How to protect trees in the garden from frost and snowfall

Frosty and snowy winters can be disastrous for a garden. Branches can break under the weight of snow, and plants can die from very low temperatures. Therefore, trees need to be properly prepared for the winter season so that they successfully survive it and wake up well in the spring.

OBOZ.UA asked gardening experts for their opinion. Here is what they advised to do before the onset of cold weather.

Inspect all the trees

The first step in preparing for winter is to make sure that the trees are healthy. To do this, you need to carefully examine them. Check if the wood is rotting, if fungus is developing on the trunk, or if dead branches need to be removed. If necessary, cut the crown correctly and treat the plant with a suitable protective agent.

Keep an eye on the hydration

Sufficient moisture in the ground is the key to a successful winter. Therefore, make sure to water the garden before the ground freezes. Water should be easily absorbed and spread around the trunk to the entire diameter of the crown. If the liquid does not penetrate the soil well, loosen it. Loosen the soil to a depth of about 5 centimeters. After watering, cover the trunk circle with mulch. Wood shavings, straw, hay, etc. are well suited for this purpose. Mulching will help maintain soil moisture, suppress weeds, and protect the roots from temperature extremes. But don't forget to leave a 10-cm radius circle around the trunk uncovered. This will help protect the root system from developing diseases.

Protect trees from snow damage

Some trees need to be tied up to prevent snow from breaking their branches in winter. Selective pruning can also help. Covering the tree with a special structure or wrapping it in burlap works well. Ideally, the protective cover should be in the shape of a cone. Then the snow simply cannot stay on it. And in the winter season, don't forget to gently shake off the branches after a snowfall. But do not try to knock off the ice. It is safer to just let it melt when it gets warmer.

Take care to protect the trunks

Young trees and trees with thin bark, such as maples and lindens, are prone to cracking due to frost and suffering from sunburn. You can protect them from this by wrapping the trunks with a special film or simple burlap. Just do not tighten this cover too tightly. Such wrapping will also protect the garden from hares, deer, and rodents that can gnaw at the bark in winter. Better install a fence that will keep wildlife out.

Install wind protection

Wind exposure in winter can greatly reduce the moisture level of the plant. It can also break branches and trunks. Therefore, installing a windbreak is a good solution if you know that it can be windy in your area in winter. But make sure that the protective structure is securely fastened and won't fall down from the next gust as it can break trees.

Protect potted trees

Planting trees in pots rather than in the open ground makes it easy to reconfigure your garden. However, such containers do not provide the same thermal insulation as the ground, so it is often necessary to take additional precautions to protect trees planted in this way from the winter cold. You may need to move them to a more sheltered location for the winter. For example, under a shed or in a garage. If this is not possible, then at least place them close to each other or under the wall of the house. You can also wrap the pots with burlap, bubble wrap, or a protective cloth. Alternatively, they can be dug into the ground for the winter.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA shared how to protect garden roses from winter weather.

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