Tree management
Pruning is cutting parts of a tree to keep it healthy, safe and well shaped. Remove: dead branches, diseased branches, crossing or rubbing branches and branches that touch buildings or wires. Use sharp clean tools and cut just outside the branch collar (the swollen ring where the branch joins), never flush with the trunk and never leaving a long stub.
Other tree care: watering young trees deeply for the first 2 to 3 years, mulching in a ring, feeding with compost or fertiliser as needed, staking only while needed and checking for pests, disease and storm damage. Prune at the right time: usually in the dry or dormant season, not during heavy growth or flowering.
Managing lawns, ground cover and flower beds
Lawns: mow regularly. Follow the one-third rule: never remove more than one third of the blade height at once. Water deeply, feed with fertiliser or compost, remove weeds, and rake or aerate hard patches.
Ground cover: trim the edges so it does not spread where it should not, remove weeds until it closes up, and replace patches that died.
Flower beds: water at the base, remove weeds, pinch off dead flowers (deadheading) so new ones form, feed lightly, replace annuals each season and loosen the soil when it gets hard.
Landscape and planting management as a whole
Management means planning care as a regular schedule: daily or weekly (watering, litter), monthly (mowing, weeding, feeding), seasonal (pruning, replacing annuals, mulching). Keep simple records of what was done and when. Use safe methods: wear gloves, handle tools carefully, and use chemicals only if needed, as directed. Watch for pests and disease early and treat the cause. Good management also saves water: mulch, water at dawn and group plants by their water need.
Key formulas and definitions
- One-third rule: cut at most 1/3 of the grass height at once
- Mulch 5 to 8 cm thick, away from the trunk
- Prune: dead, diseased, crossing branches first
- Water deeply but less often
- Deadheading = removing dead flowers to get new ones
Worked examples
1. Grass is 9 cm tall. Using the one-third rule, how tall should it be after mowing?
Cut at most 1/3 of 9 = 3 cm, so leave 9 - 3 = 6 cm.
2. A tree has one dead branch, one branch rubbing another, and one healthy branch. Which do you prune?
The dead one and one of the two rubbing branches. Leave the healthy branch.
3. A lawn is 100 square metres and needs 5 litres of water per square metre per week. How much water per week?
100 x 5 = 500 litres per week.
4. A gardener mows a 12 cm lawn down to 3 cm in one go and the lawn turns brown. What went wrong?
It cut 9 cm, far more than one third (4 cm). The grass was stressed. It should be cut in steps: 12 to 8 cm, then 8 to about 5 cm, and so on.
Common mistakes
- Cutting grass too short (scalping), which weakens it and lets weeds in.
- Cutting branches flush with the trunk or leaving long stubs.
- Watering a little every day, so roots stay shallow.
- Letting weeds flower and drop seeds before pulling them.