How To Protect Your Trees And Shrubs From Weather Damage

By Lawn Doctor

Winter weather will be here before you know it. Are your trees and shrubs prepared to survive the winter? Lawn Doctor recommends the following to keep your shrubs and trees safe from weather damage.

Water your trees and shrubs throughout the fall

You may think that it sounds strange to water your shrubs and trees, but you may need to do it, especially if you have newly planted trees or evergreen trees. Since evergreens do not go dormant in the winter, they need moisture to get them through the cold season. Generally speaking, you should water these shrubs and trees an inch a week in the fall. Of course, if you have had a rainy autumn, you may not need to do so. It is also important to water this greenery so that you do not have broken branches. Branches can break off due to lack of moisture.

The experts at the University of Minnesota have provided more great resources on evergreen damage as well as some other great ways to protect your yard in the gardening section of their site.

Use an anti-desiccant spray

Watering is not the only thing you can do to keep your trees and shrubs from drying out. You can also treat your trees and shrubs with an anti-desiccant spray to hold moisture. This is especially helpful with evergreens.

Have your trees and shrubs pruned

Going into winter, pruning is important, especially for trees. You want to have dead or dying branches removed – they could potentially fall off and cause severe storm damage – but you do not want to have your trees thinned too much, as this could make the trees weaker. Pruning younger trees and shrubs can help the greenery grow the right way, with branches that have enough spacing and a good framework for the future.

Wrap your tree trunks where needed

If you have young trees, you may need to wrap their trunks with a material like burlap during the winter. That is because the trunks are still fragile and may get damaged in the winter weather. Sun scald sounds like a summer issue, but it happens in the winter due to the sun reflecting off the snow, which causes the tree trunks to get vertical splits. The burlap protection can also keep the trees from suffering damage due to salt.

Wrap shrubs where necessary

You may need to wrap your shrubs or protect them in some way from the winter weather conditions. Burlap or some other sort of cloth material may work well. Plastic is not recommended, though, as it can heat up in the sun. You may also want to consider a wooden shelter around your shrubs to protect them from the elements.

Talk with your Lawn Doctor professional

Whether you need assistance with seasonal lawn care tips, or with making sure your trees and shrubs are protected for the winter, our Lawn Doctor lawn care experts can give you all of the guidance you need.

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