Tennessee has endured a couple of recent cold snaps, but for the most part, the state has avoided a harsh winter over the last couple of years. When the green of the earth starts to die away for winter’s slumber, it’s still important to think about your trees and the stress that the winter months can cause them. Are they prepared for the cold, dormant season?
Today our ISA-certified arborists in Johnson City are providing tips on how to prepare your trees for winter to make sure they stay healthy and ready to spring back to life in a few, short months:
Mulch
It isn’t too late to add a thin, approximately 2-inch-thick layer of organic mulch beneath the drip line of your trees. In fact, it’s best to wait until the ground freezes to add mulch because this deters creatures like mice from using mulch for their winter homes. Mulch protects tree roots, regulates the soil temperature and helps keep the soil around your trees moist. But never — not in winter or in spring or summer — pile mulch high against your trees’ trunks. This can eventually kill otherwise healthy trees.
Prune
With all the leaves and foliage gone until next spring, winter makes the perfect time to inspect your trees, prune them and remove any dead limbs. Pruning trees while they are dormant also helps prevent the spread of disease since the diseases, themselves, are also dormant. Low temperatures inhibit bacteria or fungi from growing in the cut areas, and pests and insects aren’t around to infect or damage them.
Water
Trees need water even during the cold months, but in winter they need only about half of the water they need during the hot months of summer. If the Tri-cities area hasn’t received ample rain or snow, and as long as the ground isn’t frozen, be sure to give your trees water.
Wrap young trees
Low temperatures cause a tree to enter into a dormancy stage. But since the sun is actually lower in the sky during the winter months, its rays shine directly on the thin bark of young trees during the day. When temperatures fall again at night, the variation can cause cracks or damage to tree trunks. To prevent this, wrap the trunks of young trees in burlap or a material specifically designed for tree wrapping. Trees that aren’t exposed to direct sunlight don’t need to be wrapped.
Arborists in Kingsport, Johnson City, and Bristol, Tennessee
Preparing trees for winter takes a bit of planning. If you’d rather leave the task up to professionals, we’re happy to help. Give our ISA-certified arborists at Promier Tree in the Tri-cities area a call at (423) 872-2988, or contact us online today to schedule a consultation.