Trimming your trees in the spring improves the tree’s health and stimulates growth, but there are also ways to protect your trees from changing weather. Trees in the Redmond, OR region should survive the average winter weather as long as they’re healthy. When asking our certified tree experts, you should consider other challenges of autumn and winter.
Prepare for the Winter Weather
Injuries or sicknesses could make your trees vulnerable in the colder months. One way to help your trees prepare for winter is to ensure they have enough sunlight and nutrients.
Prune trees and shrubs in late fall to let the sun shine through and remove sucker branches that drain energy. Stop fertilizing plants six weeks before the first frost to allow them to harden off for winter. Continue to water trees in the autumn before the ground freezes, but make sure the water reaches the roots at 12 to 18 inches underground.
Other Winter Challenges
Extreme cold is dangerous to plants, but trees in your area should endure the changing temperatures. Winter weather can harm trees and shrubs in other ways:
- Early cold spells can harm plants before they have a chance to harden off.
- The winter sun and dry winds can burn the foliage of trees that continue to give off water vapor.
- Frozen soil doesn’t allow plants to replace lost moisture.
- Midwinter thaws can trick plants into breaking dormancy early, and any new growth could die in the next cold snap.
- Freezing and thawing soil during the winter could allow new plants to spring up and die from wind and sun exposure.
- Deer, rabbits, and other animals chew bark, twigs, and leaves when food is scarce during winter.
Protect Young Shrubs and Trees
Snow insulates plants from the harsh wind and sun during the winter months, and mulching is a way to steady the soil temperatures. New trees have a shallow root system and can benefit from watering, but young trees also have thin bark that can crack. Our certified tree experts can wrap young trees to protect their bark. With trimming and pruning service, we will remove dead or damaged branches that could sap their energy.
Protect Deciduous Shrubs and Trees
Deciduous shrubs and trees lose their leaves in autumn to go dormant and adapt to the cold. Applying three to four inches of mulch around your tree insulates the soil. Plastic or wire guards can protect a tree from animals that gnaw on the bark.
Protect Conifers and Broadleaf Evergreens
Conifers and broadleaf evergreens slow their growth but never go fully dormant in the winter months. Winter winds can damage evergreens, which benefit from shrub wraps. Remove some snow when branches bend from too much snow.
Trees and shrubs in their natural climate have a hardy resistance to the changing weather of their area. Young shrubs and fruit trees are some of the most vulnerable plants during cooler weather. If you have any concerns about preparing your trees or shrubs for winter weather, contact us at 4 Brothers Tree Service today.
