Despite deciduous trees dying every year, caring for them before and during the winter isn’t a fruitless endeavor. If you have trees in your yard or on your property, there are several things you can do to counteract the cold and snowy effects of winter.
Winter tree care is similar to how you should care for your trees year-round, with a few added variables. If you aren’t sure what to do for your trees this winter, you would benefit from some winter tree care tips.
This article will cover some basics of winter tree care and offer some helpful winter tree care tips.
Prune your trees
Winter is actually the perfect time to prune your trees. This is because there are no leaves on the trees and it’s easier to see the branches and their respective structure clearly. You can perform some structural pruning where you remove weaker or dead branches.
You can also prune any branches that are in your way when walking without having to worry about spreading diseases among your other foliage, as most organisms are dormant from the cold.
Add some mulch
In the same way a blanket can keep you warm on a cold night, a thin layer of mulch at the bottom of your trees can offer an insulating layer of warmth to guard against frigid temperatures. Your mulch layer should be about three inches thick and shouldn’t go right up against the trunk of the tree. Spread it out underneath its canopy in a doughnut shape before the ground freezes.
Wrap your trees to ward off animals
Wintertime means that many small animals will be scrounging around for food. A common snack is the tree bark of younger trees. Animals prefer this because it’s still thin, soft and chewable. You can implement a plastic tree guard to prevent small rodents like voles, rabbits and field mice from chewing on your young and budding trees.
When you wrap it, start from the bottom, and work your way up past where the snow line is in your area of the country. Other potential solutions are chicken wire or hardware cloth, which can keep larger animals away.
Water your trees before the freeze
If you’ve ever noticed your hands getting dryer during the winter, it’s because the air itself is dryer. Trees don’t like dry air, and they won’t be getting much water once the weather gets colder.
So in the fall, you should water your trees, using a soaker hose for an hour two times a week or a slow stream from a hose with no attachment for 15 minutes two times a week. Do this before the ground freezes.
Remove snow as it accumulates
If it’s the winter and you see a lot of snow gathering on your trees, you can wait till it stops and go out to sweep it off. You can use a broom to carefully brush or knock the snow off of your trees. Just be careful if there’s ice, as you don’t want to break branches accidentally, as this could jeopardize the tree’s health and your own safety.
Call for tree care services today
Hopefully, these winter tree care tips can help you extend the life of your trees. For winter tree care and other tree services, call us at Rocky Mountain Tree Service, where we can help you maintain all your trees through every season.