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Every homeowner or business owner needs to pay close attention to the health and growth of their trees, especially during the winter months. Your trees deserve utmost care and attention to survive the winter period and even beyond. There are simple but effective tips you can follow to keep your trees in great shape during winter.
Mulch
During the early period of winter, you simply should add a thin layer(not more than 2 inches) of organic mulch under your tree’s drip line. Mulch protects the soil and tree roots against extreme weather conditions and reduces water loss from soil. Importantly, you should wait until the ground freezes before mulching to stop mice from making your mulch their abode.
Spray
Winter sun and wind cause extreme drying conditions for broadleaf evergreens, such as Pieris, Rhododendron or Mountain Laurel. To prevent this from happening, simply spray an anti-desiccant, which acts as a protective cover for leaves with a waxy coating, to reduce moisture loss.
Wrap
To protect your trees from sunscald(trees planted on the west or south sides of buildings are usually the most affected), cover trunks with crepe paper tree wrap. Starting from the bottom, wrap the trunk, overlapping layers by one-third. You can stop wrapping just above the lowest branches. You can take away the wrap in spring.
Protect
Another important thing you can do to keep your trees healthy and safe is blocking rodents by wrapping trunks with plastic tree guards, starting from the base and taking it upward. Ensure you wrap past the snow line.
Prune
This is a reminder that trees are usually dormant during winter, which makes it an ideal time for pruning. It is quite easy to inspect your tree’s structure and identify diseased or dead branches during this period. When you prune your trees the right way during winter, you are setting up to blossom afterwards. To get the best results from pruning, it is recommended that you hire a certified and experienced arborist like G & V to handle the whole process.
If you are in McLean, VA and need expert tree care services, you definitely should give the guys at G & V a shot. They have a team of certified arborists with several years of experience. They specialize in tree removal, tree pruning, stump grinding, snow removal and storm damage service.