Tips For Spring Growth Preparation For Your Trees
With the winter season peaking and spring not far away, it's time to start thinking about getting your yard ready for the thaw. While most homeowners automatically think of shrubs and flowerbeds, few think about the type of care your trees might need. Here's a look at some of the things that you should consider to get even your most well-established trees ready for what the spring season has in store.
Trees Need Spring Cleaning, Too
Just like you'll purge your home of clutter in the early spring, your trees can also benefit from spring cleaning. Start by taking down any lights that you may have put in the trees for the holiday season. Leaving lights wrapped around branches or other areas of the tree may actually inhibit tree growth.
Remove the protective winter season wraps that you may have put in place around the trunks of the trees. Then, use a rake to collect any debris from around the trunk of the tree and the area near the roots. Remember that roots can grow quite far out from the base of the tree, so clean a wide radius around the trunk of the tree.
Gather any branches or other debris that may have collected on the ground, as winter storms can cause fragile branches to break. Don't skip this step, because some trees are vulnerable to fungal infections that can survive the winter and then spread to the ground and roots in the spring if left there.
While the winter dormant stretch is the best time to do full pruning, early spring is a good time to remove any weak, damaged, or dead branches. If you're not sure about the health of a specific branch, you'll know it's dead if the rest of the tree starts to bud and produce leaves while that branch remains absent of any growth. Trimming these away will allow the tree to focus its growing efforts on the healthier limbs so that it's not wasting energy on trying to recover limbs that cannot be saved.
Water Is Essential
When the soil starts to thaw, it's time to start thinking about routine watering for your trees. Don't try to water them when the ground is still frozen because you'll just generate water runoff, which doesn't help the tree growth at all. As soon as the soil is thawed enough, it's time to start deep watering the trees that are closest to the areas where you used de-icing products. The salt in those products can be damaging to the trees, so flushing the soil is important for long-term health.
Even when the weather is cool, watering is still important. Don't let the soil dry out completely. If you have sandy soil in your yard, water them more frequently to help retain that moisture. Watch your trees closely for any browning, curling, or other drying signs, and water them with slow, deep water flow if necessary.
Mulch Makes A Difference
Not only do your trees need watering, but they also need to be able to retain that moisture. In addition, they are also vulnerable to suffocation from weeds, which thrive during this part of the year. Adding a layer of mulch around the base of your trees, especially the young ones, will help to retain the moisture in the soil and will prevent weeds from sprouting by keeping the sunlight away. Spread the mulch two to three inches thick under each tree, and spread it out so that it's beyond the outer edge of the tree canopy.
Spring is a time of renewed growth for many things in your yard and garden. While you're tending to your landscaping, use these tips to help set your trees up for a growing season success. For more tips, talk with a local landscaping or tree care specialist, or visit a site like http://www.prtree.com.