Once you get your tree cutting groove on and decide to remove an unwanted tree from your yard, you may then be wondering what you can do about the tree stump. Left to its own devices, it can begin to sprout and do all kinds of weird and wonderful things. However, if you choose to remove it, you can be left with an unsightly hole and a series of root-sized crevices in your lawn. It can seem, in this case, that the best thing to do with a tree stump after tree cutting is to embrace its presence.

Rather than remove it and have to deal with the resultant crater, you can come up with some ways to repurpose it. Here are a few that may have you wanting to cut down a few more trees.

Bird bath

Buying a birdbath for the local birds in your area can cost a fortune. Even though they are worth every cent, there has to be a cheaper way to bring birds into your neighbourhood to bathe and relax. Now there is, thanks to your tree cutting exercise! All you need to do is buy a stable outdoor bowl or bath that can sit atop your newly created tree stump. The resultant moss and greenery that grows in and around it can add to its charm.

Playground

If you have been thinking about tree cutting for some time, but you haven’t gone ahead with it, then there’s still time to turn your tree stump into a playground for the kids. However, you have to remember to cut the tree down a little further up the trunk than you usually would. You can then nail pieces of wood into the trunk for little feet to climb up, and add a slide off the stump to the grass area. You will be amazed at how you can create a natural wonderland for your children with something that’s usually quite troublesome!  

Chair

The problem with most outdoor furniture is that it doesn’t last forever. Metal will rust, wood will rot, and plastic goes brittle. A tree trunk, however, is there for the duration. Get creative with your tree stump by cutting out the middle section and leave a raised area around the side and back. You can then create a comfortable cushion for it and enjoy reading a book in your backyard with what nature gave you!

Table

If you’re going to have a chair, then why not have a table as well? A table is always going to be a helpful addition in your backyard. It can see you eating outdoors, using it as a potting desk for tidying your gardens, and even adding more plants on top of it, so it’s a multi-level garden. You can add a glass top that adds a touch of contemporary elegance, or opt for a more natural solution with a slab of wood.

Lighting

Solar lights on their own are cute, but in an entirely natural garden, they can take away from the old-world charm. Get it back again after tree cutting by turning your tree stump into a form of lighting! Drill holes into the base or top and add your preferred source of illumination. Solar works best outdoors and can illuminate the base quite effectively. You can then head outdoors and enjoy the ambience it offers.

Children’s games

If you’re always telling your children to get outside and enjoy nature, then make sure it’s as inviting as possible. What use is there in giving them their marching orders if your yard isn’t full of things to pique their interest and imagination? Use your old tree stump to create fun games. Tic Tac Toe is an excellent option. You can then get the kids to paint stones, so you have enough of each to fill the squares.

Piece of art

Fancy yourself to be a little bit creative? Then flex your artistic muscles and make something with your tree stump. Fashion it into little woodland creatures, build a magical castle, or even add other items to it to make it a standout statement in your yard. Tree cutting can make people nervous because they don’t know how to deal with the resultant tree stump, but it can end up being a rewarding experience.

Tree stump planter

If you spend a lot of time in the garden, or you hire someone to make it look as beautiful as possible, then add to the charm with a tree stump planter. Merely by digging out the top surface ever so slightly and adding soil, you can plant your favourite flowers that will thrive in the natural environment. The best part is, you can let the plants become overrun, and it will add to the beauty.

Rather than pull that old tree stump out after tree cutting, why not utilise it? It can become a much-loved feature of your yard as opposed to only an eyesore. Take the time to think of your options, and consider these pointers above. You never know, you could end up benefiting from your new creation in more ways than one.

Here in New Zealand, we are quite lucky to have mild weather for most of the year. While we might get the occasional heavy rainfall, high winds, and a scattering of snow, we are far better off than several other countries in the world. Given that we are also a country that likes to get outdoors, tend to our gardens, and mow the lawns, that suits us quite nicely!

However, that doesn’t mean that when we do get extreme weather, it doesn’t affect our possessions, homes, and yards. During high winds, in particular, the trees can be a mess waiting to happen.

