Winter has officially arrived, and in some parts of the country it’s already been here, in effect, for some time now. If you haven’t yet experienced any deep freezes in your area, it’s important for you to make sure the trees on your property are prepared for the extreme cold. Even here in Baton Rouge, LA, it’s possible for tree freezing to occur, and for your trees to suffer some damage as a result.
There are a couple different types of freezes that commonly occur. Radiational freezes most likely occur on clear, calm nights, when trees lose their heat into the environment. The likelihood of such a freeze can be reduced by minimizing radiant heat loss from the surfaces of the plant.
Advective freezes occur when cold air moves in from other regions, causing significant temperature drops. These temperatures are likely to be more extreme and longer lasting.
Here are just a few of the steps you can take to protect your trees from these types of winter freezes:
- Water the trees: Continue thoroughly watering trees, especially young trees, right up until you start to get freezes. Watering helps to prevent trees from drying out over the winter and from higher winds. In addition, the well-watered soil will absorb more warmth from the sun than dry soil, allowing it to re-radiate the heat during the night and provide a bit of extra protection.
- Move container plants inside: Whenever possible, bring plants inside for the season. If you have any young trees that are still in containers, you should bring them inside. If it’s not possible to bring them inside, you should at least try to move them to protected areas of your property, where they will have extra wind protection, and cover them with plastic. For plants that do get inside, make sure they get adequate light and water.
- Mulch: Mulch the base of your tree to provide some extra insulation to the roots and soil. This will also help the soil retain its moisture for a longer time after you water.
- Remove damaged branches: In general, you don’t want to do pruning in the winter, but exceptions can be made if you notice any damaged branches on the tree. These could become a vulnerability during freezes, as snow or ice that collects on them could cause the branch to break off, further damaging the tree.
- Wrap: There are certain kinds of trees that can benefit from wraps that go around the tree’s trunk. This adds some extra insulation to the tree for particularly cold winter days, protecting it from extreme cold and wind. These wraps are easy to apply.
- Cover: For trees that are still small, you may be able to cover them with cardboard or other materials to protect them from the elements. Generally, though, this will only be an option for very young trees.
For more information about some of the steps you can take to avoid tree freezing damage, or for additional winter tree care tips in Baton Rouge, LA, reach out to Allan’s Tree Service today.
Categorised in: Tree Care
This post was written by Allan's