What To Do For Your Trees Before Winter

Thank goodness for all this rain! Saturated soils are always a good thing for trees. As fall approaches this will allow them to head into dormancy with cells full of water which makes tissues a little more resilient to environmental damages like temperature fluctuations and winter drought. 

So what else can we do for our trees before the winter hits?

If you haven’t noticed before, I’m a really big fan of woodchip mulch. It may seem counterintuitive to put small pieces of dead trees under your nice healthy live trees. But it has been shown in one study after another that it will help your tree establish and keep it healthy faster than any other treatment. (Here is a link to a study). 

Why does mulch help? 

It buffers temperature extremes. 

It retains soil moisture. 

It breaks down and feeds you soil. 

It encourages a healthy soil ecosystem.

It leads to soil decompaction from microbial activity. 

It smothers weeds which can compete for resources. 

It prevents soil erosion from the irrigation system. 

For more information on mulching here is a useful PDF. 

The other thing you can do:

Fence your tree, especially in the fall. Deer are rubbing the velvet off their antler this time of year and for some reason, they love targeting young establishing trees, especially those with smooth bark like aspens or apple trees. Put a minimal fence or tree guard around your trees to deter deer from doing this. A plastic tree wrap can be purchased at Cliffrose nursery, or you can instal a wire fence. We prefer a product called “remesh wire” that is sold at the local hardware stores. It is a little challenging to work with but with a little muscle and confidence it is not only aesthetically pleasing but it does a good job protecting the trees too. 

Do you need to prune your trees before winter?

There is a larger conversation about pruning here, and why we prune trees. In short, some mature shade trees growing near houses or other targets may need pruning to ensure the protection of the target. Not all trees, especially ones not growing near a target require this kind of pruning. Branch failure mitigation is a very strategic process that a certified arborist should be able to perform. For more information on how and why we do this see our blog on storm damage. In the end it depends and give us a call to see if this is needed for your trees. 

In conclusion

Make sure you have an abundance of mulch around your trees, make sure they are protected from the wildlife this time of year, and consider pruning them if they are looking over extended, especially towards your new car or building. 

Happy Mulching!