Once autumn and winter hit, we must pay careful attention to the health of our trees. Given how long it takes to grow a tree from a sapling or seedling, they are not something you want to have to establish again from the beginning!

Tree care involves tree pruning, hedge trimming, and tree trimming, and failure to understand what this means for you as a tree owner could be the difference between a tree that thrives and one that merely survives (or doesn’t…).

Benefits of Trees

Before we get into the nitty-gritty details of tree pruning, tree trimming, and tree care, it’s a good idea to understand why we need trees, and why they are beneficial for your yard. Without knowing why, you may take to them with a chainsaw to say goodbye to them forever!  

Trees do many things for us socially, environmentally, and economically. Firstly and most importantly, they clean the air, reduce the smog, and give us nice and clean air to breathe.  

Regarding social benefits, trees play a vital role as well. They are responsible for reducing stress, promote increased physical activity in parks, and even help to reduce crimes. Recent studies have also shown that vegetation in urban areas can relax your brainwaves, lower your blood pressure, and improve your quality of life.

Environmentally, however, trees are in their element. One single tree can produce the same amount of cold air as ten residential air conditioning units. Homes with trees as windbreakers can even benefit from reduced heating costs of up to 15 percent.

Finally, homes with well-established trees sell for up to 15 percent more than those without, while tree-lined streets may increase the homes’ values by as much as 25 percent.

Diseased branches can burden or eventually kill a tree.

How to Trim Your Trees

It’s clear to see that trees are worth keeping around, but taking care of tree care such as tree trimming and tree pruning is still something that not everyone knows how to do – even with trees galore in their backyard. Below, we cover how to tackle tree trimming and tree pruning by yourself. Not enough time or experience? Then call in the experts.

1. Identify the vital branches – the tree’s skeleton

You want to avoid cutting these branches off as they keep the tree’s form.

2. Identify damaged or broken branches

Remove any damaged or broken branches. By doing so, you are enabling the rest of the tree to benefit from the nutrients that would have gone to the broken or damaged portion

3. Thinning

During tree trimming, one of the most important things to do is make sure the trees can get as much light and air as possible. To do so, you need to thin out areas with thick branches that cross over each other. Dense parts of your trees can harbour fungus and unwanted insects. Thin these spots out and give them room to breathe and grow.

4. Taking Care of Obstructions

Trees, while lovely and beneficial, can also be a hazard. Low branches can block walkways, while high ones can damage your roof, power pole wires, and parts of your home’s exterior. If you don’t feel confident getting up high to trim, call in tree pruning experts who have the best equipment to take care of the job for you.

5. Don’t be Trim-Happy

When you get into the rhythm of tree trimming and tree care, it’s all too easy to get a little chop-happy, giving your trees more of a haircut than they need. Every cut you make can be compromising your tree’s ability to care for itself. Aim to remove less than a quarter of your tree’s branches.

How to Take Care of Your Trees During High Winds?

In many storm-related insurance claims in New Zealand, trees are to blame. While they do much good in our lives, they are also responsible for damaged roofing, fences, vehicles, and homes. That’s why it’s important to be proactive with your tree care. Failure to get on top of tree trimming and pruning can be the difference between a hefty bill and getting through a storm unscathed. Below, we have a few helpful tips you may find useful.

1. Check Your Tree’s Health

On a regular basis, take a look at your trees. Do they look healthy and robust? Are they straight and not leaning precariously toward someone’s home or property? If you don’t think your tree is strong enough to withstand adverse weather, take action before that bad weather arrives. Consider tree trimming, pruning, or removal if necessary.

2. Know the Rules and Regulations

Many people want to take care of their trees during lousy weather for the sake of the trees themselves, but it’s also crucial for other people as well. All councils have rules and regulations. You may be liable if your tree, for example, falls on a power line.

3. Natural Shelter

If you are planting your seedling or sapling, consider its growth. You may like to plant it somewhere sheltered from the wind, such as behind a house, garage, or shelter belt.

4. Keep up with Maintenance

Trees need a helping hand from time to time, especially if natural critters are trying to take up residence. Take the time to give your trees fertilizer alongside taking care of trimming and pruning. Insects can also weaken your tree, so invest in tree-friendly insecticides if you are concerned.

