Now that we’re well into fall, one of the things that you should think about is the trees in your yard. There are a variety of fall tree care tips that you can use to help your trees be ready for the winter. Below are three fall tree care tips that can help you get started.
Fall Tree Care Tips – Fortify the Soil
When there are trees in a forest, they grow in rich soil. That’s because of the organic matter and fallen leaves on the floor of the forest. But this isn’t the case in your yard. Below are three things that you can do to help your trees through the soil.
· Fertilize – To make sure that the trees are getting the necessary nutrients, use a slow-release fertilizer. These mimic nature because they steadily and slowly provide nutrients to trees. This is going to help your trees grow new roots, wood, and leaves.
· Mulch – Mulch is one of the best ways that you can put nutrients back into the soil. You can use straw that is free of weeds, wood chips or even some ground-up leaves to make organic mulch. Cover the area around your tree’s base with 1-2” of mulch during the fall. However, you don’t want to use too much or pile it against its trunk. The mulch should be 2-3” from the trunk. Otherwise, the bark could rot. The mulch should be done before your ground freezes.
· Reduce Irrigation – Your irrigation system will keep things growing and green when it’s hot and dry. However, when fall arrives, plants won’t need as much water since the soil remains moister. As your trees are dropping their leaves and going dormant, they’re going to need less water. With the falling temperatures, the amount of water lost due to evaporation will be reduced. Reduce or turn off irrigation so you don’t flood your soil.
Fall Tree Care Tips 2 – Inspect Trees & Shrubs
While you are outside, you also want to look at your shrubs and trees and see if there’s anything that you should be concerned about. You want to look for diseases and pests, so you don’t have to worry about them settling in and getting a good hold of your trees. You also want to consult an arborist who’s able to diagnose the diseases and other issues correctly and tell you what they suggest for treatments. If you are seeing stress such as early color in the fall, it could mean that you have an underlying problem.
Fall Tree Care Tips – Support the Weak Limbs Using Bracing or Cable
If you have limbs on your trees that are large and weak, it’s possible that you should give them some additional help so they can survive the harsh weather conditions during the winter.
One thing that you can do is to cable or brace the limbs. It can support weak or poor branch unions as well as overextended limbs that are on your most loved, larger trees. It also will reduce the stress damage and strain that can happen because of heavy snow and ice buildup and high winds.
These are three fall tree care tips that you can use to help; your trees weather the winter better. If you are worried about your trees, we offer arbor care. Contact us to get a quote and we’ll be glad to give you one.
