TL;DR
- Clean Yard Around Trees: Rake up fallen leaves to prevent pests and disease.
- Water Trees Before Freezing: Give trees a deep watering before the ground freezes to help them stay hydrated over winter.
- Prune Trees: Have a professional arborist prune dead or damaged branches to prepare trees for winter and promote spring growth.
- Protect from Sunscald: Wrap trees with canvas or plastic to shield them from sunscald, which can damage the bark.
- Sequoia TreeScape: Offers tree care and winterization services in York Region, including tree wrapping and pruning.
Top Winter Tree Care Tips in Ontario
Winter can come quickly in Southern Ontario and it’s important to have your trees ready to brave the colder months of the year. There are many things that you can do to help protect your trees from the harsh snow and ice conditions that often blanket Ontario from December to March. As with anything, trees do best when they are prepared for the changing season. As highly skilled arborists with years of experience, we have seen the stress that can be put on trees when they aren’t correctly maintained, particularly when it comes to helping them deal with winter. With that in mind, here are some helpful tips you can use when getting your trees ready for winter.
1. Clean Up Your Yard Around Trees
Fallen leaves can carry spores from pests and disease, to protect your trees from infestations or infections come springtime, try to rake up the rotten leaves that surround the area close to the tree. It is best to leave a perimeter of at least 3-6 feet from around the trunk of the tree to keep unwanted critters from making your tree their home.
2. Water Them Well Before The Ground Freezes
Trees need on average need around 10 gallons of water for every inch of the trunk’s diameter. Right before winter sets in trees do a natural pull of nutrients and moisture from the ground through their roots, getting ready to move into a dormant state over winter, almost the same way bears bulk up before they hibernate. Giving your trees, especially young trees, a nice long drink at the end of fall, before the ground has had a chance to freeze can help your trees get ready for winter and give them a store of water to help them stay hydrated during the winter months.
3. Get Your Trees Pruned By A Professional Arborist Near You
Once the leaves are off the trees problem areas can become easily visible. Whether it be a twisted or cracked tree branch, a spot of disease, or a distressed area, it is best to take care of these issues. Autumn is the perfect time for the team here at Sequoia TreeScape, your #1 tree care service in Newmarket, to step in and clean up any dead or diseased limbs before they become a problem by removing them. We can do a full assessment of any trees on your property and prune any trees that need it to prepare them for winter and then healthy growth in spring.
What Is Sunscald? And How Can You Protect Your Trees From It
Sunscald occurs when the winter sun thaws the moisture on a tree’s bark during the day, but then as temperatures drop again at night everything freezes up again and the cells in the tree’s bark actually rupture, causing a dead spot to appear on your tree’s trunk. The best way to protect your trees from sunscald is to wrap your trees using a thin canvas, or plastic to shelter the tree’s exposed branches and bark from the harsh winter sun. If you are looking for an arborist near you to help wrap your trees for winter we would be more than happy to assist.
Contact A Newmarket Arborist About Winterizing Your Trees
If you need help with your trees this winter in Newmarket, Aurora, Markham, or anywhere in the York Region don’t hesitate to contact us at Sequoia TreeScape. We are the most trusted arborist near you, only one call away at (416) 770-8733.
For more on our services check us out on Facebook or Twitter.
Until Next Time,
Matt Gladwin – Owner
Certified Arborist