We have some beautiful trees here in New Zealand, and the more we have, the better it is for our environment. If you want to take care of your trees properly, speak to a Crewcut professional about how you can manage your trees during the wild weather.

Did you know that many of the insurance claims relating to storm damage in New Zealand involve trees? It can be easy to blame the trees for falling over onto homes, roofing, fencing, and cars, but could the owners of those trees also be responsible?  

Believe it or not, when you decide to plant a tree, you are signing up for a whole host of responsibilities. It’s almost like becoming a tree parent. You have to research what you can grow, how tall you can grow it, how to take care of tree trimming, and what your local council has to say about it as well. Then, if you want to cut it down, you may find you can’t, or you have to do it in a particular way or talk to the neighbours. It’s clear to see that to own trees you have to do your homework.                                                                                                             

Fortunately, we’re here to help. Below, we outline some of the more frequent problems homeowners face with trees, and what their responsibilities are with them. From tree pruning and trimming through to council regulations and “check before you chop” rules, there is a lot to learn, so get reading!

 Check Before You Chop

The Auckland Council created a public message known as Check Before You Chop. Essentially, it made homeowners abide by a set of rules relating to the chopping down of trees – and even tree pruning. You would need to ring the council hotline if you were unsure of your duty to the trees.

The Auckland Council didn’t put such rules in place to be difficult. Instead, they were making sure that trees that needed protection were protected.

These include:

• Heritage or notable trees identified in District Plans

• Trees in areas requiring an additional level of protection, such as cliff line tree amenity areas.

• Trees under the protection of a covenant or consent notice

• Trees outside urban environments

• Trees in planning zones

If you plan on doing any chopping, tree pruning, tree trimming, or altering of any kind on your property, it may pay to check with your local council.

What About Tree Trimming, Chopping, or Pruning on a Neighbouring Property?

Trees make our air breathable, they conserve water, support slopes, protect properties from erosion, and absorb pollution. It’s clear to see they serve more of a purpose than adding shade for picnics during a hot summer’s day. However, there are also going to be occasions where they are more of a hindrance than a help. 

If you have a tree with branches or roots that cross your boundary into your neighbour’s property, then they have a right to cut and alter the tree. However, they fall under the same obligation of consulting council to see if it’s okay to do so.

If your tree is diminishing their property, endangering their property or their life, then they can not only ask you to remove it but can get a court order to undertake tree trimming or ask for its removal altogether. If you have a tree that sits directly on the boundary, both you and your neighbour own the tree. You both must take care of maintenance and any problems relating to the tree’s existence.

I Have a Problem with My Tree (And My Neighbour)

If you’re not on sugar borrowing terms with your neighbour all thanks to a tree, then it’s time to get the process for discussion underway. Firstly, talk to your neighbour about the problem tree. Be aware that trees can be a precious subject for some, make sure you discuss matters calmly and considerately to ensure you don’t endanger a relationship. If discussions come to nothing, then it’s time to talk to your council. Find out if the tree is protected under any of the “Check Before You Chop” regulations. If it’s not, then either you (or them, depending on who has a problem with the tree), can apply for a court order for tree pruning or its removal.

How to Take Care of Tree Pruning?

If you don’t have time, patience, or the inclination for tree care, then you will be pleased to know there are plenty of tree trimming experts who can help. However, if you’re dead-set on taking care of business on your own, here are a few useful tree trimming tips that might help.

1. Carefully Examine Your Tree

It might seem silly, but you need to look at your tree objectively. Identify the structural branches that form the tree’s skeleton. The last thing you want to do during a “quick” tree pruning exercise is remove one of its vital ‘organs’.  

2. Remove Damage

Tree damage can occur for many reasons – such as poor weather or wildlife. Take care of the damaged, dead, dying, or diseased branches first. You will be surprised at how good your trees look once they only have healthy branches left.

