking for clarification, explanation or alteration to your quote. We pride ourselves in taking the time to be attentive to your needs during the initial quote, and we're more than happy to carry that relationship forward until both parties are happy.
So what are you waiting for? Contact us today! :)

How much does an Arborist cost?

Mon, 04 Mar 2019 10:26:35 GMT

He climbs like a monkey and cuts like a beaver. He's an arborist. But how much does he charge? Like a plumber? Like a gardener? Like a dentist?Like a wounded bull??

If you're still reading this then we'll assume curiosity got the better of you. Let me tell you, "tree work ain't free work". Sometimes the cheapest quote ends up being the most expensive - go search "tree fails" on Youtube and see for yourself...eek! It's an industry that clearly doesn't take prisoners when it comes to safety, so what should you expect from a decent tree service?

Let's look at our typical setup:
We run an efficient 3-5 person crew comprised of at least 2 qualified Arborists/climbers, an apprentice and 1 or 2 labourers. On any given week we bring literally hundreds of thousands dollars worth of awesome professional equipment to jobs including tipper trucks, cherry picker, an industrial wood chipper, wheel loader, stump grinder, chainsaws, polesaws, hedge trimmers and specialist climbing/rigging/safety equipment. Over time we've built up this vast array of 'stuff' to help us meet or exceed customer expectations, get the job done faster and (most importantly) safer.

Tree businesses come in many different flavours (some sweet, some sour), which makes it fairly useless to compare hourly rates. The only real way to compare prices is with a fixed, written quote (being very careful to compare what IS or IS NOT included in the price). Of course, you came here looking for tasty numbers...so as a rough guide (as with most professional services) you should expect at least $100 per man hour + extra depending on plant & equipment required. If you've ever watched a tight knit crew working with the right tools, you'd be amazed how much work can be achieved per hour.

If you're still reading, congratulations! Does this information tell you how much trees cost to prune or remove? No? Better get in touch for a free quote then! We may not be the cheapest (cheap + chainsaws = Youtube) but we proudly offer a quality service and we are always open to discuss other options if you can't quite afford out quote. We hope to hear from you soon!

Why is it so hard to get MULCH?!

Sun, 17 Feb 2019 09:47:34 GMT

Asking an Arborist for mulch...sometimes you'd be more successful procuring your own through alchemy. Let's go straight to the source and ask this otherwise friendly man-of-the-trees straight up - why is it so hard to get mulch delivered???

What a nice looking man. Anyway... We get asked for mulch ALL-THE-TIME. We also make heaps (literally) of it every day. Chipping branches is a really efficient way for us to compress and transport tree debris from our pruning and removal work. It just so happens to be a really excellent product for your garden! (but if you're in the market for mulch, you already knew that)

So where DOES all our mulch go?

A lot of customers keep the mulch for their own use
We get left with random small loads too small to sell that we keep
Some loads may get contaminated with weeds which we also keep (hey, we're not picky)
Finally, a very small amount is available for sale - sometimes a lot in one place all at once

We sell 5 metre loads of mulch for $100 - the mulch itself has no value, the cost is simply the time taken to leave the jobsite and deliver it. Thus, we need to sell mulch really close to the point of origin. 95% of our work is private residential, with most jobs centred in Korumbura, Inverloch, Wonthaggi and Leongatha - leaving an even smaller supply in the outlying towns. If you live out of town you'd be better contacting one of the powerline contractors as they're often looking for dump spots close to the powerlines.

In conclusion - it's not you, it's me. We're sorry it has to be this way. If you'd like to go on the list please send us an email If you want to improve your chances (including emergency drops which may be FREE), have a location accessible to us at all times, be friendly to us busy tree-folk and help support our small business by sharing this post!

Removing a huge Bluegum in Korumburra

info@sgtreecare.com.au (Evan Enbom) — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 09:45:11 GMT

We were recently called out to inspect a massive old Bluegum on the outskirts of Korumburra, Victoria. We are huge proponents of retaining old trees whenever possible, but this time removal was the only (sensible) option. Our clients were becoming increasingly concerned for the safety of their tree....and with very good reason...

