The start of winter is a month away, but now is the time to winterize your trees. Officials from Colorado State Univesity Extension say the fall is the perfect time to take a few steps to protect the year-round plants that live on your property.
In Colorado's Front Range, the coldest season can be especially tough on the trees. Damage can take many forms, from sunscald, to dry roots or cracks in the bark due to extreme temperature swings. Fortunately, there is hope if homeowners follow a few simple steps.
Water Regularly
Even though trees go mostly dormant in the wintertime, they still require water.
鈥淭rees everywhere need water in the winter, but it's especially important in Colorado because we have such broad ranges of temperature and broad variety in how long snow sticks around,鈥� says John Murgel, a horticulture specialist with the CSU Extension.
CSU Extension officials say watering trees in the fall and winter is important, especially during long dry periods. This will help prevent root damage, from roots drying out. The result can impact the entire health of the plant.
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As long as the temperature is over 40 degrees and there鈥檚 no snow on the ground, it鈥檚 a good idea to check how much moisture is in the soil.
鈥淲ell, the easiest way and the surest way to know if your tree needs water is to go out and check the soil around your tree,鈥� said Murgel. 鈥淢y favorite tool is my finger because I can get into the soil around the tree and see how damp things are.鈥�
If the soil is dry, you can put a low-running hose or use a sprinkler as if watering your lawn. Just be sure to water slowly to let the water seep in.
Wrap Your Trees if Needed
Another step to keep in mind is tree wrap. This process is mostly for young trees with thin bark. Wrapping trees protects against the fluctuation in temperatures that Colorado sees in the winter time and issues it creates like sunscald and frost cracks. This is the step KUNC鈥檚 Erin O鈥橳oole referred to in a podcast as 鈥済etting your tree a cozy sweater.鈥�
鈥淭he weather is so nice here in the winter, we have all that sunshine, and particularly on the south and west sides of trees that are exposed to that sun, they go through a wide range of temperatures, even over the course of a single day,鈥� said Murgel. 鈥淓ven if it's cold, it could be below freezing. But standing in the sun, as you know, it's a nice sunny day in Colorado, it can feel pretty warm. That sunlight can hinder that side of the tree's ability to remain dormant, and so those cells lose their ability to withstand extreme cold, those cells can then be injured or killed when it is nighttime, or when the sun goes behind a cloud.鈥�
The overexposure to the sun creates sunscald, which is essentially a wound along the trunk that splits open. The gash in the tree can allow diseases and insects to attack the plant.
The other concern is frost crack, which is a similar process of the tree warming and cooling and can cause cracks in the tree鈥檚 trunk.
To wrap your trees, CSU extension suggests these four steps:
鈥�It's not too late. if you're bored on Thanksgiving afternoon, that's another great time to get out there and get that tree wrapped to protect it as we get really into the winter season,鈥� said Murgel.
Use Mulch
Mulch is defined as 鈥渁ny material that provides protection and improves the soil when applied to the soil surface.鈥� Mulch protects shallow roots from freeze damage, blocks weeds and reduces surface evaporation to help keep the moisture that trees need to survive the winter.
鈥淲ood chip mulch, or leaves, are really good at insulating the soil from temperature swings鈥�, said Murgel. 鈥淪o when we don't have snow cover, having that layer of mulch will keep the ground more stably cool, and so your roots don't get either too warm or too cold or go through those temperature swings that could damage them.鈥�
Murgel says one of the best forms of mulch is free of charge. Simply use the leaves that drop in the fall. Not only does this provide the ground cover around trees, but decomposing leaves return nutrients to the soil. The leaves also feed other soil microorganisms that keep the ground healthy for trees year-round.
鈥淵ou might still rake them to move them around the yard, but you certainly don't have to stuff them into bags and haul them out to the street or drag them to the local compost center,鈥� said Murgel. 鈥淵ou can just repurpose them right there at home.鈥�
Other forms of mulch include woodchips or even small rocks that still allow water to get through to the soil. Just remember to avoid items like shredded rubber or pine needles as they items can quickly become fire hazards during long periods of dry weather.
This article was adapted from an episode of KUNC鈥檚 In The NoCo podcast. Find this episode and others here.
