Prepping Trees for Winter

Saturday, October 09, 2010 03:45 AM

It is safe to say that summer is behind us and winter is just around the corner. Don't get caught with your yard not ready for winter, when temperatures dip down and the snow begins to fall because then it will be too late.

Trees are a real investment in the landscape and in order for them to survive the winter and look good for next year the following steps can help keep them healthy.

Newly planted caliber trees should be staked as they do not have a large, established root system and also those fragile trees that could bend or break due to harsh winds, or heavy snow. They are staked by using a heavy 3-5 foot metal stake.

Place the stake 4-6 inches away from the trunk of the tree and pound it into the soil 12-18 inches deep so that is secured. Then, using an old garden hose or tree rope secure the tree to the stake. Never use plastic or wire to tie the tree to the stake as this will damage the tree.

Mice can be a real problem for trees and are often not noticed until spring when the snow melts because they do their damage under the snow. They will eat the outside bark from the tree trunk and can easily eat around the trunk ringing the tree, thus preventing the tree from transporting nutrients from the roots to the top part of the tree, which will eventually kill the tree. To prevent this problem, the tree can be protected by wrapping a mouse guard around the bottom 3-4 feet trunk of the tree. This mouse guard prevents the mice from getting to the bark of the tree. It can be left on the tree year round or taken off in the spring and re-used again in the fall.

For all plants including trees to survive the winter they need to be as stress free as possible. This means that they need to be well watered before the frost sets into the ground. You also do not want trees to be sitting in water for any length of time so make sure that there is proper drainage to allow water to drain away.

If trees had problems over the summer or are newly planted and need an extra boost it is important to give them an application of 0-0-50 fertilizer. This is the only fertilizer to apply in the fall because you want the tree to go dormant. 0-0-50 contains no nitrogen or phosphorous and only has 50 % potassium which helps increase disease resistance and plant hardiness but does not encourage growth.

Cedars, are often wrapped with burlap, or netting over the winter months to give them extra protection and prevent the branches from bending or breaking due to heavy snow loads. This is done when the daytime temperature remain below freezing so it is still too early to do this. You also do not want to wait till it gets too cold because branches will break if they are frozen and then handled.

Getting trees prepared for winter will help ensure that they will be healthy and good looking next spring!

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns and operates two Art Knapp Home and Garden Centres in Prince George:

Highway 16 West at Kimball Road
Highway 97 North and Northwood Pulpmill Road

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Prepping Trees for Winter

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