Properly preparing your trees for the upcoming winter allows you to protect them from damage during the coldest part of the year and provide the support they need to encourage healthy growth come springtime. Before the temperatures drop too low, head outside to maintain your landscaping with the following tips for fall tree care:
1. Fertilize
Unlike trees in the forest that receive abundant nutrients all year round, trees in urban and suburban areas deal with a variety of stressful conditions, such as limited space, low moisture, and physical damage. Combating these conditions requires a comprehensive tree maintenance program to help them reach their full potential, live long lives, and avoid insects and disease. Trees already lose a significant amount of vital nutrients during the summer and winter months, so fertilizing the soil during the fall is necessary to ensure they regain the nutrients lost over the past few months and continuing to feed them throughout the approaching winter. A tree specialist can help you choose the right fertilizer for your tree species.
2. Hydrate
Thoroughly quenching the roots of your trees with hearty hydration makes sure they have enough hydration to remain healthy during the freezing temperatures of the winter. Avoid using a sprinkler, as this only wets the top layer of soil, which dries quickly over the course of the day, and moistens the foliage, which can lead to the spread of disease. You should water your soil deeply one to two times a week by hitting the critical root zone in the top twelve inches of soil. This can be accomplished by setting your hose to dribble, leaving it to run for two to three hours, and moving the hose one to three times around your lawn to make the soil moist, not soaking wet. You can also practice subsurface watering in which you use an injection probe to distribute water, an ideal method for newly planted trees and trees experiencing drought stress.
3. Mulch
Mulching the area around your trees during the fall months helps to insulate the tree’s root system from the fluctuating temperatures common over the winter. Freezing soil is common in colder regions, but in most areas, the soil will cycle through a freeze-thaw pattern all winter long. This puts stress on the soil and roots and prevents the trees from obtaining needed moisture and organic material. Insulating the soil also creates a warmer environment for earthworms, microbes, and other important parts of the soil-food web, allowing them to stay active and improve your soil over a longer period of time. Apply mulch in a two- to three-foot radius around the tree at a depth of two to four inches, taking care to keep it away from the trunk.
If you prefer to leave your fall tree care to the professionals, contact Advanced Tree and Landscape today to learn about our services. Our team can manage every aspect of proper tree maintenance for your property, including fertilizing, mulching, irrigation system installation, tree cabling and bracing, trimming, pruning, and disease, weed, and pest control.
