How to Prepare Trees for Winter

 

 

One of the most important gardening tasks this time of year is to
prepare your trees for the winter season. Winterizing trees includes light
pruning, adding some organic materials to the soil, watering and in the case of
young trees, wrapping the trunk. Pruning this time of year should be confined
to damaged branches and suckers. Tree suckers are branches that can emerge from
the base of the tree or low on the trunk. 

Trees that are under stress will tend
to send up more suckers. Prune these branches off now. Small dead branches in
the trees canopy can be removed at this time. Using a sharp bypass pruner, cut
these small branches near the main trunk. Any major pruning is best done in
winter when the tree is dormant. 

This is a good time of the year to add organic
material to the area under the tree, specifically HuMic. HuMic contains humate,
a soil conditioner that improves nutrient uptake, increases microbial activity
and offers the benefits of a high-quality compost, all in one
package.   

 

Improved nutrient uptake is important for all trees, but
especially trees that are suffering from iron chlorosis. Humate will facilitate
more efficient iron uptake in any tree experiencing iron
deficiency.   

 

When you're finished adding humate, water the tree thoroughly.
This is important because water acts as an insulator. Moist soil will be
warmer. Hydrated cells will resist damage from the cold weather. As far as how
much water your trees need, a general guideline suggests 10 gallons of water
per inch of trunk diameter, as measured at chest height. You can water by hand
or use a simple lawn sprinkler. 

Where you place the sprinkler depends on
whether this is a newly planted tree or an established tree. For newly planted
trees, water the root ball area. For established trees, place the sprinkler at
the drip line. The drip line is the outer edge of the tree’s branches. The key
is to water at a slow enough rate that the water soaks in and doesn't run
off.  

 

 

Finally, young deciduous trees need to have their trunks wrapped.
This is to prevent damage from the winter sun.  It’s not unusual for
winter temperatures to reach 60° Fahrenheit in the daytime. When it gets this
warm during the day, the low winter sun heats up the tree bark, especially on
the south and southwest sides of the tree. The sun’s warming action breaks the
tree's dormancy and the cells on that side of the tree wakeup and become
active.  When the temperatures fall after sunset, the active cells and
tissue die. Prevent sunscald on young trees by applying tree wrap now. 

Tree
wrap is a corrugated paper product. Start at the
base of the tree and spiral the wrap upward to the first primary branch.
Overlap each turn by one-third.  Once you reach the first set of branches,
loop the tree wrap over a strong, sturdy branch and tape it, so it will stay in
place. A good rule of thumb is to wrap your trees around Halloween and remove
the wrap around Easter. 

 

Taking these steps now will help ensure all the trees in your
landscape will survive the winter and emerge healthy in the spring.