You could help minimize the damage that is done to your trees by following these tips on how to protect trees during the winter.
The brutal weather changes in the winter between snow, ice, and sub-zero temperatures could damage trees across North America. The ferocious winds and cold weather can damage bark, injure or kill your branches, roots, or flower buds, and even bleach and dry out evergreen foliage. Ice and snow stack on the delicate tree branches, causing them to break and tumble over. A few of these conditions are unavoidable, but you could help minimize the damage that is done to your trees by following these tips on how to protect trees during the winter. Read on to learn more!
Wrap Your Trees
The first tip for keeping your trees protected in the winter is to wrap their bark with cold-weather tree blankets, white commercial tree wrap, and plastic tree guards. Burlap is a useful resource for wrapping specific trees, such as dwarf evergreen trees, during the winter. Do not use brown paper tree wrap and black colored tree guards since they absorb heat from the sun and damage the trees. Once the sun heats up and hits these tree roots, it can stimulate activity. However, when the clouds return and cover the sun, it damages all the new activity that the tree has produced. You should wrap young trees for around two winters and other thin-barked trees for at least four or five winters.
Tree Branch Strength
The second tip for keeping your trees safe in the winter is by pruning your trees. Branches are at their most vulnerable during the winter. The wood hardens and becomes brittle, which can then lead to easier breakage. When snow and ice accumulate on them, the branches snap under a small amount of tension. You should prune the tree branches in the late fall. You could also gently brush the snow off the branches to help ease the tension, but leave the ice. If you attempt to remove the ice, you can end up doing more damage than you should.
Rodents and Vermin
Another tip is to keep the trees safe during the winter from any rodents or vermin. Trees become a food source for all kinds of animals during the winter because of a scarce supply of grass. Squirrels cause some of the worst damage to trees, so finding a wild bird seed that helps attract birds and that repels squirrels is perfect for the base of your tree. For moles or pocket gophers, it’s best to use hardware cloth that can be buried at least a foot into the ground. You can also catch them with baited traps, but avoid using poison, as it can harm the tree and the surrounding ground space.
Tree Care and Maintenance from Harford Tree
Ready to have the beautiful yard you have always dreamed of? Harford Tree Experts & Landscaping, Inc has been in the business for decades, providing customers with quality work and quick responses all at the right price. We service the areas of Harford County, Baltimore County, and Baltimore City areas including Bel Air, Fallston, Perry Hall, Towson, Essex, Parkville, White Marsh and Middle River.
For service during business hours, reach out to us or give us a call at 410-592-7321. We offer 24/7 emergency service as well, just give us a call at 443-250-6649. For updates about our business and more informative tips, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.