They explained that they'd owned the property for 14 years and somebody had 'lopped' the tree around 30 years ago. Lopping, or 'topping' is the practice of cutting the top out of a mature tree, usually with the intention of stopping it's growth. Not only does it not stop growth, the trunk will often rot out while huge, poorly attached regrowth shoots for the sky, often breaking away unexpectedly. In this case we had 30 years of 15+ metre regrowth attached to a hollow trunk on a 30 metre tall tree AND only 8 metres from a house! Scary stuff! Pruning simply wasn't going to be an option...

The decision was made to fell the tree through an opening in the treeline into an adjoining paddock (Watch out ponies!!)
We remotely set up a winch line 2/3rds up in the canopy, cleared the area of people, gathered our tools and began our felling cuts.

Here's Evan pounding wedges while Byron (off camera) operates the winch. In total it took 7 wedges combined with the winch to safely ease the tree down to the ground.

And oh my, was she hollow! Check this out...

...this is the old topping cut from many years ago, looking 15 metres down the hollow trunk right out the bottom! All well and good out in a paddock, a totally different story next to a house. Loads of huge 2 to 3 ft diameter leaders barely attached at all, yuck!

Here's one of our shorter employees 'Matt' fitting quite comfortably inside the hollow trunk...

...And our tallest employee (yours truly) getting lost inside the stump!

It's a real shame the old girl wasn't given a fair go - maybe with better pruning back in the '80's, or if the house were built further away, she'd still be with us today. If you've recently moved or have large trees on your property with an unknown history please get them assessed today

Can a whipper snipper kill a tree?

info@sgtreecare.com.au (Evan Enbom) — Sun, 16 Dec 2018 09:35:10 GMT

Ahh, the humble whipper snipper. Who doesn't love the sound of a throaty, smelly 2 stoke at 7am on a Sunday morning? Love 'em or hate 'em, they're an indispensable tool for neatening our green interfaces. But would you believe me if I told you they're a leading cause of tree decline in the backyard?

Here's a fairly standard scenario - You or the gardener mows the lawn beautifully, I mean daamn! ... Alas, you notice the unsightly long grass around the bottom of your trees. Curses!! Instinctively, one reaches for the whipper snipper, that amazing invention kind of like a mower on a stick. After several attempts at starting the ****ing thing, a trip to the mower shop and a cheeseburger from MCD's, you expertly whizz off all of that annoying grass with amazing skill and dexterity. What a human! Looks tops!! Bonza!!! Whoops...minor damage to the trunk occurs at this time, but you could care less, right? Right.

First up, any wound to a trees trunk should be avoided - not only are you severing vital pathways between roots and leaves, you're also opening up structural wood to decay organisms. To make matters worse, the first thing people often do after whipper snipping around trees is they spray some Roundup to stop said-grass from returning...doh! Many a healthy mature tree has suffered or died due to such an innocent mistake.

Hold your gardener to account - check the bases of all your trees!
Another common problem arising from whipper-snipper damage is 'collar rot', caused by mounding mulch up against a freshly exposed wound low on the trunk of the tree.

...Alright wise guy, what's the solution?

That's right - hand weeding! YAAYY! By all means, snip that grass as close as you dare, but get on your knees for the last little bit. If you must spray, always follow the directions on the the bottle (ie. use the lowest dose, not the highest!) and check for any wounds on the trunk or surface roots first. When mulching, scoop it away from the trunk when applying, and check regularly to ensure the trunk remains clear.
Happy days!

Do dead trees cost more to remove?

info@sgtreecare.com.au (Evan Enbom) — Mon, 03 Dec 2018 09:44:19 GMT

Do they!?!? Short answer yes with an if, long answer no with a but...

As Arborists we get a real mixed bag of jobs - from opulent hedge trims and fine tree pruning, through to monster removals and (often) reallllllly nasty stuff. Today we're going to look at 3 reasons why DEAD trees might cost you more to remove, and how to avoid paying too much...

1. Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast...

As climbing arborists we need to treat dead trees differently to living trees. As wood dries out it reacts differently than living wood wood (so punny dad). Pieces must be cut smaller and more thought must be put into how we 'work' the tree. Furthermore, the high tie-in points we normally use for our access ropes may be too unsafe to use, making access more difficult and time consuming.

