Pruning is only one aspect of this fine old tree’s recovery

 Redford House, a historical home in the Crags area has a large oak tree in the front garden. The tree is likely to be the same age as the house and planted as a welcoming feature. Being a mature tree it has begun to show signs of stress over the past decade, with branch die-back and epicormic growth towards the interior. For some time since its planting the tree was watered by a French drain leading from the house and some deterioration has occurred (see bark picture below right) since use of the drain was discontinued. Charles has pruned the tree, but has to decide on an alternative method of irrigation.

An inspection of the tree and information about its history has revealed that the paving is about 30 years old; there is a possibility that periodic application of a herbicide did take place and that the French drain had been diverted with the modernisation of kitchens and bathrooms.

“Pruning and the aesthetics of the tree above ground is one aspect of its recovery,” says Charles, “but the overall health of the tree depends on the health of its roots.” His and his client’s decision will thus be how to introduce a deep, possibly slow system of drip watering, to bring the oak back to its former state of good health.

The rewards of tree pruning are overwhelming, well worth the wait

Large tree pruning can require difficult climbing and the use of special equipment.

Trees are pruned for one reason only: In our urban space we either appreciate or dislike them for the way they either improve or spoil the quality of our living space. Wild trees found in nature are inhabited by many subsistence organisms due to the moribund nature of plant growth, because dead or dying plant material offer highly attractive building materials for animals, insects and micro-life such as fungi and bacteria. In turn, these are necessary for other life-cycles, all responsible for the well-being and balance of life on planet Earth.

Half way...

When we decide to prune "our" trees, it is for the following reasons: The removal of diseased or storm-damaged branches, to thin the crown for better light and air circulation, to reducing the height and width of the tree, for the removal of obstructive lower branches, and to shape a tree for design purposes.

It is an intricate art to create a balanced crown in which all branches are the same age or thickness at every level within the canopy.

"A serious custodian or property owner will seek the services of an experienced arborist," says Charles. “Large tree pruning in particular can require difficult climbing and the use of special equipment, a job which should be left to a trained and experienced professional.

"Owners are often impatient about getting their trees pruned, not realising that the job requires a very careful approach and can be time-consuming. The results are always overwhelming and well worth the wait."

Done. The results are always overwhelming and well worth the wait.

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Don't farm your garden..!

Roots exposed due to unnecessary 'skoffeling'. Garden services often don’t understand horticultural practices and end up 'farming' in the garden.

RTC can make a profound difference in tree and garden management

A reconstructed garden using appropriate landscaping and plants.

Reitz Tree Care is a professional horticultural company with demonstrable experience and performance in all aspects of vegetation, tree and garden management.

Pruning, for example, is a specialised field and cannot be referred to with terms like “trimming” and “cutting back”. Urban gardens which have had regular “garden service" attention need renovations after five to 10 years, a process which needs to be approached professionally from a sound landscaping and horticultural perspective. 

RTC offers advice, planning and professional service to home-owners and developers which can avoid the unnecessary and often destructive process of “garden clean-up”.

Says Charles Reitz: “What many ‘experienced’ gardeners might think is necessary is often poor and outdated horticultural practice resulting in continuous problems and a waste of funds. At RTC we analyse, we make the list, we give the advice. We can demonstrate the difference.”

Left: A landscaping site at the beginning of the reconstruction process.

Below: The completed landscape. RTC offers advice, planning and professional service to home-owners and developers. 

Mulch: A wonderful natural gift from trees to trees

A staff member at Reitz Tree Care mulching branches and leaves with a powerful chipping machine.

Many materials are used as mulch, in order to reintroduce this vital natural layer used to retain soil moisture, regulate soil temperature, suppress competitive weed growth, support beneficial detritivores, and for aesthetic appeal. It is applied to the soil surface around trees, on paths and on flower beds and vegetable gardens.

In the case of Reitz Tree Care, chipped branches and leaves are a by-product of the pruning by arborists like Charles Reitz, and is a very useful way to dispose of bulky waste. Tree branches and large stems are rather coarse after chipping and are used as a thick and rugged mulch.

Says Charles: “Creating usable organic matter like this is the key to many landscape rehabilitation projects.”

Mulch should be used under trees and shrubs. An un-mulched zone is sometimes left around the plant to prevent stem rot due to accumulated moisture.In natural areas, leaf-fall, bird and insect droppings coupled with rain and natural fungal and bacterial activity is what sustains healthy plant growth. A huge flaw in gardening is the consistent removal of the natural mulch layer that that forms on a daily basis. This raking up under trees sterilises the zone and it becomes devoid of insect and detritivore activity, thereby lessening bird activity and ultimately impoverishing your landscape.

Gliding through the canopy into the sunshine

Charles and his team recently pruned an enormous ficus tree for a client on Leisure Isle in Knysna, a premier holiday resort on the Garden Route in South Africa. To Charles, as usual, this was not just another job; it was another special experience...