3. Thin it Out

If your tree is getting a bit out of control, you may have to get heavy-handed with tree trimming. Identify dense areas with branches that interlock. They may be identifiable by fungus and insects. Clear this area to allow light and air through. If you’re unsure about doing this, consider hiring a professional and get a tree trimming quote.

4. Remove Dangers

If you are taking care of tree trimming because your tree is becoming a danger, then make sure you remove all those hazards immediately. Low lying branches that could impinge on walkways are a must-fix, while any high branches that reach into your neighbour’s property or onto roofs, power lines, etc., are also in the firing line for removal. You may like expert help for this part also.

5. Not Too Much

Don’t get too excited with your loppers – you may do more harm than good. Cut no more than a quarter of your tree’s branches off if you can avoid it.

 If you are having problems with your trees growing out of control, then it might be time to get professional help. Talk to the council and then speak to a Crewcut professional about tree trimming prices and how you can manage your trees now and into the future.

The ideal way to manage green waste by-product is to reinvest it in your garden, or in the case of wood matter, into your fireplace to keep you warm this winter. We’ve got some helpful tips below, but if home waste disposal isn’t an option then keep reading for the cheapest and most accessible green waste recycling centres in your area.

Consider these methods of repurposing garden waste and distributing it in your own garden or among neighbours and friends:  

• Leave your grass clippings on the lawn after mowing, returning vital nutrients to the soil. This can be achieved with a mulch mower - something that Crewcut operators can help with.

• Put your grass clippings into the compost bin.

• Rake dead leaves into the soil under trees, where they’ll decompose quickly.

• After heavy pruning, select big branches for firewood and smaller branches for strong, sturdy stakes that will be suitable for beans, bulbs and next year’s tomatoes.

• You can put hedge trimmings in the compost. “They’re not as good as grass, but if the hedge is cut often then the clippings will be okay for compost,” says Crewcut hedge expert Larry.

• If you have a tree cut down, either chainsaw the trunk and branches into firewood-sized pieces yourself or ask the arborist to do it for you. No fireplace? You’ll find friends and relatives more than willing to come and take it off your hands. Keep the sawdust and chips as mulch for your own garden.

If you live in Kerikeri, Rotorua, Hawkes Bay, Wanganui, Manawatu, Wellington, Timaru or Otago then you’re in luck, because the Crewcut garden bag service is available in your area and one of our franchisees will personally collect and dispose of your green waste.

Elsewhere, councils are around New Zealand are working hard to reduce the amount of organic waste going into the landfill and providing or contracting out garden waste services.

Northland

Far North District Council charges $22 for 1m3 of green waste. For a list of all transfer stations and hours, see here. 

Whangarei District Council has six transfer stations, charging from $1.60 for a 65L bag of garden waste, $12 for a car boot to $22.50 for a trailer-load. Locations and opening hours here. Dargaville transfer station charges $25 per m3 of green waste.

 Auckland

Auckland City Council has Community Recycling centres in Devonport, Helensville, Henderson, Waiuku that accept green waste:

• $6 - $8 per 50L bag of garden waste.

• $26 per 1m3

• Car - $27.50 per load.

• 4WD, wagon - $38 per load.

• Ute or trailer up to 2m3 - $52 per load.

What’s more, all centres upcycle and resell household goods, with profits going to community projects. Check the link above for locations and opening hours.

Waikato

In the Waikato? Take your garden waste to Hamilton Organic and pay $9 for .5m3 and from $20 for 1m3. The Frankton operation says it is Hamilton’s only purpose-built composting facility. “We take your grass clippings, hedge trimmings, leaves and other garden waste and turn it into high-quality organic gardening products.”

Canterbury

If you live in Christchurch and you’ve got more green waste than will ft in the weekly organic bin collection, the Christchurch City Council provides EcoDrop centres in the north, south and west of the city and on Banks Peninsula. Green waste fees are $9.80 per car/4WD or $106.50 per tonne.

Do you wish you could turn your lawn into a low-maintenance haven where you hardly need to mow it?

How about a garden where you don’t have to fight against weeds?

It’s possible to get an effortless garden with different types of plants and gravel. In this article, you’ll receive 11 tips to transform your garden from a lot of work to a low-maintenance backyard.

