If you've put in a lot of money and time into your landscape, the last thing you want is for all of your incredible trees, plants to get marred by winter elements. Below are ways of protecting shrubs in the winter, reducing the chances of damage. Protecting Shrubs in the Winter from Cold, Wind, and Sun The cold, wind, and sun could destroy bark, roots, and trees and harm evergreen foliage. Damage from cold usually occurs in late spring and early fall when it's still cold. However, there's no snow to shield them. Sun damage happens when the sun stimulates cambial activity in the tree. However, when the sun sets, the freezing, bitter temperature destroys the active part. Young shrubs and trees are more susceptible. Evergreens may lose color, becoming brown or blotchy. This discoloration happens because of the extreme wind and sun, which makes the tree lose moisture. Because the earth is typically frozen, the tree can't replenish the necessary moisture. A burlap wrap could efficiently safeguard your evergreens from these harmful factors. If you can't wrap the burlap securely around your shrubs, you could construct a frame out of wire and stakes. Additionally, some sprays work as anti-drying agents for use on some plants, shielding them from winter wind's dryness. Ice and Snow The weight of snow and ice can be too severe for numerous shrubs and trees, causing cracked limbs and even fallen trees. Clumping trees and upright evergreen shrubs that usually grow near each other are prone to ice and snow damage. They offer a vast surface space for buildup and don't have the durability to hold weight. To safeguard from the heaviness of ice and snow, cover littler plants with burlap. Protect little shrubs with "shrub-shelters," two boards in an A-framed position across the front or back by another board. These can be put on top of the shrub, shielding it from the winter elements. Other Things to Do Never over-fertilize or overwater at the end of the season. If you progressively lessen the amount of fertilizer and water in early fall, the plants will start to harden off for the impending winter. Call us at Syracuse Tree Service with your questions about winterizing your trees and shrubs. The winter months bring out the rarest version of our trees. Wrapping your trees for winter is one way to help them endure dry, harsh air and severe cold temps. Regardless what tree type you have, you must step up and safeguard your tree from winter's most severe elements. Wrapping Trees for Winter Protection Young trees, mature trees, or trees of any age with thin bark, gain from winter protection. Whenever the sun peeps out on a cold winter day, it heats the tree's bark. Then, the tissue under the bark perks up. However, when the sun vanishes behind a cloud or building, the bark's temperature drops rapidly. This process might destroy the tissue, leaving the bark dry and cracked. If you wrap your precious trees, you help safeguard them from sunscald. A similar situation could occur to evergreens in the wintertime. Their needles absorb the sunlight on warm winter days. Though, when it becomes cold again, the tree might dry out and turn from green to brown. The Best Tree Wrap for Winter The best tree wrap for winter depends on what type of tree you own. For example, a Japanese maple has fragile bark and loses its leaves in the autumn. The best way to safeguard it is by using a plastic tree guard to wrap the trunk. Besides a Japanese maple, you should cover the trunk if you have a poplar, linden, aspen, or sycamore tree. It's important to note that if you have an evergreen or arborvitae tree, use burlap to wrap your tree. Using Burlap to Wrap Trees There are a couple of ways to protect your evergreen trees with burlap. Wrapping your evergreens stop the deer from eating them and keeps the cold air out. Option One:
Option Two:
To learn more about wrapping your trees for winter protection, ask us at Syracuse Tree Service. Each year, many tourists take a trip along the New England woods to enjoy the incredibly colorful autumn trees. Below are the best trees for fall color, offering fabulous hues of orange, red, and yellow. These trees possess a distinct look and are super easy to maintain. The Best Trees for Fall Color in Your Landscape Maple is an essential tree for fall color. Maple trees command attention with vivid apricot-colored leaves. Maples come in a host of sizes, so they look good in any outdoor space. Sweetgum is a rapid-growing tree with fabulous red leaves that glow in fall. Sweetgum trees have star-shaped, shiny leaves that remain longer on the tree, letting you chill in the energetic colors into late autumn. Sweet Birch turns metallic yellow in the fall. Sweet birch trees provide high amounts of shade in the summer and have a sweet sap that can make homemade soda. Katsura welcomes fall with a tangy orange color and sweet-spicy smell. This tree flourishes in a pyramid shape with heart-shaped leaves and a straight trunk. Ginkgo trees display a radiant yellow on their fan-shaped leaves every autumn. With the capability to develop over 80 feet tall, ginkgos fight disease, insects, and pollution. Smokebush transforms into a deep red after a summer overflowing with yellow flowers. You can trim your smokebush shrub into a tree with the help of an experienced arborist. Witch hazel is a little tree with vast yellow coloring. Witch hazel provides