How do you protect your trees during winter?

Vacaville Tree Service has been specializing in tree trimming, tree pruning, tree removal, and much more for over two decades. We have been servicing the city of Vacaville and Solano County for all commercial and residential tree service needs and are proud to call Vacaville our home. It has been a while since our last blog, and we feel it is time to provide some information to our followers on how to protect your trees during the winter and the cold weather that comes with is.
Winter freezes can be deleterious to our trees, especially younger trees that are more susceptible to freezing temperatures. For example, I planted an avocado tree in my yard two years ago. The first year I had the tree, I did not take any preventative safety measures to protect the tree. The top portion of the avocado tree froze and died. This unfortunately stunted the tree quite a bit. Fortunately, I realized the errors in my ways and began to care for the tree in the ways it needed. This is just one personal story, but I hear stories and see the actual evidence (dead or fallen trees) like this all the time. Vacaville Tree Service gets quite a few calls during the winter for trees that have not been well cared for during the winter weather.
How do you protect your trees from the freeze? If the temperature where you live stays below 32 degrees for a period, expect damage to your trees. Fruit, leaves, branches, and blossoms are susceptible to freezing temperatures. Some trees are more susceptible than others. For example, trees that are in the most danger from freezing cold temperatures are Citrus, Oleander, Avocado, and any new growth on certain trees. The best way to protect your tree is with some sort of cover like a burlap sack, tarps, etc. Please visit here for more ideas on tree covers. The idea behind the tree covers is that when they extend all the way to the ground, they trap and save accumulated warmth from the earth. You also want to make sure you keep your trees well-watered. When the soil is moist, it absorbs more energy from the sun, which will provide more warmth for the trees during those freezing nights and mornings. Also, plan to water your trees during the coldest time of the day. The reasoning behind this strategy is that when water changes from liquid to a solid latent heat is released. Also, when ice forms on leaves, water is removed, and the leaves and tree itself can become dehydrated. It is imperative that the tree remains hydrated during freezing times. If you have any questions about protecting your trees during the winter or any time for that matter, give Vacaville Tree Service a call.
There are some things you can do in advance before winter arrives. Here are a few examples:

• Remove any weeds or other plants that you did not intend to grow under your tree. Soil itself is great at absorbing heat as well as reflecting it.
• Ground cover like wood chips work well to prevent loss of soil moisture. It also helps to protect the roots from the freeze by providing a little insulation.
• If you are planting new trees, think about the location you plant the tree. You want to be strategic. For example, buildings, walls, certain structures retain heat and can provide a source of warmth for your new or weather sensitive trees.

There are also some things you can do when winter is gone, and spring has arrived. Vacaville Tree Service has a few suggestions for this time of the year too. They are as follows:

• Delay pruning your trees. Branches or parts of the tree that appear damaged may not be damaged at all. Trees are resilient; give them a chance before you go all Edward Scissor-Hands on them.
• If there is a large portion of the tree that has died off exposing a large portion of the trunk or branches, you may want to consider covering those now unprotected areas from sun damage. You can either use a physical cover, like we discussed earlier in the blog, or a latex paint and water mixture.

We here at Vacaville Tree Service hope the information we have provided is useful. If you have any further questions or concerns do not hesitate to give us a call. We provide free phone consultations and are more than happy to help in any way we can. We hope that you have a wonderful holiday season, and we look forward to your call. 707-505-9177