Do my trees need anything in the fall and winter?

As weather changes and leaves continue to fall, your trees begin preparing to enter their dormancy period.  Though your trees like to “sleep” through the winter in Ohio, they still need some need some help while they hibernate!

Your trees can benefit from year-round care.  Here’s how you can help them get through the colder months ahead:

Fall Tree Care

• Mulch
  • Mulching the beds around your trees can help ensure they retain the water they need through the winter.
  • Mulch can also help reduce temperature extremes in the soil as colder weather sets in.

• Inspect
  • As your trees defoliate in autumn, you can get a closer look at branches and bark to identify any issues.
  • Fungus patches, damaged bark or injured branches are signals that you should have an expert assess your trees.

• Don’t Prune!
  • You might be tempted to prune your trees once you can better see growth patterns – but fall pruning can be damaging!
    • Pruning during the fall season can cause stress to your tree and impact the tree’s ability to naturally enter dormancy.
  • With the exception of removing dead or damaged branches, pruning is best left for the winter season.

Winter Tree Care

• Prune
  • The ideal time for pruning is winter, when your tree is completely dormant.
    • Pruning is like surgery for your trees, and it’s best performed while the trees are “asleep.”
  • Winter storms, ice and snow, can weigh down your tree branches, and cause damage and breakage to them.
    • Pruning to remove dead or damaged branches before storms hit is the best way to ensure that the winter conditions do not add unnecessary stress to your trees.
  • Call a professional to prune any trees with branches larger than 1” in diameter, or branches that cannot be reached with with two feet on the ground.

• Inspect
  • Make sure to take a little time after winter storms to assess your trees for any damage that could require pruning or expert care.

Need help with winter pruning, or want to schedule a tree inspection?  Contact DLL today!