2. Pick up sticks...

Logically, a dead tree is physically smaller than when it was alive, often being devoid of leaves, bark and moisture afterall...right? Well all those little twigs, dead leaves and shedding bark often add up to a HUGE amount of extra cleanup once they hit the ground. They're also physically harder on our cutting equipment meaning more frequent sharpening.

4. Deadly

Finally, a dead tree could be a deadly tree. No matter how thorough our tree inspections, how safe our gear is or how experienced we are, there are always going to be some 'unknowns' with dead or structurally unsound trees. The longer it's been dead, the more risk and unknowns there are.

So how do I avoid paying more than I should?

If you have a dead or structurally unsound tree please get it removed as soon as possible. Don't leave it for 5 or 10 years thinking it might bounce back; don't leave it hoping that it might fall down on its own; and don't expect it to ever get any cheaper. An Arborist some day will thank you for it... hopefully y ours truly , bless your cotton socks :)

Pruning a massive Cypress on the Bass Coast

info@sgtreecare.com.au (Evan Enbom) — Sun, 18 Nov 2018 09:33:23 GMT

An elderly lady named Elizabeth recently reached out to us for a quote to remove her massive Monterey cypress in The Gurdies (on the Bass Coast in Victoria). Despite her requesting a full removal, what immediately struck me was her overall fondness for the tree. She waxed lyrical about the trees immense stature and history, even presenting us with an apparent photograph of the young tree taken in 1937 (see below)...

If this was indeed a picture of the same tree, that places its probable age at around 100 years old. Elizabeth's primary concern was some dieback in the canopy and the fire danger that this may cause. We discussed the matter and parted ways while I ruminated on the trees future...

What a beast! (the tree that is, but seriously have a shave mate!) We sent Elizabeth a quote to remove the tree as requested, but also slipped in another quote and recommendation to give it a prune instead. After a few weeks she gave me a call asking to go ahead with the pruning work instead of the removal, huzzuh! Alright, let's get started...

Here's the 'before' photo. As you can see there's quite a bit of dead stuff to be cleared out (especially over the sheds), including a lot of branches that can't be seen in this picture. As you may be aware, there has been an amalgam of diseases going around killing cypress tree over the last few years known as "Cypress Decline". Whether this dieback is a result of that or other environmental stress, we don't know. The removal of possible disease-harbouring deadwood and thinning of the canopy can only help, although in an ideal world we would have recommended a large scale mulching and irrigation setup. In this case it simply wasn't in our clients budget, so we did what we could.

Here's yours truly getting stuck into it (can you find me?) It's only with human scale that you get a sense of how big this tree really is. This picture was probably taken about 75% through the job, having worked our way up the right hand side to the top, and on my way back down the left. Check out the finished article below...

Voila! Ain't she a beauty? Elizabeth was very impressed (probably moreso with our climbing techniques according to her!). Besides, it's nice to save an old tree from the chop for a change - even though a removal could have been equally justifiable. So, will it continue to die back? Probably. Will it live another hundred years? Doubtful. Will it give shade and tranquillity to an elderly lady entering her twilight years? Absolutely.

And just in case you missed it, here's a side by side comparison below...

There's often a diamond in the rough to be unearthed, even in the common cypress so synonymous with this region of Victoria. Get in touch for a free quote today and let's see what we can do to beautify your property!

How to plant Bamboo

info@sgtreecare.com.au (Evan Enbom) — Sun, 28 Oct 2018 10:21:51 GMT

(without letting it take over the neighbourhood)

There's no plant that divides public opinion more than Bamboo. Broadly speaking, there are 2 'types' of Bamboo - "clumping" and "running". Clumping species only spread very slowly and are the best option for the lazy gardener. "Oldhamii" is a popular, and adequate option for the Victorian gardener. On the downside, clumping species are slow to get established and sometimes not very cold hardy. Running species on the other hand are much more versatile and hardy, although as the name implies they spread very quickly using a network of underground runners (think Kikuyu grass x10). Although clumpers seem like the obvious choice, we'll be focusing on runners. Runners do very well in pots, but they can also be grown in the *eek* ground! Feeling brave?
Welcome to...Jurassic Park...

