Winter Tree Care: 4 Essential Tips

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The 2021 winter storm in Texas left many residents in the dark for days at a time. In February of this year, another harsh cold snap hit and caused 50,000 people to experience power outages.

If another cold storm hits this winter, it’s important to be prepared. This includes knowing about tree care tips.

Keep reading to learn more about winter tree care and how an arborist service can help.

1. Pruning Time

During the winter, trees go into dormancy which is an ideal time for pruning. Pruning trees while they are young can help them establish a good structure and prevent future damage.

To prune young trees, you’ll need to follow these steps:

  • Remove dying, dead, diseased, and damaged branches
  • Select the lowest permanent branch (LPB) based on the tree
  • Select and establish scaffold branches
  • Select temporary branches below the LPB for removal

If you’ve never pruned your trees before and don’t have the tools, a professional arborist can take care of it for you. It’s much easier to hire an expert when you need to prune mature trees as well.

2. Protect Trees From Freeze

Any trees that are vulnerable to cold weather should be protected when winter hits. Focus on winter tree care before temperatures drop to freezing.

Young trees and certain tree species, like tropical trees, cannot survive freezing temperatures.

To protect your trees from a freeze, you can follow these tips:

  • Bring potted plants and trees to protected areas
  • Cover susceptible trees and plants
  • Keep soil moist to absorb more solar radiation

You can cover trees with anything from tarps to burlap. Make sure the material you choose extends to the ground so the tree can benefit from the accumulated warmth from the earth.

3. Utilize Mulch

Cover the soil around trees with three to five inches of mulch to help trees retain moisture and warmth. Create a circle around the tree for the best results.

Trees do better when you use organic matter like wood chips. Keep in mind that mulch should not be the shape of a volcano. This can cause too much moisture around the tree which can lead to decay.

4. Continue to Water

Another great preventative winter tree care tip is to continue to water your trees during the winter when there is no rain.

For young trees, you should be watering every week or two. Use about 10-15 gallons of water each time. It’s important to water these newer plants during the winter to help them recover from transplant stress.

Mature trees only need water about once a month or every other month. You’ll want to use 10-15 gallons of water per inch of trunk diameter.

When you water trees, water them slowly to ensure moisture has time to soak into the ground.

Winter Tree Care Tips to Follow

Homeowners that neglect their trees in the winter won’t have a pleasant-looking yard in the spring and summertime.

Whether you have young trees or mature trees, follow these winter tree care tips to keep your trunks healthy and thriving.

If you don’t want to risk damaging trees further, or if you don’t have the proper tools to care for your trees, hire the pros! Contact us today to learn about our winter tree services.