To get you started, here are five tips to prepare your trees for the winter.

Prune

Autumn is a great time for tree pruning. When the branches are free of leaves, it’s much easier to see the tree’s structure and, therefore, make better pruning decisions. Pruning is a great way to improve your trees’ health. It relieves stress, which promotes growth. However, it’s important to remember that not all trees are alike, and improper pruning can actually injure trees, thus making them more susceptible to problems.

Brace for Winter

Adding cables and supports to any potentially precarious trees is important to do before the arrival of ice and snow. Similarly, wrapping the base of young trees in a light-colored guard can help ensure its chance of survival. Covering the bottom three feet of the tree (from soil up) should protect it from sunscald and rodent feeding. Also, during the cool days of autumn, it’s important to remove any rotting or broken branches that could become a problem when covered in snow and ice.

Fertilize

Times of extreme temperature can be hard for trees, particularly young trees. Fertilizing your trees in the fall with a slow-release fertilizer is a good way to replenish nutrients from any summer drought and prepare them for winter’s cold. Strong, well-fed, and fertilized trees are more resistant to damage, disease, and winter’s pounding.

Water Your Trees

During the fall, the roots of trees go through a growth period. Hydrating your trees helps make the most out of this time. Additionally, just as trees require water during summer droughts, they also do during winter droughts. However, this often can’t be done because of the extreme cold. Therefore, giving your trees a needed autumn drink can be a lifesaver, especially for young trees. Even after winter’s cold has arrived, you can still give immature trees a good watering, so long as the ground is cool and not frozen.

Mulch

Spreading a thin blanket of organic mulch under your tree can act like a blanket in winter and protect the tree’s roots. The mulch will not only help to reduce the cold but it will also help retain water. Though some advise against mulch because of its capacity to encourage fungus growth, research shows that trees prefer soil rich in fungi. Also, be sure not to build a volcano-like pile around the base of the tree. This could cause rotting at the base of the tree.

Additionally, autumn is a perfect time to plant new trees. Though this isn’t a tree maintenance tip, it is an important reminder and something we always advocate. Most people assume that trees must be planted in the spring, but actually fall planting can be ideal. Particularly, fall conditions are perfect for fostering root growth. Trees planted in the autumn are not susceptible to extreme temperatures and all other accompanying problems, like sun scorch, drought, and pests.

As you begin your fall clean up and winter preparation, don’t forget to include tree maintenance on your to-do list. Following the above tips to winterize your trees can help promote health and provide another year of summer shade.