Da na na na naa, da na na...
If we learnt ANYTHING from Jurassic Park (besides Jeff Goldblums tenacious charisma) it's that you need GOOD FENCES... especially for the T-Rex. You see, despite running bamboos incredible growth rate and ability to spread many metres underground, it only has very shallow roots (just like the T-rex has short arms am-I-right?). In this way it can be controlled in-ground with a tough HDPE root barrier. Again with the T-rex thing, it's obviously more effective to put a decent barrier in place first, otherwise you'll be forever chasing it around your garden.

Step 1: Acquire root barrier

Firstly you're going to need to get yourself some root barrier. It's relatively inexpensive, often sold in rolls of 30 or 50 metre lengths. Common widths are 600mm and 900mm - in our reasonably poor soil near Korumburra in South Gippsland, Victoria the 600mm is sufficient (we start hitting sandstone at about 500mm). In sandy or deeper soil you might want the 900mm. You can also get a smooth or crinkled finish - the theory with the crinkled is to deflect roots, but for bamboo either should work fine.

Step 2: Get digging

For this step you'll need a sharp pointed shovel, trenching shovel and a tape measure to measure the trench (alternatively a small offcut of root barrier). If you're working in a large open area, hiring a trencher would be a huge advantage.
First, define the area you want to keep the bamboo in with marking paint. If you're working in a built up area, you might want to 'dial before you dig' and if you're working around mature trees it might be a good idea to contact us before cutting through the roots.

A hoe is also a handy weapon in tough clay soil. To monitor the spread of runners over the top of the finished barrier you'll need to leave about 50mm sitting above the finished surface (Example: you're using 600mm barrier and you're planning to mulch, so you'll need to dig a 450 to 500mm deep trench which gives enough room for mulch AND the lip of root barrier above it). Digging trenches is hard, slow, thirsty work...if you couldn't hire a trencher or get a professional to do it for you....good luck!

Step 3: Install root barrier

Install the root barrier, angling it inwards at the bottom of the trench as much as possible (you want the rhizomes to grow upwards and not downwards as much as possible). Overlap the ends by at least 1 metre, and tape the join with something like gorilla tape. The crinkled finish doesn't allow taping, so we lined up the pieces and packed soil on both sides making a very tight join. Backfill the rest of the trench with subsoil, avoiding any sharp objects that might puncture the barrier.

Step 4: Plant bamboo and apply mulch

Plant your bamboo in the desired location (it's going to fill the whole space, so don't stress too much K!) Apply some nice bush mulch to help it get established, being sure to leave that barrier exposed around the edges. As the bamboo grows simply pick up any runners that try to make a getaway and direct them back inside the barrier.
Congratulations! You've successfully installed bamboo the right way - your reward will hopefully be many, many years of hassle free growing and the shear ecstasy of admiring your lush grove each and every day.

Question: HELP! I hate bamboo and want to get rid of it!

It's difficult, but it can be done with the right herbicides and equipment. Contact us for a free quote and we'll assess which solution will be most effective. Mature stands of bamboo can also be contained with root barriers, although it may take several applications of herbicide to kill off the material outside of the barrier.

Spring orchard guide

info@sgtreecare.com.au (Evan Enbom) — Tue, 23 Oct 2018 09:50:28 GMT

Get a head start on Summer with these simple tasks...

The leaves are out, the trees have flowered, small fruit are beginning to set, it's SPRING - what an exciting time to own an orchard! Whether you have 1 tree or 100, there are a few simple tasks that almost anyone can get stuck into before Summer. Let's get started....

Almost all fruit trees are grafted onto the roots of a different tree to control its growth and to lend better disease resistance. This graft (pictured here as a line in the bark where the stem curves) MUST be planted above ground level, and it MUST be monitored for growth originating below it. At this time of year (and with younger trees) this is a simple matter of pinching off any shoots. For older suckers you'll need secateurs or a pruning saw, and you'll have to cut them off as low as possible. Keep on top of them now or they'll persistently haunt you year after year!

