Goodbye Old Man Winter and Hello Spring!!
You may have already begun to notice the birds chirping and singing together in the early morning hours or the buds on your plants and deciduous trees waking up. With the fluctuating temperatures over the last couple of weeks, we know that Mother Nature is preparing us for a much-needed break from the long, dreary Winter we have had here in St. Louis. Early Spring is one of the best times to start preparing your trees, shrubs, and landscapes for a strong and healthy growing season.
The Winter months can leave your trees and landscape looking pretty messy. So, the first thing you will want to do is evaluate the mess Old Man Winter has left you. Start by inspecting your trees and shrubs while they are not yet fully leafed out.
What to look for?
1) Broken, cracked, split, or bent limbs that may have been damaged from the weight of snow, ice and/or strong winds.
2) Dead decayed and/or diseased branches.
3) Dead and/or dying trees and shrubs.
4) Structural integrity of your trees – Some trees cannot stand up to strong winter winds or accumulated debris from the winter months, so this step is the most important.
Trees that have been severely injured and/or are structurally compromised most likely have become a safety hazard to you and your property. The next nasty storm, heavy downpour, or strong winds could cause large branches to fall or cause the tree to fail. In these cases, with the assistance of one of our Certified Arborists, you will want to have a thorough risk assessment of your trees to point out any potential dangers and threats to you, your family and/or your property.
Tree assessments should be performed by experts who possess the skill and strong knowledge, not only to assess if a tree will fail, but also to decide what preventative or controlled measures should be taken.
Schedule a free assessment by submitting the form or by calling 314-814-0809
Getting to work!
1) Clean up your yard, your landscape beds, and your trees. Prune to remove those dead, dying, and diseased limbs
2) Remove dead and high-risk trees
3) Cut back and shape your shrubs and perennials
Prepare for the growing season!
1) Test your soil pH levels, nutrient and mineral deficiencies so you can determine what is best for your trees and shrubs.
2) Add some mulch to your landscape beds as this will help to suppress weeds, retain moisture, and soil temperatures. It will also add organic matter to your soil and plant roots. Be sure to apply mulch around your trees in your yard but be careful not to volcano mulch around the base of the tree. Volcano mulching is an improper landscaping technique where, year after year, mulch is piled up against the trunk of the tree. This can cause bark decay, and will allow fungi, bacteria and insects to get under the bark and cause internal issues. Volcano mulching can also cause girdling, or ‘circling’ roots to form, which will eventually cause the tree to die.
3) Plant a tree, or two maybe three!!
