Trees are dormant in winter, but unlike their animal friends who are able to hibernate and protect themselves from the elements; trees are fully exposed and vulnerable! Here we discuss caring for your trees in the winter.
The harsh winter weather can be particularly stressful for trees, especially young ones that don’t have a thick bark or a wide spread root system.
The good news is we can help trees be protected from the elements during winter, so they’re ready to start thriving in spring and summer!
How to care for your trees in winter
Mulch
Towards late autumn add a thin 2inch layer of organic mulch around the base of you tree. This will insulate soil and protect the roots and trunk against the extremes of winter.
Water
Trees still need to be well watered on the lead up to winter! Especially newly planted trees but be mindful that you don’t want the ground to freeze so don’t water them if temperatures of extremely cold, or at night time when there will be no sunlight.
Spray them
The wind in winter combined with the winter sun creates dry conditions for green leafy trees. Spray trees with an anti-desiccant, which is a spray that coats leaves with a wax that will help reduce moisture loss.
Prune
Winter is a great time to inspect and prune trees. As they aren’t as full you can easily spot any disease or decay or issues with the trunk or branches. Pruning trees wont damage their branches. They just won’t start growing properly again until spring.
Protect
To protect you trees, cover their trunks with paper tree wrap. Wrap the trunk from the bottom and overlap the layers by a third each time. Stop wrapping just before you get to the lowest branches. Keep this wrap on until spring when the cold weather has subsided.