Eww a bug! All that fresh leafy growth hasn't gone unnoticed by the gardeners arch nemesis - the Aphid.
Aphids live in what might be described as an Orwellian Feminist society - during the warmer months they do away with male aphids altogether with the females cloning themselves instead. Aphid babies are born pregnant with more cloned aphid babies so before you know it they're everywhere!
Organic Aphid control methods:
Blast them off with a hose, or better yet dilute a few tablespoons of dish soap in a small bucket of tepid water and use a spray bottle to apply the mixture to affected leaves or stems (this drys them out and kills them without harming the plant). Also encourage more birds into your garden (leave nets off fruit trees until Summer) and remember not to overfertilize your trees (after all, aphids love to infest fresh new growth).

Our last hot-tip for Spring: MULCH! Beg, borrow or steal some organic mulch - ideally arborist mulch (which we occasionally have for sale), compost, straw/hay even lawn clippings. Take a leaf out of goldilocks when applying - not too thick, not too thin, juuust right. With arborist mulch you'll be looking at a layer 50 to 100mm thick - you want just enough to suppress weeds, but not enough to stop the rain getting to the roots. Leave about a 100mm gap around the trunk to stop collar rot and sucker growth, and mulch all the way out past the 'drip line' (the edge of the foliage cover) if possible.

Done! Time to sit back and watch your garden grow.

Removing an ~80 year old Tree Fern

info@sgtreecare.com.au (Evan Enbom) — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 07:29:43 GMT

And how to ID which species is in your garden...

Coming to Netflix - the extreme sport of Fern Climbing! It's not every day we get a chance to climb a Tree Fern (which are only very distantly related to trees.) Tree ferns date way back to the Triassic period and are super weird - did you know that ferns have an intermediate growth phase between spore and adult called a Gametophyte that have free swimming sperm? Is that cool or what?!

This guy thinks so!
Anyway, so we had to remove this approx 80 year old Cyathea australis or "Rough tree fern" from a suburban backyard in Korumburra. This old girl had to be removed to fix a fence and also because it'd grown so tall (around 6 metres) that it was exposed to full sun, frost and wind and wasn't in the best of health. Now I can hear all the old mates in the corner clamouring "Why not cut the top off and replant it, ferns regrow if you replant the top fool!!" Let see...

Here's a closeup showing the leaf or 'frond' bases on the trunk of a Cyathea australis similar to the one we removed - you can clearly see how they get their name 'Rough tree fern'. This species CANNOT BE REGROWN from a cut top, it just doesn't work. So to rescue this fern would have required excavating and wrapping a very heavy root ball, and lifting it out from between 2 houses with a large crane. The costs would have been astronomical. So, what sort of tree fern CAN be cut and replanted? See the pic and text below...

By contrast, Dicksonia antarctica or "Soft tree fern" has smooth leaf bases and a fairly soft trunk. These CAN be cut in half and the top replanted. Soft tree ferns (like the ones in Bunnings) all come from old growth forest and may be hundreds of years old. They also grow about twice as slow as Rough tree ferns.

So remember: For cutting and replanting, Soft tree fern YES, Rough tree fern NO.
And the final verdict: What's it like to climb a tree fern? Well, it's like climbing a wet noodle and pretty sketchy (but of course I'd do it again).

Review: Infaco F3015 power pruners

info@sgtreecare.com.au (Evan Enbom) — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 10:00:37 GMT

Our 3 month review of these top-tier electric secateurs...

Regular readers of our blog will already appreciate our borderline-obsession for tree cutting. As professional climbing Arborists, big trees are our bread and butter. So it may come as some surprise that we specialise in fruit tree pruning as well (primarily in Winter). For the last few seasons we've been trialling heaps of different manual secateurs, finally settling on a pair of Felco 7 roll handles in the right hand and a pair of Felco 10 roll handles in the left (Nature gave us 2 hands lazybones!) These have served us well, but a long day on the pruners had our hands and forearms totally wrecked. There had to be a better way...

So, much to the dismay of my wife I invested in this mean set of electric secateurs from French outfit Infaco (at a cool $2500+ each - the same price as a large Stihl chainsaw!) These are basically unheard of outside of the viticulture and horticulture industries, so it was hard to find much information on them. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised! Here's our review......