the complete package, including flowers, fragrance, and shining color in every season. Red Twig dogwood has red stems and ruby red leaves. This dogwood blossoms with bunches of white flowers that develop into purpled-colored fruit to entice birds. Sassafras trees fend off mosquitoes and amaze with pumpkin-colored leaves of various shapes. Sassafras possesses licorice, making it a wonderful treat for wildlife. Redbud has goldenrod leaves in the autumn and soft pink flowers in the springtime. The redbud tree is a little tree with a bright-colored, forked trunk. Contact us at Syracuse Tree Service for more suggestions on colorful fall trees to plant. Delighted sweetgum tree owners understand the plant's brilliant summer glow, and colorful fall leaves can't compare. However, enchanting colors don't make up for those pesky brown balls that fall all over your yard. You've perhaps heard about tree injections to deter the balls from growing. Do they work? Read on to find out. Why Sweetgum Tree Balls Fall Sweetgum tree balls are balls of fruit with little seeds inside that squirrels and birds love eating. By the middle of autumn, the balls are dead. Similar to leaves, the balls have to fall so the tree can get ready for new growth. The only difference between sweetgum balls and leaves is leaves drop in the fall, and balls drop all fall and winter. You can't eat sweetgum balls. However, you can convert the balls into mulch and put a layer around your trees and plants. You can also use the balls as holiday trinkets. Sweetgum Tree and Injections Using injections on your sweetgum tree is complex since the moment has to be on point. For the best way to stop sweetgum balls, hire a professional and experienced tree care company. Use the injections right before the tree flowers in the springtime. The result is the flowers fall, stopping the balls from developing. An arborist can pinpoint the top application time every year using software that calculates peak pest emergence and bloom. There are also a couple of DIY growth-regulating sprays. Abide by the directions precisely. Using too much spray might stress or stunt the growth of your tree. Timing is everything. You have just seven days to stop the balls. If not, your tree will still make those irritating balls. Alternative Trees to Plant If you want to adios to sweetgum tree balls for good, swap your tree with a fruitless sweetgum tree. This tree is famous for being a topnotch alternative to the sweetgum tree. It delivers the same appeal that other sweetgum trees do tall stature, the star-shaped leaves, and the fantastic fall colors. A real plus is that the round leaf sweetgum tree grows extremely fast. If you want more information on sweetgum ball trees, contact Syracuse Tree Service. Learning when to prune fruit trees creates an open frame that is resilient enough to support all those incredible fruits without splitting. Accurate pruning timing and technique is the secret to healthy and vibrant trees and crops. Keep reading for tips and techniques on pruning fruit trees. When to Prune Fruit Trees Most fruit trees don't necessitate pruning every year. Early fruit tree pruning is vital to aiding young trees to develop open canopies and thick stems where air and sunlight can enter and encourage growth. The best time for fruit tree pruning is at the beginning of spring when trees are dormant and before buds break. Perform pruning at planting time to slice the new stem off from the ground and eliminate any side shoots. This technique helps the new tree have balanced growth and low limbs. Also, it aids the root system to keep the tree from becoming top-heavy. You can't anticipate much fruit in the first 24 – 36 months. During this period, the tree develops low limbs for better fruiting. This preparation for young trees takes several forms. This sort of training provides the tree with a sturdy trunk and crossway branching stems that begin around 30 inches from the soil. Fruit Tree Pruning After the First Year The goal is to encourage fruiting branches, improve scaffold strength, and reduce crossing and rubbing. The best time for pruning freshly planted fruit trees is in the summertime. Pruning a Fruit Tree After Three Years You will dedicate the first three years to overseeing the scaffold, getting rid of any secondary stems, downward growth, crossing branches, waterspouts, and pushing back lateral growth. Older trees also receive dormant pruning to keep the lateral limbs in the right shape by trimming them back. Dormant pruning at the beginning of springtime is also the time to get rid of wayward growth and deadwood that reduces fruiting. Once the tree becomes older, pruning is practically pointless except to cut water sprouts, dead wood, and weak limbs if correct care occurred. Unkempt fruit trees might need severe restoration pruning, reviving the scaffold. Reach out to Syracuse Tree Service to learn more about free tree pruning. If you are a homeowner with a serious green thumb, there are plants that keep bugs away to protect your family. Individual plants fight off insects. Additionally, these flowers deliver energy and color to your landscape. Below is a list that will keep your outdoor space dazzling and fun. Plants that Keep Bugs Away: Marigolds The fragrance of marigold will dissuade gnats and lice from messing with your plants. Put in flower beds close to your doors or your garden, stopping pests and even rabbits from destroying your plants. Chrysanthemums This flower may be the top plant to deter bugs. Spider mites, ants, silverfish, Japanese beetles, and ticks stay way if you put some chrysanthemums. Insecticides use an element from this flower due to how good it is. These flowers discourage:
