Professional Tree Care Advice
Although winter doesn\’t officially start for a while yet, it won\’t be too long before the ground freezes. By this time, your trees should be prepped for the winter. Although it\’s clear how winter can harm animal life, it\’s less clear to many people whether winter can harm trees. However, even without the destructive effects of ice storms, winter can harm trees in a number of ways. These tips will prevent this:
Apply a Mulch Layer
Freezing water expands. This property of water can damage tree roots when the temperature undergoes multiple freezing and thawing cycles. A layer of mulch acts as insulation that stabilizes the temperature of the roots and prevents freeze/thaw damage. It also retains moisture in the ground near the tree. You can use mulch supplied by a garden center or wood chips, leaf compost, peat moss, or sawdust.
Apply a layer between 5 to 8 centimeters thick and extend it out a meter away from the trunk. However, extending it out to the tree\’s drip line should protect all roots near the surface. Make sure that you don\’t cover the trunk\’s base where it enters the ground. Keep this area clear. Mulch piled up against the trunk can cause wood rot and other problems.
Apply a Tree Wrap to Sun Exposed Tree Trunks
The low angle of the winter sun combined with the reflectivity of snow can cause sun scald. Rapid warming and thawing of frozen bark by this sunlight followed by refreezing at night, causes the bark to split and leads to strips of bark that peel away. Trees that lose their leaves (deciduous trees) in the winter are vulnerable to this problem. Apply tree wrap to the trunk up to the first branches. A light-colored wrap works best because it reflects sunlight and therefore stays cool. Tree wrap also protects the bark from hungry animals.
Finally, if the weather has been dry, water your evergreen trees before the ground freezes. Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged. This gives them a supply of water over the winter.
If you require professional tree care, you can follow along on Facebook and Instagram, or you can contact us here if you have any questions.