The GOOD:
- outstanding battery life (We only need to charge the small lithium belt clip battery about once a week during peak season).
- large cutting diameter (We got the medium head which will cut up to 45mm, there are 3 sizes available.)
- fast cut speeds (watch your fingers! I'm not kidding! They make a safety glove for the faint of heart)
- solidly built and water resistant. We've taken these through light showers for most of a day (with the battery hidden under a coat) with no dramas

The BAD: (or should we say, the slightly annoying)
- The blade lock nut has a habit of loosening off after use. This may be operator error on our behalf, so we'll be getting a new lock nut for next season to see if that helps
- The optional 2.1-3.5m extension pole which we also purchased (which is AWESOME by the way, but again very expensive at $650!), has a poorly designed button to remotely control the pruner head. We popped off a solder join and had to fix it. The carbon fibre pole also gave us a nasty splinter so best to wear gloves just in case!

Here's a pic showing the pruners mounted on the aforementioned extension pole. (Again, awesome pole despite the high price tag and dodgy button)

So are we happy? Would we buy them again despite the high cost and annoyances? Absolutely!
We've been able to increase our pruning speeds by more than 30%, and we can now prune pretty much all day with minimal strain. That extra speed means we can keep a 3 man crew busy right through Winter, resulting in less staff lay-offs and a more efficient team.
Certainly not a tool for the casual gardener, but we love them :)

Spring has sprung...!

Tue, 09 Oct 2018 10:38:58 GMT

(And there's work to be done)

As the saying goes "Summer bodies are made in Winter" - And yet here we are, it's Spring and things around the garden a looking a bit 'how ya going.' Winter seems to drag on forever, everything is dormant, the ground is wet, it's cold, my feet hurt...it can just wait for another day. All of a sudden it's 23 degrees, the trees are in leaf and Mother Nature is beating at the door with a stick.

It's a beautiful yet stressful time of year that has many of us scrambling to find some sense of order - get the mower fixed, get the trees tamed (shameless plug, we do trees )... and all before the family visits for Christmas. Let's see what's happening with your trees right now...

It's a very busy time of year for a tree - deciduous and evergreen trees are heavily investing in new growth to make the most of the rain and sunshine. In our South Gippsland climate, this is when most of a trees growth will be made. It's a great time of year to decide which trees should be kept or need prun ing and those that need to be removed before Summer. Besides all the rampant growth, Spring also means FLOWERS, and lots of them...

Did you prune your fruit trees this Winter? If not, bookmark our page and we'll come prune them next year. Most fruit trees have either already flowered (such as most stone fruits) or in flower right now (apples, pears, quince etc). If you're lucky enough to have some bees around then you will hopefully be blessed with a good crop of fruit this year.

Get out of here flowers! Be gone from me! A-choo!

Factoid: did you know you're more likely to be killed falling off a ladder than by a falling tree?! This Christmas give dad the gift of Life - put down the ladder and the Ozito, back away from the tree slowly, pick up the phone and contact us .

In conclusion - Spring is great, trees are great, but don't die doing it yourself. Leave the aerial acrobatics to these monkeys and let your partner enjoy living instead. If you have some tree work that needs to be done before Christmas, let's start up a conversation about it now. We're more than happy to talk-trees. Happy Spring!

Pine cleaning in Pound Creek

info@sgtreecare.com.au (Evan Enbom) — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 10:55:04 GMT

From pine plantation to fine forest

A regular customer of ours recently approached us and asked "What can we do with all these messy pines?!" Legend has it they were planted around the late 70's to early 80's using special 'forestry only' seedlings. They were never meant to grow this big (nor this fast!) especially on the windy undulating hills of Pound Creek, near Inverloch. Read through to the end to see what we did to them...

We focussed on removing ugly dead branches from the house side of the forest, felling around 10 dead 'widowmakers' and uplifting the trees along the driveway to let more light into the garden. Pictured above is Evan (again with the third person thing...we're through the looking glass people!) admiring one of the many impressive specimens. Believe it or not, Pinus radiata or 'Monterey Pine' is an endangered species in it's native home of California and Mexico - despite being common as mud throughout South GIppsland!

Showing off some of our (sexy) specialised tools of the trade - pictured above is a rope ascender, static climbing rope and carabiner that attaches to our climbing harness, allowing us to safety position ourselves amongst the tree tops. Check out all that deadwood in the canopy high above!

