The winter snow is on its way. And although we may not have put our summer clothing away just yet, it’s a good idea to get out and prepare your trees for the cold winter months ahead. Here are a few winter tree tips to help keep them healthy and strong throughout the season.
Wrap your trees
If you have any young, newly transplanted, or thin-barked trees, it’s best to wrap them to protect from the winter weather. There are different ways to wrap your trees, but the most popular consists of burlap, plastic, paper, or vinyl. Wrapping your trees not only protects them from the cold, but it also can protect from sunscald. Sunscald occurs when the sun heats up the bark on cold days and causes the tree cells to come out of dormancy. When the temperature drops below freezing, the active cells are killed.
Protect your trees with anti-desiccants
If you didn’t regularly water your trees and shrubs before the soil froze, you run the risk of experiencing desiccation. Plant roots are unable to obtain the necessary water when the soil begins to freeze. In order to survive, they begin using all the water stored in their leaves, stems, small branches and needles. The resulting water deficit will cause browning, scorching and may lead to the shedding of some or all of their leaves and needles prematurely. A Colorado tree care service can protect your trees and shrubs by applying an anti-desiccant spray, which provides a protective coating – helping reduce the amount of water that escapes during drier months.
Tree Watering
Trees should be watered about every three to four weeks, as long as temperatures are above the freezing mark. Allowing the soil around trees to freeze while dry will repel natural moisture rather than allow it to reach the tree’s roots. This will directly damage your root system during dormancy. Keeping the soil moist beneath the surface ensures active root growth for a healthy and beautiful tree come the spring.
Winter weather is here and now is the time to protect your trees to keep them healthy and beautiful.
