Winter Tree Care Tips and Tricks for Happy, Healthy Trees

Come winter, your trees will need a little extra love. Follow these tree care tips to show your trees you care!

Well, would you look at that! It’s already September. The seasons are changing, and the treatment for your landscape has to adjust to the new weather conditions. The good news is that the cold weather frees us from some annoying pests like mosquitos and ticks, but new responsibilities to keep the landscape nice and healthy come up as well. Let’s talk about tree care.

In general, trees aren’t super pretentious, but they do need some care to be prepared for the cold and frost. We put together this article to help you do just that.

Trees aren’t the only ones who need attention – your entire landscape needs it. If it gets too difficult for you, you can always have us do it all for you. Call Mahoney Associates at (631)287-7666 or reach us via email.

The best tree care for the winter

Clean up in fall

You know that iconic fall scene of raking leaves into neat little piles? That’s pretty much it. Also, removing anything from your yard that doesn’t have a role, like dead, fallen branches or even entire trees that are too old or unstable to survive through the winter. 

As typical as fall clean up is, it’s also a lot of work, and if trees need to be removed it can be dangerous. Why not get some friendly professionals to do it?

Prune in winter

Don’t prune in the fall! Because decay fungi spread their spores profusely in the fall and wounds from cuts seem to heal more slowly during this time of year.

Pruning during the winter is best. Pruning essentially helps the tree get stronger to survive the cold. Removing dead branches not only helps to improve a tree’s health, but also its form. Don’t cut branches without a reason and always cut just outside the branch collar.

Pruning will also help your tree carry the heavy snow (in case you get that), keeping itself intact and you safe from a falling branch.

Water

Don’t put away your garden hoes before giving your trees a good drink. Water your trees thoroughly starting from the trunk and all the way to where the longest branch ends.

Mulch

Place organic mulch around your tree (NOT too close to the trunk because it’ll encourage fungi growth on the trunk) to keep moisture and protect the tree from extremly cold temperatures. 

Wrap the tree

Fluctuating winter temperatures can make the tree’s cells active (when the sun is out) and then damage them with freezing temperatures. That’s called sunscald, and the solution to prevent it is to use commercial tree wrap up to cover the first branches.

Fertilize

This step is rather optional, but to increase your tree’s chances of not only surviving, but also coming out stronger for the spring, you can fertilize the soil around it with a slow-release fertilizer. It’ll help the tree overcome damages.

Get more than just advise from the professionals

So, there you have it. These are some of the best tips we can give you to make sure your trees are well taken care of during the harsh winter.

As you can probably tell, tree care doesn’t involve chemical products (unless you decide to use fertilizer – which you should choose with the wellbeing of the environment in mind), but it’s a lot of physical work, especially if you have many trees.

How about just relaxing with a cup of tea in a cozy place while we give your trees the best care possible? Mahoney has years of experience doing it – and we just love it! Call us at (631)287-7666 or reach us via email.

Photo by Alissa Nabiullina from Pexels

Come winter, your trees will need a little extra love. Follow these tree care tips to show your trees you care!

Well, would you look at that! It’s already September. The seasons are changing, and the treatment for your landscape has to adjust to the new weather conditions. The good news is that the cold weather frees us from some annoying pests like mosquitos and ticks, but new responsibilities to keep the landscape nice and healthy come up as well. Let’s talk about tree care.

In general, trees aren’t super pretentious, but they do need some care to be prepared for the cold and frost. We put together this article to help you do just that.

Trees aren’t the only ones who need attention – your entire landscape needs it. If it gets too difficult for you, you can always have us do it all for you. Call Mahoney Associates at (631)287-7666 or reach us via email.

The best tree care for the winter

Clean up in fall

You know that iconic fall scene of raking leaves into neat little piles? That’s pretty much it. Also, removing anything from your yard that doesn’t have a role, like dead, fallen branches or even entire trees that are too old or unstable to survive through the winter. 

As typical as fall clean up is, it’s also a lot of work, and if trees need to be removed it can be dangerous. Why not get some friendly professionals to do it?

Prune in winter

Don’t prune in the fall! Because decay fungi spread their spores profusely in the fall and wounds from cuts seem to heal more slowly during this time of year.

Pruning during the winter is best. Pruning essentially helps the tree get stronger to survive the cold. Removing dead branches not only helps to improve a tree’s health, but also its form. Don’t cut branches without a reason and always cut just outside the branch collar.

Pruning will also help your tree carry the heavy snow (in case you get that), keeping itself intact and you safe from a falling branch.

Water

Don’t put away your garden hoes before giving your trees a good drink. Water your trees thoroughly starting from the trunk and all the way to where the longest branch ends.

Mulch

Place organic mulch around your tree (NOT too close to the trunk because it’ll encourage fungi growth on the trunk) to keep moisture and protect the tree from extremely cold temperatures. 

Wrap the tree

Fluctuating winter temperatures can make the tree’s cells active (when the sun is out) and then damage them with freezing temperatures. That’s called sunscald, and the solution to prevent it is to use commercial tree wrap up to cover the first branches.

Fertilize

This step is rather optional, but to increase your tree’s chances of not only surviving, but also coming out stronger for the spring, you can fertilize the soil around it with a slow-release fertilizer. It’ll help the tree overcome damages.

Get more than just advice from the professionals

So, there you have it. These are some of the best tips we can give you to make sure your trees are well taken care of during the harsh winter.

As you can probably tell, tree care doesn’t involve chemical products (unless you decide to use fertilizer – which you should choose with the wellbeing of the environment in mind), but it’s a lot of physical work, especially if you have many trees.

How about just relaxing with a cup of tea in a cozy place while we give your trees the best care possible? Mahoney has years of experience doing it – and we just love it! Call us at (631)287-7666 or reach us via email.

Photo by Alissa Nabiullina from Pexels