It’s that time of year again! It seems as though the sun is setting earlier every afternoon and the holiday season is upon us once again. One of the most frequently asked questions we get from clients this time of year is “ How do I protect my trees during the winter?”. For some, this time of year can be rather stressful, but there’s no need to panic. We would like to provide you with some quick helpful tips for maintaining the health and overall life of your backyard vegetation.
- Cover the tree with either white tree wrap or plastic tree guards to help prevent sun scalding. The wrapping helps to reflect the sun in order to keep the tree at a sustained temperature.
- Make sure to wrap trees that have thin bark during the first five winters or more. Newly planted trees should be wrapped for up to two years to protect the tree from sun scalding. Sun scalding leads to killing tissue in the bark because of temperatures dropping at a rapid pace during colder times of the year.
- If you suspect frost damage or sun scalding, hire a local arborist to help diagnose the tree and prevent the damage from getting worse. Arborist Jeremy Frederick can see how each branch can handle ice or frost while also pruning to prevent damage from fallen branches.
Here in South Louisiana, we have one of the harshest climates for maintaining trees because of the amount of humidity they’re exposed to. Not only are they exposed to the drop in temperature, but the combination of cold and wet can limit how well the tree flourishes. Hopefully, these tips are useful and inspire you to brace the cold to protect your trees.
