Tips to Protect Your Trees in Winter
Tips to Protect Your Trees in Winter
Between the cold temperatures, snow, ice, and damaging winds, your young and mature trees are subjected to the harshest conditions during the winter months. As a homeowner, you want to ensure your trees remain safe and healthy, but you may not be sure what you are supposed to do. Don't worry, and instead follow these simple tips to care for your trees in the winter.
Protect the Root System
Even though your tree looks dormant above the ground, it doesn't mean that the root system is not still growing and thriving below the ground. Typically, if the temperatures are above freezing, your roots will continue to grow at the same pace as in summer and fall. Once the temperatures fall, the root's growth begins to slow.
A vital, thriving root system is critical to the tree's survival. Here are a few tips to help you ensure your root system is protected throughout the entire winter:
- Mulch around your trees. Spread a layer of mulch around the tree. Leave the mulch a few inches away from the trunk to avoid damaging and decaying the trunk.
- Ensure the ground is moist before it freezes. Dampen the soil a few inches deep. If there isn't much rainfall in the fall, do this before the first hard frost. This helps prevent the heavy frost on the soil's surface from penetrating to the roots.
- Avoid spreading ice melt near trees. Ice melt contains chemicals that can damage the delicate tree roots.
Keep an eye on the ground surrounding the tree and if you notice any roots growing out of the ground, cover them with soil immediately to protect them against snow and ice.
Prevent Animal Damage
Hungry, cold animals will look to your trees as a source of food and protection in winter. Protecting the trees from the damage caused by a variety of animals can prevent damage that is dangerous to your trees, no matter what the season. Here are a few things you can do to keep your trees safe from animal damage this winter:
- Clear snow away from the base of the tree. Shovel snow from around the base of your trees. Heavy snowdrifts provide ideal protection for small animals, such as mice, from predators.
- Move any mulch touching the trunk. Redistribute any mulch that has piled up around the tree. In addition to causing decay, mulch is a great place for small animals to eat, sleep, and eventually nest.
- Wrap young, vulnerable trees. Use plastic, fabric, or another tree wrap that is recommended by your tree care specialist to protect younger trees from damage.
Keep an eye on your trees and watch for which animals are damaging your tree. Once you spot the perpetrator, purchase a deterrent specifically designed to keep that animal away. Apply the deterrent around the trees as recommended by the manufacturer. Remember that the deterrent will likey wash away when the snow melts, so make sure to reapply it as needed.
Contact a Professional to Prune the Trees
Because trees are in a latent period during winter, pruning them during the colder months is often a good idea because it helps avoid damaging new growth. However, before you pick up your pruning shears, keep in mind that over pruning or cutting off the wrong branches and twigs can damage your trees, even when they are dormant.
No matter what the season, when it comes to pruning your trees, consider leaving this task to a professional.
The winter poses unique threats to the health and vitality of your trees, which is why you need to protect them when the temperatures drop. Contact the professionals at Baumann Tree with any further questions and concerns.
A tree does not have to be falling over to become a concern. Sometimes the first warning is a branch scraping the roof. Other times, it is a canopy that has grown so thick it overwhelms the yard, a limb hanging above the driveway, or a tree that simply does not look as healthy as it did a few years ago. Knowing when a tree needs attention can help St. Louis property owners address problems before they become much harder to manage. Baumann Tree provides tree service, tree removal, and tree trimming in St. Louis, MO for homeowners and property owners who want to take care of troublesome trees safely and effectively. For professional tree care, call 636-375-2812. When Your Trees Start Competing With Your Property Trees and homes share the same space, and eventually that can create conflicts. A tree that was small when a home was built may now stretch across the roof, crowd a fence, block a driveway, or extend branches toward neighboring property. Mature trees can be one of the best features of a St. Louis yard, but they also require more attention as they grow. Professional tree service in St. Louis, MO can help you determine what needs to be trimmed, what should be monitored, and when removal may be the better long-term solution. Instead of treating every tree the same way, Baumann Tree can evaluate the situation and recommend an appropriate approach for the property. A Tree Doesn't Have to Be Dead to Need Removal Many people associate tree removal with completely dead trees, but there are other reasons a tree may need to come down. Its location may have become problematic, the trunk may have developed structural weakness, storm damage may have compromised major limbs, or the tree may be declining to the point that keeping it creates an unnecessary risk. With tree removal in St. Louis, MO , the surroundings matter just as much as the tree itself. Homes, garages, fences, landscaping, sidewalks, and neighboring properties can all affect how a tree should be removed. Baumann Tree can assess the tree and surrounding area before determining how to approach the job. Warning signs worth paying attention to include a new or increasing lean, large dead sections in the canopy, cracks in major limbs or the trunk, decay, broken branches that remain lodged in the tree, or noticeable changes following severe weather. If a tree on your property has you wondering whether it is still safe to keep, call 636-375-2812 and have Baumann Tree take a closer look. Tree Trimming Is About More Than Making a Tree Look Neat Trimming can dramatically change the appearance of a property, but good tree trimming should accomplish more than creating a tidy canopy. Strategic trimming can remove problematic branches, create clearance around structures, address damaged growth, and help prevent certain limbs from becoming larger concerns later. For example, you may need tree trimming in St. Louis, MO if branches are beginning to hang over your roof, interfere with a driveway or walkway, rub against one another, block visibility, or create too much weight in a particular part of the canopy. The goal is not simply to cut branches back. Trees respond to pruning, which is why knowing which branches to remove—and which ones to leave—is important. Professional trimming helps address the immediate issue while taking the overall tree into consideration. Take Another Look After a St. Louis Storm Take Another Look After a St. Louis Storm Strong winds and thunderstorms can reveal weaknesses that were easy to miss beforehand. After severe weather, take a look at the trees around your home from a safe distance. A branch may be partially broken without falling, the canopy may look noticeably different, or a tree may appear to be leaning more than it did before the storm. Damage high in the canopy can also be difficult to judge from the ground. If something looks different, having it evaluated can be a much better option than waiting to see what happens during the next round of bad weather. Give Your Trees the Attention They Need Call a certified arborist promptly if you notice sudden canopy dieback from the top down, D-shaped holes in ash bark, wilting spreading across connected trees, dark streaking under oak bark, or shepherd's crook tips on ornamental pears or crabapples. Even when symptoms seem minor, a professional inspection is worthwhile. Most tree pests target stressed trees first, making consistent care essential to prevention. Protect Your St. Louis Trees With the Right Help Sometimes a tree needs a few carefully selected branches removed. Sometimes it has reached the point where removal makes more sense. And sometimes you simply need an experienced tree professional to help you figure out which option is right. For tree service, tree removal, and tree trimming in St. Louis, MO, contact Baumann Tree. The team can help you address overgrown, damaged, declining, or inconveniently located trees and keep your property looking its best. Call Baumann Tree at 636-375-2812 today to schedule tree service in St. Louis, MO.
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