Charles says: “Pruning a tree of this magnitude requires constant retrospection and contemplation… gliding through its canopy takes the breath away! Surgical removal of several imposing branches of one metre diameter is an uplifting start… cleaning out the remaining canopy lets sunshine into our lives!” BEFORE above. AFTER below.

Candlewood trees, conservation and the law

Charles Reitz inspecting candlewood trees about to be removed from a plot - legally.

Recently, Charles was consulted on the fate of seven candlewood trees on a plot in Nature’s Valley where the owner was about to build a holiday home in the modern style of using “maximum footprint” by building over the largest possible portion of the stand, presumably for maximum ease of indoor living and for minimum garden maintenance, especially while away most of the year.

“The idea, as usual in this part of the world, is to have maximum view, usually of the sea, to the detriment of the wildlife in one’s own garden, even if it means “topping trees” or simply eliminating them altogether.

“In my view, quality of life is not enhanced in this way. To me this is a cultural degradation, a simple and easy way to clear away the reality of wildlife around your home, the long term effect of which is the destruction of our natural habitat in which to live. It is part of what I call “urbanitis”, seeking freedom from the people closest to you and putting more value on ‘the view’ than sharing a beautiful natural environment. In the past vegetation played a vital role in sheltering our home and living space from ‘the elements’. Now, because we have modern building technology withstanding these elements, it is possible to do without vegetation.

“These candlewoods were among the best specimens I’d ever seen, so it was sad, but I managed to save two small ones.”

However, the removal of these trees was not illegal.

Although the National Forests Act (NFA) (Act No. 84 of 1998) has jurisdiction over all natural forests and the components that make up the forest, unless a tree is a protected species it is not individually protected as it stands on a private property. The only nationally listed protected trees in the Garden Route region are milkwood, black stinkwood, cheesewood and yellowwood trees.

In spite of this, nine forest ecosystems have been identified as threatened in South Africa, three of which have been categorised as endangered, including the Western Cape Milkwood Forest which occurs along the Garden Route. The dense human population of this coastal region has resulted in an ongoing negative impact on these coastal natural forests.

The reason for the protection of the total forest biome in South Africa under the NFA is because it is so small (totalling only around 500 000 ha) fragmented into 16 000 patches of which only 33 are more than 500 ha, unlike other biomes which are much more extensive

According to the NFA, “natural forests may not be destroyed save in exceptional circumstances where, in the opinion of the Minister, a proposed new land use is preferable in terms of economic, social or environmental benefits”.


About the candlewood

The candlewood Pterocelastrus tricuspidatus is indigenous to the southern part of South Africa where it occurs naturally from Cape Town all the way along the south coast of South Africa as far as KwaZulu-Natal and found in most soil types, from coastal sand to rocky mountain slopes and clay.

In the wild it often grows as a stunted bush, especially in exposed positions, but in favourable conditions it can grow into a tree of up to 10 m in height. It grows particularly well in coastal conditions, although it can also be found inland.

The masses of sweetly-scented flowers are followed by large numbers of highly distinctive and attractive bright orange coloured lantern-shaped berries. The young leaves are red, but mature into a glossy green colour.

Charles explains: “In cultivation the candlewood can be pruned to form a proper shade tree. However, it can also be allowed to grow as a bushy screen if its lower branches are not removed. The candlewood’s primary reason for cultivation is as a coastal hedge, and for its ornamental lantern-shaped berries which attract birds - which of course should be a seriously sought-after phenomenon for cultured human beings.”

Charles shares gardening wisdom at Ouland Royale venue

Charles did a talk for the Formosa Garden Club recently at his sister Wilja’s extraordinary venue, Ouland Royale, fondly also known as the Barn, on the Reitz family farm Ouland, outside Plettenberg Bay. Charles is not a seasoned speaker but quickly had his audience engrossed as he imparted some of his knowledge about trees and gardening in general, all fuelled by his natural passion.

Charles naturally concentrated on trees and tree care, including creative pruning, with little tips that come from daily experience and make all the difference in getting the tree to look just that much better and that much healthier. He also spoke about subtleties of style in large and small gardens, including tips on tending plants brought in from commercial nurseries and their special requirements, and the best types of compost (which you can’t buy).

Charles is also passionate about subtlety in gardens (and roadsides for that matter) and not shocking the viewer with an overdose of juxtaposed colours. Pavement delinquency is also a concern for him, when property owners annex their roadside pavements with white painted rocks and other illegal interventions.

And don’t worry about those innocent little daisy flowers that pop up through the roadside lawns in spring; you don’t need to annihilate them with your high-powered mower; let them be.

Above all, keep the neighbourhood tranquil. Garden services have their place, but their workers are often machine-trained and love nothing better than blowing away the peace and quiet, not to mention nutritious detritus, with the leaf-blowing machines, a particular menace for Charles.