With long, cold days ahead, you may be starting to prepare your property’s landscape for the winter. However, once that first snow falls, most people stop thinking about their landscape goals. After all, what landscaping tasks can even be done in the ice and snow? There are actually many landscaping tasks that can be performed in the winter. If you want a beautiful, blooming landscape next spring, you must prioritize the following tasks this winter.
Remove Trees and Shrubs
If you have any trees or plants that need to be removed, don’t push it off until the spring. The frozen soil is optimal for shrub, tree, and stump removal as it causes minimal disruption to surrounding plants and turf.
Invest in a Landscape Inspection
When spring finally arrives, you want your landscape to be ready. If you ignore your landscape all winter long, the better half of the spring will be spent fixing your landscape instead of enjoying it. To get the most out of your spring landscape, consider investing in a landscape inspection during the winter season. An ISA Certified arborist can provide you with a report of your landscape’s condition. If there are any problems, you can handle them all before spring arrives.
Water and Prune to Maintain Tree Health
If you have evergreens or other high-value trees, they may need extra care throughout the winter months. Evergreen trees, such as spruce trees, rely heavily on winter watering. In the winter, the needles are exposed to the cold air and the wind pulls the moisture from the leaves. These trees are already under a lot of stress due to the exceptionally dry summer we experienced this year. Constant watering can keep them healthy by replenishing the moisture they are continuously losing.
Pruning flowering trees, like Crabapples, in the winter will benefit your property greatly. Not only will it improve the overall health of the trees, but pruning during the dormant season will reduce the risk of spreading diseases like bacterial fire blight.
What Happens If They Are Not Watered?
Winter watering will keep your trees healthy, but how important is it? If the trees on your property are not watered, especially during dry periods when the sprinkler systems are off, the damage can be significant and costly. If you didn’t water your trees last winter and they suffered no damage, you may believe winter watering isn’t all that necessary. However, the major damage endured won’t be immediate. It generally takes a year or two for the damage to surface.
New trees are extremely expensive, so don’t waste money on replacing trees that could easily be protected with winter watering.
Schedule Winter Landscape Maintenance Today
In order to create the best landscape for your commercial property, maintenance must be performed year-round. For help with your commercial property landscape, contact DCPS today!