Mint Mint plants may repel ants, gnats, and spiders. Use caution when you plant mint since it spread quickly. Basil Fend off flies, mosquitoes, and gnats with this fantastic herb. Plant some basil by your front and back doors to deter bugs from getting inside. You also have basil to use in your recipes. Citronella grass We all know this is a component of mosquito repellents. But most folks don't know it's a grass. Put citronella in planters close to your doors to stop insects from coming inside. Lavender Gnats hate the scent that so many of us enjoy. Put some plants in your windowsills. Chives If you have chives growing, flies and Japanese beetles will be a thing of the past. Garlic Famous for its health advantages and seasoning, garlic will keep flies, moths, beetles, and maggots from your plants. Put garlic plants close to your rosebush to stop aphids from snacking on your flowers. Rosemary Rosemary safeguards your veggie plants by warding off a vast assortment of bugs that desire to eat your plants. Protecting Your Lawn These plants should help you have to deal with fewer insects. Though, bugs could be diligent and discover ways to get past many defenses. Call us at Syracuse Tree Service when you want more information on bug resistant plants. Strolling across your lush, something isn't right. You see weird raised trails that crisscross the canvas of green. Your next step tells the story. Your heart sinks in your chest as your foot sinks into the turf. You have moles and your next move is learning how to get rid of moles. You have Moles It is possible to live in harmony with moles. The tunneling they are famous for does have a good impact when it comes to soil aeration and reducing the insect population. We've all seen the damage done as a yard is scarred by shallow tunneling. Underground, the effects more harmful by destroying cultivated plants, hindering turf growth, and disrupting root systems. Also, these tunnels move traffic from critters such as voles and mice that will gladly eat expose roots. Eliminating Moles Getting rid of moles can be complex. Using a dog or cat to do your dirty work is a possibility. More humane choices are available, so you don't have to fake the mole damage is the most wonderful thing you've ever seen. The main complaint is the visible damage to the turf. One solution is to exchange grassy areas with hedges, gardens, or other ground coverings. For a lot of homeowners, this might seem impractical. If the lawn isn't being moved, moles can be deterred from digging tunnels that harm the turf. Sometimes, peaceful coexistence just isn't a choice. Over the years, mole deterrents from vibrating windmills to pickle juice have been used over these years with some success. Chemical treatments are plentiful, but the answer might be as simple as picking the right plants. Contact an arborist at Syracuse Tree Care to learn which methods are best for your landscape. Mole Repellents Allium, marigolds, fritillaria and daffodils put along the perimeter of the yard are all effective, natural mole repellents. Also, shallots and garlic discourage moles. Castor bean plants are excellent as well, though it is deemed poisonous and must not be used where children or pets play. If moles are already there, it might take some encouragement to get them gone. Castor oil is a confirmed winner when it comes to non-lethal, safe mole extermination. Using a sprayer and garden hose, one quart of castor oil will treat over 4,000 square feet of lawn. Castor oil also comes in a granule form which covers over 900 square feet per pound. Trees rely on their root systems for a host of reasons. But root damage is a common problem among trees in urban and suburban areas. Since roots are critical for a tree’s survival, promptness is key in treating damaged tree roots. Without accurate care, root damage can make a tree deteriorate and die. Below are some common causes and symptoms of root damage. There are also a few damaged tree root treatment techniques. Common Causes of Root Damage Tree roots can become damaged from many causes, but some of the most common include: Animals A host of animals, mainly insects, feed on tree roots. Fortunately, many such issues are somewhat self-limiting and respond excellently to various treatments. Soil Compaction Compressing the soil around a tree’s roots can hinder their growth and even create physical damage. Soil compression can result from numerous causes, but lots of foot traffic and the use of heavy machinery are two of the most well-known. Luckily, there are many ways to handle compacted soil. Trenching or Digging When you dig in the area around a tree, you jeopardize harming its roots. Unfortunately, this sort of damage can happen while digging the shallowest holes or trenches. Most of a tree’s absorbing roots are around the upper 12 to 18 inches of the soil. Symptoms of Severed Roots Depending on the seriousness of the root damage, trees can display numerous symptoms. Some of the most obvious and well-known are: Crown Dieback Crown dieback is the gradual death of a tree’s