As a lawn care company in Whitman, we’re often asked what the essential yard chores homeowners have to do at this time of the year are. This week we’d like to focus on some of the most eye-catching and expensive elements in your landscape: trees and shrubs.
In the Whitman area, many families have one or more smaller ornamental trees in their yard. Red maple and small birches are common, as well as many different types of fruit trees. As you know, they don’t give trees away at the landscape center. Each one is an investment – sometimes several hundred dollars worth. That’s why it’s important to take steps to protect your trees before the heavy snows arrive.
Step one: Visually inspect your trees carefully. You’re looking for any broken or split branches, as well as signs of insect damage or tree disease. These are vulnerable areas that may not be able to sustain a heavy snowfall. Address these vulnerabilities appropriately, including pruning as needed. If you’re not sure how that’s done, call in your Whitman lawn care company for help.
Step two: Water and mulch the tree. You want a significant amount of mulch – 6 inches or more – covering the area surrounding the tree trunk. This is to insulate and protect the root system. Don’t put the mulch right up against the tree trunk, though – it needs about 3-4 inches of space left clear.
Step three: Wrap and rewrap. Use a tree wrap – available from the garden center or horticulture suppliers online – to securely wrap tender-trunked trees. This is generally any tree that is less than five years old. Then, drive a series of posts into the ground in a circle one foot around the tree trunk. Use these posts to support the burlap wind screens you raise to protect the tree.
To make this process easy: call in the professionals. You can spend the better part of a weekend – or more – figuring out what you need to do to protect all of your trees for the winter, or you can make one quick phone call and have the Whitman lawn service take care of it. Then, in the spring, when it’s time for all of this stuff to come down, you can have them remove it too!