Believe it or not, but even us courageous tree climbing folk have time for awkward selfies. Ignore the boofhead in the foreground and give a round of applause to our young apprentice Byron! Busily working his way around some scritchy scratchy 70ft trees for the first time.
Over 2.5 days, hundreds of pruning cuts, many trees ascended and a few token scratches we were left with this amazing transformation below...

Voila! Compared to the 'before' photo at the top of the page, this looks about a million bucks! The customers were absolutely thrilled. Trees can be a huge asset to your property if properly cared for (even the humble Pine). If you own a property in South Gippsland or Bass Coast and would like a quote on what we can do to improve your treescape, get in touch today !

Q&A: Can mulch spontaneously combust?

info@sgtreecare.com.au (Evan Enbom) — Wed, 19 Sep 2018 10:23:35 GMT

The burning question...

MULCH! To paraphrase Peter Cundall "it's simply marvellous!". Bush mulch, or "Arborist mulch" is the finely chipped remains of plants and woody trees produced by tree contractors (ie. yours truly). We produce truck loads of the stuff, and it's hands down the cheapest AND best thing you can put on your garden. BUT...can it spontaneously combust causing rack and ruin?? The internet says "YES", but we're not so sure...

This totally real photo suggests that, indeed, mulch is evil and should be avoided."My mulch is hot and smoking" is what we hear most from our customers. Fear not! That 'smoke' you're seeing in the first few weeks is just steam, and the heat is produced naturally by thermophillic (heat loving and producing) bacteria. It's during this brief but frenetic time that you'll see your mulch pile reduce in size as some of the material is broken down into gardeners elixir - AKA compost. These same bacteria can't survive the high temperatures necessary for combustion, so the system is more or less self regulating, CASE CLOSED!! Or is it...?

Ah, that's some nice mulch. Where were we? Oh yes, mulch = bad, right? So under very specific circumstances a 'UGE mulch pile CAN spontaneously catch on fire, but this is unlikely to ever happen in a backyard situation. In very large commercial piles (over 3+ metres tall), vigorous biological activity can lead to an uncontrollable process known as 'chemical oxidation' (whatever that is) - basically it can get hot enough to ignite.

Look at that gorgeous tree we pruned and mulched, it's loving life and not hurting anyone!
So essentially - UNLESS you stockpile ginormous piles of mulch AND leave the pile unturned and unwatered for a long time at over 30 degrees C and less than 30% relative humidity.......it most likely won't catch fire. Unless of course you dump hot ashes or throw a ciggy butt on your flower beds (who says common sense is dead??)
So go forth and spread your mulch freely and without care!! You're improving the health of your trees, shrubs, flowers, vegies and soil all while conserving precious water. Just remember these simple rules: a layer no more than 50 to 100mm thick and leave a gap around the trunks of trees to avoid collar rot (and don't make gigantic piles...or light it on fire...der)

Large Peppermint removal in Korumburra

info@sgtreecare.com.au (Evan Enbom) — Sun, 09 Sep 2018 11:27:08 GMT

The old gum that outgrew it's spot

We were recently contracted to remove this large Peppermint gum in a small backyard in Korumburra. The owner, a grandma living on her own, held concerns for the safety of the tree (especially with grandkids often visiting) and for the damage it was causing to her fence and surrounding buildings.

Some of the damage caused by recent branch failures. Although the tree was in fairly good health (besides the failures) the decision was made to remove it. The customer knew she would not be able to afford a safety prune now + the inevitable removal of the tree in 10 years time.

The South Gippsland Tree Care team posing for the camera - just smile and nod boys! After we worked out a quote that suited the customers budget we got to work right away on the removal. In this case, all branches were to be chipped and removed with all firewood cut to length and remaining onsite.

Evan Enbom aloft, working with ground crew to dismantle the tree safely using ropes. We had the tree back to a single bare trunk by the end of the day when Evan had to dash off for his sons 4th birthday party (a fair excuse to leave early!)

Day 2: As we in the Arb' industry call it 'blocking down' (the trunk) is one of the more physically demanding aspects of our job. In this case the 1 metre diameter trunk had a back-lean over the neighbours shed with no felling options, so we had to cut it down in 45cm blocks, quartered on top of the stump then thrown down to a tiny drop-zone beneath.