canopy. In some instance, the damage will be just to a single branch, while other instances will be the complete death of the canopy. Poor Growth or Vigor Trees with damaged roots cannot thrive and grow as they should. This can make them grow slowly, display poor health or not reach their usual size. Ways to Help Trees with Damaged Roots Sadly, significant root damage can be the death of a tree. Though, trees can typically overcome minor cases of root damage, especially when supportive measures are used. Some of the most well-known steps taken to support trees with root damage include: Mulch – Mulch helps to nourish and protect tree roots, helping them live and make new roots. Radial Trenching – Radial trenching is the digging of soil in the root space and adding mulch or topsoil, helping to aid the tree’s roots and entice new growth. If one of your trees has suffered from root damage, contact a local, experienced, certified Syracuse arborist. Disease in a tree can come in many forms, usually spreading from the ground up. There are a huge variety of causes of tree diseases, the symptoms of which differ just as vastly. You might see the roots of your tree starting to rot due to a fungal infection or harm done to the bark as a result of an insect invasion. Sometimes, you might see the top of the tree dead, but the bottom still alive. This is referred to as dieback. If you observe signs of dieback in your trees, you’ll want to start an investigation to find out the reasons. Soil Health The health of the soil is a huge factor in the tree’s health. There are numerous ways you can see if your soil is healthy. The first thing you can do is check the soil itself. Dense, healthy soil will have plenty of organisms living inside of it. There will be insects, worms, and plant growth in any handful of soil you examine. If you can’t find any signs of life, that’s a true indicator that your soil isn’t healthy. Reach out to Syracuse Tree Care to get a professional opinion. Fungal Diseases Fungal diseases are another possible reason for tree dieback. There are numerous types of fungal infections that can happen, threatening many species of tree. Elm yellow disease, beech bark disease, Dutch elm disease, and oak wilt are just a few examples of the diseases that can threaten trees. Prevention is the most crucial measure you can take to keep your trees healthy. If you notice any section of the tree that is dead or decaying, you should remove it. Sometimes, you might have to get rid of a whole tree to stop the infection spreading to other trees in your landscape. If Dieback Happens If you’ve taken preventative measures and still notice dieback happening in your trees, you can use some other measures. You can trim dying or dead limbs. This treats the symptoms, but not the cause. You should also eliminate any overgrown root stock to enhance the health of the soil. It’s an excellent idea to plant a number of small plants and local shrubs as you can. These will attract spiders, wasps, and local birds that can serve as predators to disease-spreading insects. Spring is the perfect time to spend time outdoors enjoying the sunshine. Also, it’s a good time to consider which type of tree to plant in your landscape. Trees enhance your home’s curb appeal, improving the aesthetic of your home’s exterior. Plant a tree that is both fragrant and beautiful. Below are some of the best smelling trees to entice your senses and brighten your landscape. Linden Trees The leaves and blossoms from the linden tree are typically used to make herbal tea due to their medicinal benefits. Linden is said to aid in digestion, sooth headaches, and have several other positive effects on complete health. This is truly a tree that will stimulate your sense of smell, taste, and sight. If you don’t know the best spots to plant trees in your yard, contact a Syracuse Tree Care Arborist with any questions. Jasmine Trees Having a jasmine tree is another great way to fill your yard with an exotic fragrance. Since an assortment of jasmine trees can be grown in any landscape, notes of jasmine are frequently found in perfumes due to their sweet aroma. Similar to linden, jasmine is used in tea and is said to have several health benefits. Wisteria Trees The wisteria tree makes a dramatic landscape testimony both in terms of its visual appeal and fragrance. The tree’s lavender or blue-purple blossoms give it a stunning look. The aroma from the blossoms is equally amazing. Since the blossoms usually bloom in the springtime, it’s an ideal spring-planting Syracuse tree. In order to be sure the wisteria tree is in complete bloom, you’ll need to plant in an open area where it receives plenty of sunshine. Though a wisteria tree can flourish in partial shade, its flowers probably will not. Of course, the blossoms are crucial for the tree’s fragrant aroma. Cherry Blossom Trees Another tree to brighten up your yard is the cherry blossom tree. Similar to jasmine, many body products are scented with cherry blossom. The Japanese flowering cherry tree has a slight almond fragrance in the springtime. Their faint aroma will make your landscape fragrant without being overpowering. |
AuthorWe at Syracuse Tree Service want to help you with your tree service needs, our blog is where we provide helpful tips and ideas for the health of your trees. Archives
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