Four Tips for Preparing Your Trees for Winter

Preparing your trees for winter is incredibly important, especially for younger trees. So how do you best prepare for the cold winter months? Keep reading to find out the four best ways to prepare your trees.

TEND TO NEWER TREES

Have new or young trees? It’s best to attend to those trees first, as younger or newly planted trees don’t have a strong root structure. Ensure you are providing these trees with needed water and nutrients to protect them from potential winter injury.

Water Your Trees

Winter drought is something most people don’t think about, but it is a challenge every year. Thoroughly watering your trees before the ground freezes is important. A good rule of the thumb is to water your trees excessively twice prior to winter. It is also recommended to continue watering young or newly planted trees every couple of weeks, even during the winter months when there may be snow on the ground.

Lay Fresh Mulch

Adding a fresh layer of mulch to the base of your trees can help trees keep their moisture throughout winter. Acting as a blanket, mulch protects trees from the cold weather and holds moisture in the soil. Lay your mulch around the base of the tree for best results.

Don’t Prune Too Soon

It’s best to avoid pruning your trees too soon. When unnecessary pruning of your tree limbs occurs, the trees to put resources toward healing the cut rather than sustaining health. Feel free to cut off dead or dying branches, but wait until the later months of winter or even early spring for major pruning.

Continuing the Care During Winter

It is important to continuously monitor your trees during the winter. Look at your trees’ health and make sure snow hasn’t piled around the base. Snow piles can lead to drainage problems. Also, when shoveling snow off your sidewalks or driveways be sure to not pile that salty snow near your trees. Salt can be harmful to trees and can lead to killing it.

Professional Tree Care & Arborists in Western Canada

ArborCare offers a wide range of tree services in Western Canada including tree management services for every tree. Ask us about the best way to prepare your tree for winter, keeping your trees strong, and our snow removal options.