What To Do in the Winter to Keep Your Trees Healthy?
Winter Tree Care
The soil and climate around Denver is perfect for growing grass. Few native trees grow naturally here besides Cottonwoods. The rest are planted, so yard trees in Denver need extra care to keep them healthy. Rule number one is watering. Denver is known for its winter droughts. Homeowners should get their trees’ deep root watered and fed on mild winter days when temperatures are above freezing.
Leave and flower buds set in the summer, so there is no harm in trimming trees during the year’s colder months. Also, our arborists can more clearly see damage and structure issues since trees have no leaves. Please download the Ross Tree Tree Insect Calendar to see what tree insects and diseases can be treated in the winter.
Need winter tree care? For an appointment, click here to fill out a request service form or call 303-871-9121.
Winter 2023
2023 was a wild year tree-wise in Denver. The City has one of its wettest May and June on record. The rest of the summer was hot. Fungi and diseases rarely seen appeared, including Dutch Elm Disease. Trees actively soaked up the moisture after two years of severe drought, which would have been a perfect time to fertilize. The winter has been bone dry, so hire a professional tree service to water all mature yard trees during mild weather. Young saplings need watering every two weeks. It is also a great time to prune hardwoods because they are bare.
Winter 2022
After two years of drought, Aspen and Honeylocust trees are struggling in the Denver area. Ross Tree offers deep root watering and feeding programs to keep trees’ root systems healthy to withstand drought. If homeowners did not water their trees in the Fall, they should do so this winter. Winter is an excellent time for dormant oil spraying to kill overwintering tree scales and aphids in Elms and Maples.
Winter 2021
Lindens got hit hard by drought in 2021. Watering trees in the winter goes a long way in helping Lindens, and other hardwoods ward off fungi infections and drought stress.
Deep Root Watering
Tree root systems store nutrients and water so trees in Denver can survive Denver’s dry winters. All trees benefit from supplemental watering during the winter, particularly during droughts. Young trees especially need watering during dry spells. Click here for more information about deep root feeding.
Winter Pruning
In the winter, it is easier to evaluate tree structure. Winter pruning truly benefits trees and sets them up for a successful growing season. In the spring, the tree directs energy to fewer branches, which improves the overall vigor of a tree. The buds on the remaining branches produce healthier leaves, fruit, and limbs. Click here for more information about Winter Tree Care.
Chapstick for Trees
Anti-desiccants sprayed on evergreen foliage form a soft, transparent, flexible film that protects leaves and needles from drying out during the winter and protects them from winter drought and high winds.
Dormant Oil Treatments
Dormant oils control tree aphids, mites, and scales that overwinter as eggs. Dormant oils are sprayed on trees in the winter and are effective against exposed tree insect eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults.
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