While the maintenance of trees is a year-round endeavor for every property owner, fall tree care is essential to your tree’s survival.
Caring for your trees in fall goes a long way in protecting them during winter. Fall tree care also provides your trees with the growing environment they need to thrive.
Read on to learn the best tree care practices to implement this fall and how opting for professional tree service by Petrarca Landcare Inc. can help.
Rake Fallen Tree Leaves
Though the fallen leaves from street trees or your deciduous tree can add charm to your lawn, neglecting them poses significant risks to the tree.
Fungi love to hide in fallen leaves, infecting the tree when the weather warms, and spring rain falls. Raking these leaves limits the chances of your mature trees contracting diseases.
The best part is that you can use these leaves to create organic mulch that you’ll add to your tree.
Fertilize
Your trees experience high-stress conditions, such as compaction, physical damage, and low moisture availability. Additionally, though raking leaves is vital, doing so removes nutrients that would have decomposed and fed tree roots.
Fortunately, fertilizing is an excellent way to keep your tree healthy and shield it from winter damage.
Mulch
Applying mulch is another crucial step in the maintenance of trees, but it’s important to be aware of the dangers of too much mulching. Adding mulch insulates your trees’ roots, protecting them from the low temperatures of late fall and winter, while also allowing the soil to retain organic matter and moisture.
Tips on Applying Mulch
Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of mulching.
Size
Cover the tree’s base with one to two inches of new leaf and shredded hardwood mulch. The mulch should be as wide as your tree’s drip line. However, this might not be ideal, especially with large trees.
In such a case, apply the mulch in a two to three-foot radius.
Depth or Height
The mulch should be about two to four inches high. Keep the mulch three inches from the tree’s trunk when piling it up to avoid rotting the bark.
Maintaining the Mulch
Refresh the mulch as regularly as possible. To do so, you could rake the mulch’s top layers or remove and replace it with a new mound. Avoid piling a new layer of mulch on top of an old one.
Water Regularly
Although temperatures are lower in fall than in summer, your trees can still experience drought stress if they don’t get enough water. As such, ensure you water trees regularly to keep them hydrated.
Fall Watering Tips
When watering your trees in the fall, place your hose in the critical root zone area and turn it to its dribble setting. Leave it for two to three hours before moving it to a different spot.
Ensure that you:
- Water your trees thoroughly and deeply at least once or twice a week
- Focus on your tree’s critical root zone
- Avoid using a sprinkler because it only wets the soil’s top layer
- Water your trees in the morning to prevent evaporation and help your trees manage the heat throughout the day
Quality Tree Care Services in Northeast Ohio
Petrarca Landcare Inc. believes that every tree deserves the best care. As such, we dedicate our specialized expertise to providing an extensive range of professional services that promise to cater to the year-round maintenance of trees.
Contact Petrarca Landcare Inc. at (330) 933-0562 and access professional fall tree care services in Northeast Ohio. We also have a host of resources you can browse through for all your tree inquiries, including how to deal with a tree with hanging branches.