Last, but not least, we carved a simple chair out of the stump to save the customer money on stump-grinding (here's Evan plunge cutting a cup holder for good measure!) Although we do love to retain as many trees as possible, we take great pride in polishing off a technical but overall enjoyable tree removal. And our chair carving skills can only get better.

A grand avenue for a country estate

info@sgtreecare.com.au (Evan Enbom) — Tue, 04 Sep 2018 10:50:18 GMT

Pruning 64 ornamental pear trees

A client of ours planted out this magnificent avenue of ornamental Pear trees around 20 years ago. We're called in to periodically prune all 64 trees to manage the likelihood of failures, clear the driveway and remove defect limbs.

Alas! There's trouble in paradise - the extremely fast growth rate of this species equals large branch failures, structural defects and frequent obstruction of the driveway. Formative pruning by a qualified Arborist at a young age would have prevented some of these issues from developing.

Our business owner Evan wielding our pole chainsaw with great prowess (and doing a great job speaking about himself in the 3rd person I might add!) Lots of thinning and reduction cuts were necessary to open up the driveway and reduce overextended limbs. In total we produced well over 30 cubic metres of mulch from 64 trees in 18 hours!

Our super wizz bang backpack blower makes short work of final clean up after the main branches have been processed by our chipper.

Great views out towards Mt Baw Baw - our job here is done for another year. Does your entrance need a little TLC? Contact us today.

A great new tool for South Gippsland Tree Care

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 11:09:31 GMT

Productively is up, repetitive strain injuries are down

This winter we added a set of French-manufactured 'Infaco electric pruners' to our ever expanding fleet of specialist cutting equipment. We initially purchased them to reduce fatigue during our busy fruit tree pruning season, but have been surprised at our increased productivity.

To complement our purchase we also ordered the very expensive, but VERY handy 4 metre telescopic pole for our pruners. Although manual pole pruners are nothing new to us, the ease of use has really allowed us to fine tune our small to medium sized tree pruning work and customers are loving the results.

Fine pruning a Garrya elliptica at 5 meters.

Removing 3 gum trees in Inverloch

Sun, 05 Aug 2018 01:46:21 GMT

A local Inverloch accommodation business with dangerous falling limbs

We were recently called out to remove 3 large gum trees that were very close to a local accommodation business. The trees were unfortunately losing limbs and causing a danger to the public. The team at South Gippsland Tree Care consulted with the owners and devised a plan for their safe and swift removal.

A ONE DAY REMOVAL CONDENSED INTO TWO MINUTES

Spreading over 4 backyards, 3 houses and several garden sheds, we safely accessed and dismantled the trees in a controlled way using specialist ropes and pulleys. The waste was quickly removed through a tight backyard using our mini loader, then processed into wood chips & firewood.

Specialist rigging techniques were used to safely avoid obstacles such as houses, fences and other trees. Every tree is different, so we're always bringing together our skills and experience on each job to get the material down to the ground safely.

After the mess of branches and logs have been removed, out come the rakes and blowers! Cleanup is arguably the most important part of a job, so we take great pride in not rushing this oh-so-important aspect of a tree removal.

Tree care for a lonely Walkerville tree

Thu, 05 Jul 2018 11:49:38 GMT

A Swamp Gum with Prom Views gets a little TLC...

Several months ago, Kirsty contacted us seeking advice on how to best protect the only tree on her block in Walkerville, overlooking Wilsons Promontory. This old, gnarled Eucalyptus ovata or Swamp Gum certainly hadn't had an easy life.

We identified several key issues - stock pressure leading to compacted soil, competition with grass and weeds and a stressed canopy indicated by a large amount of 'deadwood'. We prescribed an application of partially composted mulch and a thorough thinning of dead, damaged and diseased growth from the canopy.

Loading up our 4x4 truck back at base with one of 2 loads destined for the lonely Walkerville Swamp Gum. Arborist mulch or 'bush mulch' is really excellent for tree health. It simulates the natural accumulation of leaves and bark on the forest floor, conserving soil moisture, increasing microorganism activity and over time reducing compacted soil.

4 tonnes of mulch applied and several hundred kilos of deadwood removed leaving a clean and aesthetically appealing feature tree for this garden to be. We've given this old girl the best chance at survival, let's hope she lives for many more years to come.