Unless you want to pave over your lawn—and maybe you do—it’s unrealistic to expect not to do anything with it. Instead of converting your lawn into a parking lot, you can install ground covers to replace your lawn grass. Ground covers are verdant, slow growing and hardly need any maintenance.

Some ground covers also have small blossoms or oils that when stepped on release a heady fragrance.

Here are 11 Exchange options for durable ground covers that don’t require mowing!

2. Mercury Bay weed

1. Selliera Microphylla: A native of New Zealand, selliera microphylla is a no-mow ground cover. It looks like lawn grass, but on closer inspection, it’s a succulent. Selliera microphylla needs to be continuously damp and planted in semi-shade. It’s also known as mountain selliera.

2. Mercury Bay Weed: Another native creeper, mercury bay weed (Dichondra repens) does well in some lawns. You can plant with seed or root cuttings. It’s prone to powdery mildew in the summer when humidity levels are high. You may be lucky enough to have it growing naturally in your garden.

3. Dichondra brevifiola Buchanan: This groundcover is easy to grow from seed or root pieces. It fares better than mercury bay weed as a lawn cover. It tolerates poorly drained, but fertile soil, and it grows in full sun.

4. Fragrant Thyme: In New Zealand, you have many choices of thyme to choose from as a ground cover for your lawn. White thyme, for instance, is a great creeper. It stays low to the ground, doesn’t require a lot of mowing and gives you fragrant white blossoms that leave off their oils when mowed or stepped on.

5. Corsican Mint: An excellent ground cover, Corsican mint has tiny leaves. It grows well as a lawn substitute. It likes well-drained soils and sunshine. And when you mow it or walk over it, you’re treated to a minty scent.

6. Native Pratia Angulata: This ground cover will grow to 10cm x 2m. It’s also called lobelia angulate. It’s a pretty ground cover that produces white flowers in spring and red berries in the fall.

5. Corsican Mint

Get creative with Stone or Gravel

7. Blechnun Penna-Marina: This fern is a native of New Zealand. Another low-growing, easy-to-take care of plant provides dense leaves and spreads throughout your lawn via the plant’s rhizomes.

8. Gravel Garden: A gravel garden is another alternative to a typical Kiwi garden. Instead of lawn grass, your lawn has a thick layer of gravel added to it. Gravel does a great job of keeping weeds out of your garden. Better yet, you won’t need to mow it. Drought-friendly plants are planted in the gravel. They need some extra tender loving care for the first two years. In the third year, you can leave them alone, and they’ll survive.

9. Artificial Turf: Astroturf, fake grass, call it what you will. It’s the ultimate in a no-mow lawn. You replace your turfgrass with fake grass. When the sun beats down on artificial turf, it does get pretty hot to the feet. But the only maintenance needed includes hosing off pet waste and using a leaf blower to remove debris. No weed control and no fertilizing needed.

10. Perennials: Spruce up your flowerbeds with perennials. You get more return on investment than annuals because perennials come back every year. Plus, you cut down on garden maintenance by planting native perennial flowers. Native perennials are even better because they can survive drought conditions, and other weather stresses better than non-natives.

Artificial grass can grow on you.

11. Stone Mulch: Skip natural mulch for stone mulch. Gravel mulch keeps weeds from popping up, provides a low-maintenance alternative and gives colour to your backyard landscape. Plus, stone doesn’t break down or need to be replaced twice a year.

Indeed, you’re not required to have a typical grass lawn in your garden. Instead, exchange your lawn grass into one of the 11 options above to give you more time to dedicate to your weekend.

If you still want to keep your lawn grass, you can skip the mow. Instead, call your local Crewcut to provide you with a lawn care service. Call us today at 0800 800 286 or fill out our contact form.

At Crewcut, we service the following New Zealand regions: Auckland, Bay of Islands, Christchurch, Dargaville, Franklin, Hawkes Bay, Hokianga, Hutt Valley, Kapiti, Manawatu, Nelson, New Plymouth, Otago, Rodney, Rotorua, Taupo, Tauranga, Timaru, Waikato, Wanganui and Wellington.