Introduction
While you prepare to get cozy for winter, your trees also equip themselves for the colder months. Preparing for winter is mostly a matter of warmth and comfort, but appropriate care for trees in winter can be the difference between life and death.
This is why professional shrub/tree pruning and removal services in Gig Harbor, Tacoma, and Port Orchard, WA, recommend caring exceptionally for your trees in lower temperatures.
Reasons You Need to Care For Your Trees in Winter
Here are six reasons tree pruning and removal services in Washington recommend getting in the habit of having your trees professionally cared for your trees
1- Better results:
In winter, without leaves, you can easily see where the tree needs trimming to maintain its structural integrity, therefore, better cuts and better results.
2- Fewer diseases and pests:
When you trim in the colder months, there’s less chance of infection because the pests and diseases are dormant, just like the trees. This alone is a great reason to prune in winter.
3- Better appearance:
Winter trimming shapes your plants and trees accurately so they can grow into the desired aesthetics for your garden:
- To promote or prevent growth
- to avoid meddling with buildings, yard art, or paths of your landscape
4- Faster process:
In winter, professional shrub removal and pruning services in Gig Harbor, WA, like Archon Tree, can easily arrange equipment, better observe what they’re doing, and move more quickly between branches. As a result, it sets the base for summer, and then the work goes faster than when they trim in the warmer months.
5- Less stress:
Trees go dormant in the Winter and heal quickly from trimming wounds, which is why December, January, and February are ideal times to trim and prune.
6- Safer landscape:
Severe winter weather causes falling limbs and trees. Proper tree pruning by tree removal services in Tacoma, WA, removes the danger of a weak tree damaging your home, property, or neighbor’s.
Removing potentially hazardous branches in the Winter, when pruning is easiest, provides peace of mind to homeowners.
Five Winter Tree Care Tips
Even though it is cold and wet, winter is the perfect time to take advantage of caring for your tree while in dormancy. Top shrub removal and pruning services in Port Orchard, Tacoma, and Gig Harbor, WA, suggest the following tree care guidelines,
1- Schedule a tree inspection:
Top tree removal and pruning arborists in Tacoma, WA, reveal that winter is a tough time for trees. The cold weather can tire the trees’ immune system, making it susceptible to diseases and pests. Not to forget that ice, wind, and snow repeatedly damage their branches and bark.
So, the first step in protecting your trees from harsh winter is scheduling a tree inspection with a certified tree and shrub pruning service like Archon Tree in Gig Harbor, Port Orchard, and Tacoma, WA.
2- Avoid using salt or de-icer:
Leading shrub/tree removal and pruning services in Tacoma, WA, reveal that most people should avoid using salt or de-icer on walkways and steps during snowy conditions in the winter months. It causes soil compaction, inhibits root growth, and makes it harder for tree roots to absorb water from the ground, leading to dehydration.
3- Protect trees from freeze:
Be prepared to protect your most vulnerable trees when temperatures drop to freezing, as most trees can’t handle temperatures below 32 degrees. To protect your trees from freezing, you can
- Shift potted plants and trees to a more protected place.
- Cover vulnerable trees with burlap, sheets, tarps, etc., that go all the way down and trap the earth’s warmth.
- Tree pruning and removal experts in Gig Harbor, WA, suggest maintaining moist soil in winter as it absorbs more solar radiation than dry soil and re-radiates heat at night.
4- Continue watering your Trees:
Yes, you need to maintain your trees by regularly watering them even when there’s no rain during the winter.
- Water young trees every week or every second week.
- Water mature/older trees once a month or every other month.
5- Mulch Early:
One of the best ways to protect your trees from the cold weather is by mulching them before they freeze. Mulching keeps the soil around the tree warm, thereby preventing the roots from freezing. Expert shrub, tree removal, and pruning services in Port Orchard, WA, recommend the following guidelines,
- Use organic matter like wood chips, bark, or compost(with or without leaf matter) for mulching.
- Mulch shouldn’t have a “volcano” distribution but a “donut” like.
- It should be a few inches away from the base of the tree. Too much moisture near the trunk can lead to decay.
Exceptions To The Winter Rule
While leading tree and shrub pruning services like Archon Tree recommend that winter trimming is exceptional for most species and helps boost your trees’ immunity. Yet, some trees don’t benefit as much as others.
Species that flower very early in the calendar year, such as some Dogwoods and Japanese Magnolias, often unfurl their buds in late Winter. So, it’s generally not recommended to pure these during the colder months.
Conclusion
Now that winter is approaching, it’s time to prepare for the freezing weather! Young and sensitive trees require special care and attention to avoid damage from severe weather. Luckily, ISA-certified arborists of Archon Tree provide professional shrub/tree removal and pruning services in Tacoma, Gig Harbor, and Port Orchard, WA.
From tree pruning to general tree support systems, we’ve helped numerous trees through ruthless winter months. We’d be happy to ensure that yours will have a nice, snug snooze through the cold. Our team of highly-trained, skilled professionals whose goal is to provide the finest in client services. They don’t want to meet your expectations. They want to exceed them!
We’re the only “Zero Impact Tree Removal” Specialists in Washington State, backed by a registered trademark. Schedule an appointment with us and witness excellence yourself.
