If you have fruit trees on your property you may already be starting to think about how to protect them as the temperatures begin to drop. With all of the hard work and energy that you spend taking care of your fruit trees during the year you would hate to see them die in the winter. Taking careful steps in the fall can be the best way for you to help your trees make it through the harsh winter months.

Is Winterizing My Fruit Trees Necessary?

Historically fruit trees that have had an excellent crop this year should make it through the winter just fine. Trees that did not have as good of a crop are at a higher risk for damage during the summer. Milam’s Tree Service recommends preparing all of your fruit trees for winter though just to be safe. You will want to take steps in the fall to winterize your fruit trees for the best chance of survival during the winter. If you are planting your trees in the fall you can winterize them when you plant them so that you do not have to go back and do it later.

Mulching, Wrapping Trees & Other Ways to Winterize

So how do your winterize your trees? If you are a new fruit tree owner this may seem like a completely foreign word to you. We want to help you break it down.
• First you will want to get some mulch and trunk-protecting tree guards. When you are getting your mulch you just want to ensure that it is not rock mulch. If you need some mulch Milam’s Tree Service can deliver our organic mulch whenever you are ready to begin this project. Our mulch is created with recycled wood from our tree services including trimming, pruning, removing dead trees or branches, and stump removal. This creates a more natural, soft and fine texture for your mulch.
• At planting time you will want to apply a layer of mulch. Make sure that you do not heap the mulch up around the trunk. The mulch later should be spread a few inches thicker than growing season mulch. This mulch will help serve as insulation for the roots of your tree that are underground.
• You will also want to wrap the trunk of your fruit trees with a tree guard. Tree guards will help keep bark-chewing critters away from the trunks of your trees. Tree guards will also provide protection from sun scald and trunk splitting.

What is Sunscald on Trees?

If you are not familiar with sunscald we want to help explain it so that you will understand what it is. Sun scald is an injury that frequently occurs to tree trunks during the winter. During a nice winter day the sun warms the trunks of the trees and then at night it cannot adjust fast enough to the large drop in temperature and the trunk is at risk of cracking or splitting. If you have a tree that is too large for a tree guard you can mix equal parts water and white latex paint and apply it to the trunk of your tree from below the lowest branch and down.

Mulch, Tree Trimming, Tree Removal & More in McDonough, Jackson, Jonesboro, Fayetteville, Hampton, Sunny Side GA | Fayette, Clayton & Henry Counties, Georgia

We hope that this information helps your fruit trees survive the winter months so that you can continue to enjoy the fruit that your tree will grow during the wonderful spring months. Call Milam’s Tree Service for all your tree care needs!