It may be hard to believe but the winter season is but a few days away. Many homeowners in the area spend the fall getting themselves and their property ready to handle the cold, snowy conditions of the winter, and this preparation should also include tree care and maintenance. Just like you and your home, your trees need to be properly prepared to withstand the harsh weather conditions so they can be healthy in the spring. Hot, dry summer conditions can make trees vulnerable to infestations and damage from the winter storms. These tree care and maintenance tips will help your trees recover from the summer and better handle the harsh weather conditions they will face this winter.
Apply Tree Fertilizer
The extreme weather conditions of the summer can cause the soil around your trees to compact and lose nutrients. It is very important to replenish the nutrients in the soil during the fall so that your trees can regain the nutrients they have lost and continue to get the nutrients they need to stay healthy through the winter. Applying a slow release fertilizer around the base of your trees will help keep them fed during the winter and make them stronger against harsh weather, insects, and disease.
Tree Pruning
Tree pruning is an important part of fall tree maintenance because it can protect your trees from damage caused by harsh winter weather and storms. As the leaves fall off your trees in the fall, the branch structure becomes exposed making it much easier to prune your tree branches and remove branches that are broken or diseased. However, you can do more harm to your trees than good if you prune them improperly or at the wrong time. This is why many people hire a tree care professional to handle the tree pruning.
Wrap your Trees
Wrapping your tree’s tree trunk for the winter can prevent frost cracks, breakage and splitting from the buildup of ice and snow and help protect from the harsh cold. Wrap the trunks of your young trees with burlap cloth to keep them protected. These wraps and guards must be removed immediately in the spring so that your trees can grow again freely.
Plant New Trees and Shrubs
If you want to plant a new tree or add shrubs to your yard, and you missed the opportunity in the fall, plan now for an early spring planting. The cooler temperature of the soil creates the perfect conditions for the root systems of shrubs and trees to grow and develop before becoming dormant for the winter. In the spring, rain and warm temperatures will stimulate top growth on the established root system. You can plant trees and shrubs with burlapped root systems any time, so long as the ground is not frozen.
Call a Tree Care Specialist
Many of the tree care and maintenance tips discussed above can be done safely by yourself. However, tree pruning and removal of dead or diseased tree branches can be dangerous for those who aren’t properly trained. If you have trees that need extensive pruning or dead trees that need to be removed from your property, call our tree care experts at Hendricksen Tree Care. We provide a wide range of tree care services, including fertilization, pruning, and tree removal, to ensure that your trees are healthy and vibrant.
If you need assistance from our tree care professionals as you prepare your trees for the fall, give Hendricksen Tree Care a call at (847) 348-8302.
