Category: Tree Pruning

Blooma Tree Experts LLC congratulates Zoran "Vuka" Vukusic on his achievement of becoming an ISA Certified Arborist. A native of Croatia, Vuka has been with Blooma Tree Experts since its beginnings, working alongside owner Martin Macauley way back when it was just the two of them and a run-down old dump truck.

Last year, Vuka decided to study for this challenging exam, and on Dec. 6, 2011 he achieved his goal. The ISA exam tests students' knowledge of tree biology, tree identification, diseases and fungi, pruning techniques, removal techniques, and safety procedures.

We are very proud of Vuka's achievement.

Congratulations to Josiah Macauley for passing the rigorous ISA Arborist Certification!

Josiah graduated in March, 2010 from the University of Washington, Bothell, with a degree in business administration, and began working as a salesperson for a telephone technology company. Six months later, he returned to Blooma Tree Experts, LLC, where he has worked off and on since his senior year in high school. Within a few months, he was studying for the ISA exam.

This certification verifies Josiah's superb knowledge of proper tree pruning, tree health, tree species identification, proper removal techniques, safety requirements, and tree health assessment.

We are proud of Josiah's accomplishment and dedication to the tree care industry.

Have you heard about compost tea? If you're a gardener, you have. It's better than compost, say the experts, bringing needed nutrition to your trees and plants AND discourages diseases.

This is all good, but if you research recipes for compost tea, they seem a bit complicated, requiring an aquarium filter and tubing . . . too much for me. But I've found a truly easy compost tea recipe that requires NO special equipment.

Easy-To-Make Compost Tea

Supplies:

• two buckets
• compost (enough to fill the bucket 1/3 full)
• water, unchlorinated
• cheesecloth, burlap, or an old shirt
• Optional: molasses, fish emulsion, powdered seaweed

Instructions:

1. Fill a bucket 1/3 full of quality compost.

2. Add water to the top of the bucket. Use unchlorinated water or well water. (To get the chlorine out of water, let it sit for 24 hours or put in a couple of tablets found with aquarium supplies.)

3. Let the mixture steep for 3-4 days. Stir it periodically to let in the oxygen.

4. Strain the mixture through cheesecloth or other porous fabric (such as burlap, an old shirt, etc.) into the second bucket. Put the leftover solids into your garden or compost bin.

5. Dilute the remaining liquid with water so it looks like weak tea. Use a 10.1 ratio.

6. Use the tea immediately in your garden. You can apply it to the soil around trees and plants, and/or spray it onto the leaves.--in this case, add 1/8 tsp. vegetable oil or mild dish-washing liquid so it sticks to the leaves. You can add ingredients, such as molasses or fish emulsion, to create an even better tea.

That truly is simple! For more tips, see Home Composting Made Easy!, which is where I found this fabulous information.

Your trees and plants will thank you.

For a free quote on quality, professional tree work by ISA Certified Arborists, call Martin today at (206)714-9835 or fill out our on-line website inquiry form.

Tags: tree pruning, tree removal, stump grinding, tree service, Blooma, Yelp, Blooma tree experts, customer reviews, reviews, yelp ads, yelp small business, yelp algorithm

Plant a Hawthorn Tree for Fall Beauty

I see a lot of Hawthorn trees in Seattle--they are usually planted along the streets, and they are usually quite ugly. I have never liked them at all. But today, I changed my mind.

While walking in Edmonds, WA, I spied a row of beautiful young Hawthorn trees bursting with clusters of red berries. They were a welcome, cheerful site on this cold autumn day.

The habit of these Hawthorns was quite lovely, with a pleasing, oval shape. The leaves are green and glossy, and the berries pop in contrast.

Copied straight from Wikipedia: Crataegus ( /krəˈtiːɡəs/),^[1] commonly called hawthorn or thornapple,^[2] is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the rose family, Rosaceae,

You can see the similarities to the rose family in the thorns, of course (it is called hawthorn), and the berries remind me of the large round bulbs of the Rosa Rugosa plant.

Maybe the typical Seattle street Hawthorn tree is unattractive because it has been neglected, standing unpruned for decades. Or maybe the Hawthorn just looks better when it's young (hmmm, I feel the same way!). In any case, these specimens clearly show that this is a great tree to plant for lovely fall color.

And one more look at those gorgeous berries:

If you live in the City of Shoreline and need a tree professional, call Blooma Tree Experts! We are now on the City of Shoreline's Qualified Professional list for tree removals.

What does this means?

Martin Macauley is now listed "as a qualified professional arborist for the City of Shoreline, property owners or their authorized agents may contract with [us] to  prepare reports related to tree removal and rentention."

In order to qualify for this list, we had to submit proof of Martin's qualifications, including proof he is a Certified Arborist and Tree Risk Assessor; proof of insurance, bond, and license; and examples of tree evaluations already performed.

Here is the link:

City of Shoreline Qualified Professionals List: Arborists

   Blooma Tree Experts are proud to count Ron Sims amongst their satisfied customers.

Mr. Sims has been the Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for President Obama, just recently resigning. Prior to this appointment, he served as King County Executive for twelve years.

Hired to prune several trees on Mr. Sims' property recently, the Blooma crew enjoyed chatting with this personable politician. Josiah Macauley spent some time chatting with Mr. Sims about his work  in Washington, DC and his long weekly commute. The entire crew said Mr. Sims is a personable, friendly man whom they enjoyed meeting.

We are excited to announce our two new banners proudly displayed on Roosevelt Way NE in the Maple Leaf neighborhood of Seattle, WA. We want to let all our Maple Leaf neighbors know that we are here, and we've been here for six years!

The banners feature a great shot of owner Martin Macauley hand-pruning a Seattle Heritage Tree, a majestic Black Walnut tree. Since we do boast TWO ISA Certified Arborists, we like to emphasize our prowess in pruning trees the proper way. We do also remove trees and grind stumps--we are your full-service tree care professionals!

Thank you, Maple Leaf neighbors, for supporting us. We are proud to be one of your own. Call today for a free estimate: (206) 714-9835.

	Winter storms have arrived! And so has the King 5 news crew. Yesterday, King 5 news reporter Meg Coyle and her film crew spent three hours filming the Blooma Tree Experts pruning a Douglas Fir tree on Mercer Island. They were making the tree safe for our winter storms. Watch our crew in action: "How to prepare your tree for a big storm," by Meg Coyle, King 5 news.

Ivy is one of those plants we have a love-hate relationship with. When it covers the brick walls of a university, ivy looks stately and dignified. But when it climbs a tree, determined to choke out its life, well then we must eradicate it.

Ivy WILL kill your tree, make no mistake about that. Once it starts climbing, the tree is in trouble. The best prevention is to remove the ivy entirely, before it has a chance to climb. Once it has climbed, though, you must call in the experts to remove it. Blooma Tree Experts can--and will--carefully climb your tree and entirely remove the ivy. Here are some before and after photos of a tree our crew saved. Remarkable, yes?

Seattle tree being killed by ivy.                                         Seattle tree after Blooma crew removed the ivy.

If you live in the greater Seattle area and have a tree being smothered by ivy, give the Blooma Tree Experts a call at (206) 714-9835. We'll take care of it!