It’s that time of year again! Our deciduous trees are changing colors and dropping their leaves. Winter is upon us, although it may not always feel like it here in Texas this time of the year. Now is the perfect time to consider protecting your trees from the harsh winds and colder temperatures to come. There are several actions you can take to ensure your trees will be protected during the winter months.
Watering
While it may seem counterintuitive, watering your trees 24 to 48 hours before a deep freeze comes is one of the best ways to protect the root system. With our cold weather we often have higher winds, and these winds can cause the trees to dry out faster than one might think they would. Also, since water freezes at 32 degrees, having adequate moisture can help maintain that higher temperature in the soil around the roots as temperatures dip dangerously low.
Protect your palms!
Palm trees are generally a tropical species, which often means that they don’t thrive as well in our North Texas winters, but you can help them out by wrapping the trees for protection. Wrap your palms with a thick layer of brown burlap, from the base of the trunk all the way to the base of the crown. It is very important to get that base as that is the growing point of the palm, from which new growth will arise in the spring and summer.
Maples and other thin bark trees
The beautiful hybrid maples such as Autumn Blaze, October Glory, and even the Japanese maples have thinner bark than many of our native oaks and elms. Therefore, it is important to protect the delicate bark on their lower exposed trunk from what is called “southwest injury” or sunscald. You may choose to do it yourself with a thick wrapping of burlap, a white tree wrap (available online at Walmart.com, amazon.com or other similar retailers), or similar materials.
