With the cold and rainy season fast approaching the arborists are Advantage Tree Care share some of our knowledge on how to best protect your trees this winter.
Of course DIY tree care is totally amazing, and we always love to support homeowners who wish to tackle this themselves. However, we just want to express a reminder in ensuring safety, both for yourself and your trees. If anything feels like a bit too tricky, give your local tree services pros a call.
So here we go. 16 awesome tips as well as 2 expert insights.
Winter Tree Care Tips for your Property
If we strip it back to basics, what is it that trees need to survive and thrive?
Sunlight, water, nutrients, and air (carbon dioxide).
While some of the below tips will address these fundamentals parts of tree growth, we also offer tips to help in harsher environmental conditions.
- Inspect your trees: monitor for anything out of the ordinary. Premature leaf drop on deciduous trees, leaves with brown edges (leaf scorch), noticeable dead patches on large conifers (result of drought)
- Mulching: Think of mulch as a cozy blanket for the tree’s roots. Great for helping trees to retain moisture, regulate soil temperature, and prevent weed growth. Ensure you don’t pile the mulch against the trunk; leave a gap to prevent rot and pests.
- Watering: Trees still need water in winter, especially young ones. Our recommendation is to Water Deeply and Infrequently. Water them during dry spells, but avoid watering when the soil is frozen or when temperatures are extremely low.
- Pruning: Pruning is like a haircut for trees. It helps them grow better and look good. Dead or weakened branches should be removed to prevent them from breaking under the weight of snow or ice. This also directs energy to the healthier parts of the tree.
- Winter Wrapping: Especially for young trees, consider using a tree wrap, or white tree guards to protect them from frost, sunscald, and pests. Remove the wraps in spring to allow the tree to breathe.
- Guarding Against Frostbite – Young and newly planted trees are especially vulnerable. Use frost cloths or burlap to protect them during frosty nights.
- Protection from Wildlife: Small mammals like rabbits or rodents may chew on tree bark in winter when food is scarce. Protect trees with physical barriers, such as wire mesh, around the base of the trunk.
- Battling Winter Sunscald – This happens when the tree’s bark gets warm from the winter sun and then rapidly cools down at night, causing damage. Protective tree wraps can help.
- Fighting Winterburn – Winterburn is when needles or tree tips turn from green to brown. Wrapping, fertilizer, and hydration are good tree care practices to prevent it.
- Storm Damage and Hazardous Trees – Following a windstorm take a walk around your yard to look for any hazardous limbs. Inspect power lines, branches in close proximity to your home, and trees above sidewalks in front of your property.
- Avoid Salt Damage: If you use de-icing salts on nearby pathways, be mindful that runoff can harm trees. Opt for tree-friendly de-icing products or create a barrier to protect the tree’s root zone from salt exposure.
- Tree Stability: Check the stability of larger trees, especially those that have shown signs of leaning or have large, heavy branches. Snow and ice accumulation can cause these branches to break. Gently remove heavy snow from branches within reach to reduce pressure on that limb.
- Inspection of Roots and Soil: Examine the area around the tree roots for signs of erosion or soil compaction. These can affect a tree’s ability to absorb water and nutrients. Aeration might be necessary to improve soil conditions.
- Monitoring for Frost Heave: In areas where the ground freezes and thaws, watch for frost heave, which can disrupt the root system of young trees. Gently tamp down any raised soil.
- Fertilization: While heavy fertilization is generally not recommended in the fall, a mild, slow-release fertilizer can help some species prepare for the winter. However, this should be done based on specific tree species requirements.
- Professional Health Checks: If you notice something strange with your trees, it’s always good to consult with an arborist. They’ll be able to tell you if the issue is benign, or needs to be addressed.
Expert insights for effective winter tree care maintenance
Expert Insight #1: Inspect your trees
Take a walk around your garden. Look for signs of damage, pests, or diseases. Early detection is key, and absolutely critical for tree care management.
After a dry summer and drought there are noticeable dead patches on many large conifers around the Victoria and neighbouring communities.
On your own property you also may notice a few of your deciduous trees shedding leaves earlier than usual. And also some with brown edges on the leaves. The brown edges are indicative of leaf scorch, and premature leaf drop can indeed be a drought response. Trees drop leaves as a mechanism to reduce water loss through transpiration. It’s their way of conserving the little water they have.
When a large number of leaves are harmed, the tree struggles to harness the necessary energy from the sun. This impacts the plant’s capacity to generate its own energy. This energy is vital for the tree’s growth and its ability to ward off illnesses.
Expert Insight #2: Prune Strategically
Dead or weakened branches should be removed to prevent them from breaking under the weight of snow or ice. An added benefit of this is that it also directs energy to the healthier parts of the tree and this reduces the risk of pest infestations or disease. DIY pruning has it’s challenges, makes sure read our post about it before you embark on a new years tree pruning mission yourself.
When to Prune: Pruning can happen at different points during the season, and it can depend on your tree species. For one, it can be a good time to prune a tree in the height of the growing season (after the rising Spring sap). At this point in the growing season the tree is at its maximum growth point and will be able to tolerate pruning. The next best time to prune is late fall and early winter because trees are dormant (i.e. they don’t consume energy and will have stopped growing until the following springtime). You’d need to find out more information about the trees on your property to determine best season for pruning.
How to Prune: Use sharp tools, make clean cuts, and avoid tearing the bark. Remember, always prune with a purpose, like removing dead branches or shaping the tree.
See related: 5 important things to know about tree pruning season
That’s a wrap.
Looking at the bigger picture, we won’t really know the extent of the damage to our trees until next spring, as we often see delayed mortality associated with drought and extreme summer weather. Unfortunately some of our epic Western red cedars are going to disappear from the area within the next 20 years, the drought is killing them off.
So the onus is on us to take care of our trees, especially with changing weather patterns. With proper care, attention, and love, your trees will not just survive but thrive as they head into a new spring. If you have any more questions or concerns as we head into winter, don’t hesitate to reach out and speak with a tree care professional. For all your tree services needs in Victoria, Oak Bay, Saanich, Sidney, and Langford, contact Advantage Tree Care today to schedule a Free onsite inspection.
