Protect Your Trees This Winter With These Simple Tips
During the summer, your trees provide a beautiful canopy that helps keep you and your family cool and shaded from the blistering sun. As the leaves fall off and the cold air hits, your tree may seem innocent if you don't know any better. Unfortunately, trees can develop diseases and problems within itself without you ever knowing it. When the snow and ice hit the area and accumulate on the limbs, a weak tree can turn into a dangerous obstacle in your yard. In order to avoid this, you need to be wary of the different problems your tree can experience. Here are some tips for protecting your trees this winter.
Select Proper Placement
The area where you plant your trees can have a major impact on how much winter damage they endure. If you plant your trees too close to the house, they can easily be affected by snow and ice that is blown off the roof. Because of this, you want to make sure your trees are planted away from the home. You also want to place them in an area where they won't get hit too much from the cold winds of winter. Placing them behind retaining walls and fences can help shield them for getting blown constantly by wind.
Encourage Root Growth
The roots of your trees don't stop growing after the summer. You want to promote root growth in the fall before the cold air hits them. You can do this by applying plenty of mulch to help shield them from the cool air. The best way to help promote this growth is by adding a good layer of straw and wood chips at about 68 inches. This will help prevent frost from getting to the root during the winter.
Guard Your Trees
As winter hits, food becomes very scarce for many animals. Some of the animals will turn to the mulch and even the tree itself to eat off of. To best protect your tree from these creatures, you want to set up a guard for it. Tree guards made out of wire and plastic can be purchased at your local garden supply store. This will help keep off small animals like mice and rabbits from feeding off the trees.
Water Trees Ahead of Time
Before the winter approaches, you want to make sure the trees get plenty of water. Once the cold weather hits, the water could quickly ice over and put a lot of weight on the tree. Watering efficiently before the temperatures drop below freezing will help keep it moist without too much water on them. For further assistance, have a peek at this website to contact local professionals.